Page 88 of Secret Baby for my Off-Limits Fiancé

"Tell me about it."

Giana shakes her head. "No, babe. This is bullshit. If he said it, then he felt it. And if he felt it, he still does."

I scoff. "You don’t know that."

"And you do?"

I open my mouth, then close it. Because I don’t.

I don’t know what Valentino really feels. I don’t know if it was just the heat of the moment or something more. I don’t know if I was a fleeting impulse or if I actually matter to him.

And not knowing? It’s suffocating.

"You have to talk to him," Giana says softly.

I shake my head. "I can’t."

"Why not?"

I close my eyes, pressing my fingers against my forehead. "Because it’s not just me, Giana. It’s Vincent, too."

She stills.

"If this ends… if I tell Valentino how I feel and he doesn’t feel the same, it’s not just my heart on the line. It’s Vincent’s too. He’s already started getting attached. He sees Valentino as someone who’s sticking around. But if I tell the truth and this all falls apart, he’ll lose his father without even knowing it. And I can’t do that to him."

Giana’s expression softens, and she reaches for my hand, squeezing it. "Layla… You’re not the only one who gets a say in how this ends."

I suck in a shaky breath.

"You need to stop making decisions for Valentino and just tell him the truth. He deserves to hear it. From you."

Tears burn the back of my eyes, but I blink them away. "I know."

Giana squeezes my hand again. "So, what are you going to do?"

I don’t answer. Because the truth is, I don’t know. I don’t know if I should tell Valentino everything before the engagement…

…Or if I should keep pretending, just a little longer.

And that uncertainty?

It’s slowly breaking me apart.

A sudden cry comes from Vincent’s room.

I jump up immediately.

Vincent is sitting up in his bed, his tiny body trembling.

"What’s wrong, baby? Was it a bad dream?"

His little legs kick, and my heart drops when I touch his forehead.

Burning up.

Panic grips me.

Giana appears in the doorway. "Layla?"

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