Page 80 of Secret Baby for Dr. Grump

Hell, a part of me is even prepared to tell him that we have a kid, if only to alleviate the severity of the damning evidence—because a kid connects us in a way that will explain this more than words. But putting Riley in the middle of this also feels wrong.

So, I try to repeat my words from earlier.

“It’s still not what you think, Dr. Sanders. I really can explain this.”

He lifts a hand, stopping me in my tracks. James glances at the photos again before he returns his gaze toward me. A chill washes over my spine at how steady he looks now.

“I don’t think I need to remind you that liaisons between hospital colleagues are prohibited, especially if there’s no equal power…especially if it’s between a doctor and his medical assistant, both of which we employ.”

“I understand…”

“And when I say it’s prohibited, Miss Davis, I mean that it is grounds for a lawsuit against Luke, who has abused his power and taken advantage of you.”

The chill intensifies until I’m shaking deep inside. Shock slams into me as I stare at him and absorb his words.

“But he didn’t take advantage.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s what everyone will think once they find out.”

Once they find out?

“You’re revealing this to the public?”

For the first time, annoyance flares in his expression. “No, I’m not. I have to maintain the hospital’s image, don’t I? But if you’re this blatant and someone has already spotted you, it’s bound to be public knowledge soon. People will start questioning whether you two disgraced the hospital during or after office hours, especially if this behavior occurred in other professional areas.”

I can feel the blood seeping from my face at everything he’s saying. “Dr. Sanders…he didn’t take advantage. I swear.”

“So you seduced him?”

“No!”

Silence. James studies me thoroughly, scrutinizing every second of the reactions I can’t hide.

“HR doesn’t know. Yet. Beyond a lawsuit, this is also grounds for Dr. Jennings’ termination, considering he’s the older party and the one in authority. And when he’s terminated, people will talk. They will speculate. Whether I want to hide it or not, Miss Davis, the truth will come out.”

“Dr. Sanders…”

“But there is another way.”

My plea leaves my mind as I observe him back and realize there’s a light of anticipation in his eyes. It’s not gleeful, but it’s almost hopeful. Dread curls in my belly, but I force myself to ask.

“What’s the other way?”

“You hand in your resignation, Miss Davis. Quietly. You clear your desk and leave without causing a stir, and we might be able to salvage this situation. If it’s you leaving, people might still wonder, but not as much as when it’s someone as brilliant as Dr. Jennings leaving the best facility for the kind of doctor that he is.”

He says more. He’s saying a lot of things, but I hear what he’s not saying: that if I don’t agree to the alternative, Luke will be ruined. Professionally.

Personally, too, because this is his dream job and something he worked so hard to achieve.

The idea of giving up this job and leaving before I can even make my mark hurts, a devastation that makes it hard to breathe and take it all in. I will need to find another job and I might not have the best of luck, especially if James refuses to give me a good recommendation.

But the idea of Luke stuck in a lawsuit? Of Luke falling from his top position after giving everything up for it—his marriage, his relationships, even his life at some point?

It breaks something inside me. I have a feeling it’s my heart as I can practically sense it cracking bit by bit until my chest is hollow. That hollowness extends to my stomach, then the rest of me as I realize that while I’ve been given choices, there’s only one that will save the man that I love.

Because yes, I love Luke with my whole heart.

And I’ll be damned if I’m the cause of him getting ruined.

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