Page 44 of Finally Found You

Derek nods. “He’ll be outside. I’m heading to Paradise Bay with our wife. We’re searching for a house around the area to be close to Ben and our niece.”

“Thank you for your help,” I say, my mind still reeling. I pull out my phone and set it to record. There are only a few ways this woman could have become pregnant by me, and none of them would be legal.

“You’re Rita’s former roommate,”I say, my voice strained as I struggle to keep my anger in check.

Rita and I had a fling—a summer fling sixteen years ago while she worked at Paradise Bay Inn. She had brought Elsie along, both of them studying poli-sci at Berkeley and saving money for a trip or something of the sort—I can’t quite recall. Rita and I didn’t have anything serious, but I would never sleep with two women at the same time, especially if they were friends.

Kenzy is my daughter, but how… how did it happen?

“Well, at least you remember me,” Elsie says, her smile broad and insincere. “That was one unforgettable summer, if I recall.”

I cross my arms, my patience wearing thin. “Cut the bullshit, Elsie. You and I never had sex. Not that I can recall.”

“Were you that drunk?” she retorts, feigning insult.

“So you drugged me and fucked me?” I challenge, certain that wouldn’t have happened. I would have remembered waking up in her bed or something. “Because that’s rape.”

“Are you going to go to the police?” she taunts. “No one would believe you.”

I smirk, undeterred. “You should know that I have the resources to make the accusation stick.” It’s an empty threat, but I throw it anyway. “Just as I brought you here, I can find the right people to bury you in jail for years.”

She turns completely pale and grips the back of a chair for support.

“Why don’t you tell me what really happened, Elsie? I want the truth, or I’ll concoct one that paints you in the worst possible light.”

“I…” Her voice is barely more than a whisper, a soft tremor betraying her fear.

“Condoms,” she mumbles, the word almost inaudible. “Every night, I would take the used condoms you left in the bathroom and inject the semen into my vagina. It wasn’t until I was back in Berkeley that I noticed it had worked—I was pregnant with your baby.”

My heart stutters, and I struggle to maintain my composure. “You did what?” I stare at her, dumbfounded. Is that even possible?

“Why?” I ask in disbelief.

“If I carried your baby, you would’ve had to marry me,” she confesses. “Rita told me you owned the vineyard and were a billionaire. It was everything I wanted and more.”

The truth hits me like a ton of bricks. No wonder I couldn’t remember how Kenzington was conceived. I never slept with this woman. What the ever-loving fuck?

“But you never came to give me the good news about our baby,” I say, my voice laced with confusion as I try to piece together her twisted motives.

“I did,” she mumbles, her gaze falling to the table. “Dawn Spearman offered me ten million dollars to disappear—and get rid of the baby. Unfortunately, it was too late to abort the child. I went to my mother’s so I could leave it with her. I mean, if she was raising my sister’s daughter, she could do the same with mine.”

It doesn’t surprise me to learn that my mother participated in this scheme. Of course she tried to get rid of my child. I’m so angry at her… and at this woman. How dare she create a new life without asking me if it’s okay?

“Let me get this straight,” I say, trying to absorb everything. “You stole my sperm, took money from my mother, and abandoned your daughter.” The words come out in disbelief, each syllable heavier than the last.

“Yes, and I regret leaving her. Now that I’ve come back to see my kid, she’s gone. Camilla took her or something,” she dares to say, her voice wavering with a mix of accusation and uncertainty.

My head shakes involuntarily as she tries to blame Cami for something she didn’t do. It is astonishing how this woman is trying to manipulate the truth. Although I need to keep her away from Kenzy, I cannot afford to break the promise I made to my daughter.

“You’re unbelievable,” I say, my retort strained as I try to keep my composure. “You’re going to meet Kenzy. Explain to her that you were too young to be a mother and, though you love her, you know she should stay with me—it’s for the best. After that, you’ll relinquish your parental rights and disappear.”

Her lips twist into a bitter smirk, her defiance igniting a fire in her eyes. “I’m afraid I can’t do something like that. My daughter needs me.”

My frustration reaches a boiling point, and I lean forward, my words low and threatening. “You will do as I say, or you’ll end up in jail.”

“I haven’t committed a crime.” She tries to sound defiant, but I can hear her voice shaking, her confidence faltering.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find plenty of charges against you.”

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