Page 67 of Secret Baby for Dr. Billionaire

“You can’t punish me for the things I did in the past.”

He was right. I shouldn’t. It wasn’t fair. Jesus. I just needed time to think. I wanted Ben to shut up, maybe hold me. I wanted silence. But I didn’t want him to leave me alone. But we were both so frustrated that we only used words to hurt each other.

“And at least we fucked consensually. I don’t want you to see Frankie again.”

“It’s not your business who I see, Ben.”

“It is when you’re putting my child in danger.”

“Yourchild? Did you think I called Frankie to come and put Sofi at risk to get back at you? How stupid do you think I am?”

“Stupid enough to let a drunk man in your house. What if I hadn’t come, Chloe? Would he have raped you, kidnapped Sofi?”

The thought disturbed me to no end. Because, again, he was right. So much could’ve happened if he hadn’t come to my rescue. And I knew I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something terrible happened to my daughter.

“Frankie isn’t a dangerous person.”

“The courts wouldn’t think so.”

It was like the whole world dropped on my shoulders. It was as if my worst fears had projected in front of me, and that was when I stumbled back, the stress of the night taking a toll.

“What?” I wheezed. I couldn’t breathe, my vision doubled, and I tried and failed to get the oxygen I needed.

I sobbed because there was no air.

I sobbed because I felt so weak and so useless.

I sobbed because Ben was taking my daughter away from me. Had I failed my daughter?

Chapter twenty-two

Ben

Iregrettedthewordsthe moment they came out of my mouth. The look on Chloe’s face was like she had seen a ghost. Her stare was vacant, and she kept on shaking her head. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her breathing was shallow, and she was audibly struggling to get air as overwhelming fear consumed her. She had gone pale, and her lips shook. I could almost hear her teeth chattering.

“Chloe?” I stepped closer to her.

Her breathing was not normal. It was the same breathing she had experienced the first night we slept together. Except this time, she wasn’t able to gather herself. Her face reflected helplessness as she struggled, and her eyes filled with desperation as she gasped for oxygen.

“No, no, no,” she cried, hugging Sofi tightly in her arms as if she was afraid of losing her. She was. After what I said, I could only imagine what was going through her mind.

My doctor instinct kicked in before I let the guilt consume me. I looked at her, and she was gasping nonstop. She was either having a panic attack or an asthma attack. My bet was on the latter, just by the whistling that accompanied her breathing.

“Sit down, Chloe,” I instructed her as my eyes roamed around the penthouse, looking for a purse or a first aid kit where she could’ve stored her inhaler.

But Chloe wasn’t listening to me, and she couldn’t because her thoughts must be jumbled because of the panic I had instilled in her. She felt threatened, and she was having an attack because of her fear.

I didn’t mean to say it. I was furious at our situation and felt bad for saying it to her. I didn’t plan on hurting her like this. I didn’t plan on taking Sofi from her.

“Give her to me, Chlo.”

“No!” she sobbed, turning away so I couldn’t reach Sofi.

“Look at me,” I instructed, cupping her chin so her eyes would meet mine. Her eyes found mine in an instant like they were meant to. And the panic there was indescribable. “You’re having an asthma attack, all right?”

She nodded absentmindedly. Her cheeks were red and stained with tears.

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