Page 177 of My Big, Fat, Secret Billionaire Baby

“Are you… are you sure you’re not being a little too quick to write him off?”

I stare at her, genuinely shocked.

“Mom, are you feeling okay?” I ask, genuinely concerned. “Did you hit your head on the flight? Because last time we talked about Leo, you were practically ready to call in a nuclear strike on his penthouse.”

She sighs, a wan smile playing on her lips. “I know, honey. I know what I said. And I meant it, at the time. Hedoesremind me of your father. The recklessness, the charm, the potential for… disappearance.” Her gaze flickers towards Mia’s makeshift nursery in the living room. “But something Tatiana said… it got me thinking.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Tatiana? You’ve been talking toTatiana?And about my love life, of all things?”

Mom has the good grace to blush slightly. “Well, wedidmeet at her wedding a couple of years ago, remember? You were her bridesmaid. And yes, we’ve stayed in touch. She’s a very smart woman, Sabrina. And she cares about you a lot.”

“Oh,” I say, feeling a bit foolish. Tatiana’s disastrous first wedding. The one where her fiancé stood her up at the altar, about two years before she married Dominic in Vegas.

Right. I guess I just assumed… well, it doesn’t matter.

“So, what pearls of wisdom did Tatiana impart that suddenly turned you into Leo Maxwell’s number one fan?”

“Not his fan, honey,” Mom scolds me. “Just… maybe a little more objective. Tatiana pointed out something I hadn’t really considered.” She pauses. “Your fatherchoseto leave, Sabrina. He made a conscious decision to walk out on us. But he never fought for us. He never tried.”

“And let me guess,” I smile sweetly. “Leo’sdifferent, right? Because he’strying. Yes, yes, Tatiana already told me all that. But he’s not trying. Not really. He asked me out once, since I moved out. That’s it.”

“And what did you say?” Mom asks.

“No, of course,” I reply.

Mom nods slowly. “So if he asked you out today, would your answer be any different?”

“No,” I reply.

She sighs. “Yes, Leo is reckless. He’s got morebaggage than a Heathrow carousel. And this Chamonix thing... is terrifying, and frankly, idiotic. If he actually goes through with that, after everything… well, that’s a different conversation. A much shorter one.”

My heart clenches. Chamonix. I’m beginning to hate that particular French city with a passion, even though I’ve never been there.

“But,” Mom continues, “hehasn’tleft, has he? Not really. He’s still here. He’s fighting, in his own messed-up way. He’s trying, however clumsily, to figure out how to be a father. He’s wrestling with it. He’s not just… vanishing. It’s... you, Sabrina.Youwho are... vanishing.”

I stare at her, stunned into silence.

This is… not what I expected.

Definitely Tatiana’s work, though.

Never thought I’d see the day... my best friend and my own mother conspiring behind my back.

“Why are you telling me this, Mom?” I finally ask. “After everything you said before? About him being just like Dad?”

“Because I want you to be happy, Sabrina,” she says, her eyes glistening. “And I want Mia to be happy. And listening to you these past few weeks… and seeing you with my own eyes today... you remind me so much of myself, after your father left. Walled off. Braced for the worst. Determined to do it all alone.” She reaches out, taking my hand, her grip surprisingly firm. “But honey… in this situation? I’m telling you,you’rethe one who left. You walked out. He didn’t push you away. He didn’t disappear. You did.”

Her words land like a punch.

I left him.

The realization settles in. I was sofocused on the possibility ofhimleaving, ofhimrepeating my father’s pattern, that I didn’t see… I didn’t see my own role in it.

I built the wall.

I slammed the door.

I ran.

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