Page 54 of Hayes

And now she was paying the price. He refused to allow her to run the museum as she saw fit, even though she was more than qualified. Her ideas were dismissed casually with a flick of a wrist. She had tried so hard to get him to listen to her and pay attention so that they could move forward.

He had been pleased when she started with Hayes, had told her he was proud of her and had given her a more leading role in the running of the museum. That had stopped when Hayes broke things off with her.

Stepping back from the mirror, she took one last look at her pinched, pale face and realized that she did not need makeup after all to show that she was unwell. She was angry and vengeful, and she intended to strike where it hurts.

*****

Hayes had not told Camelia he was meeting Simone and was feeling guilty. He should have told her. In the past, their relationship had always been based on trust. He wanted it to be that way —it had to be in order for them to get over the hurdles facing them. Now, she was carrying his seed, and the plans for the wedding were already underway.

But he owed it to Simone to at least hear what she had to say. He had no idea what that could be. He had nothing else to say to her, and he did not relish the prospect of yet another scene. The fact that she had suggested they meet at her place had sent alarm bells ringing.

And she was running late. He had just pushed back his chair with the intention of leaving when she came hurrying in, followed by the Maître d'.

"I am so sorry, Hayes. An emergency at the museum that I had to deal with."

Sliding back his chair, he greeted her with a perfunctory kiss on the cheek before pulling out her chair.

"I have less than half an hour, I am afraid." He nodded to the hovering waiter. "I ordered the soup du jour. I hope you don't mind."

"Soup sounds fine. How have you been?"

"Busy." His green eyes scanned her face, wondering at its paleness. "You?"

"Trying to cope." Picking up her glass of water, she took a sip.

"Look, I know I ended things between us hastily, but I want you to believe that I had no intention of hurting you."

"I do." She fussed with the gloves she had placed on the table. "I have news, and I would like you to know that I thought long and hard about telling you. My first instinct was to get rid of it, but that would not have been fair to you."

He stared at her with a frown. "What are you talking about?"

Picking up her glass, she took another sip of water and waited while their bowls were placed in front of them. "I haven't been able to keep anything down, so the soup was a very good idea."

Hayes' eyes were transfixed on her face, his body still. "What's wrong with you?"

Dipping the spoon into the thin liquid, she sipped tentatively before looking over at him. "I am pregnant."

"I hope you are not saying it's mine."

"Two and a half months, to be precise." Putting her spoon down, she reached for her tote and took out an envelope.

"What's this?"

"I know you would have a difficult time believing me, so I got an official note from the doctor."

Hayes forced himself to reach for the envelope and scanned the stamp before opening it. He read the medical jargon declaring that 'the fetus' was healthy and the pregnancy viable. Aside from moments of illness, which was normal for that period, the mother was doing very well.

Looking up from the document, he stared at the woman across from him. "What the hell are you playing at?" he demanded harshly. "I always used protection. I never wanted–"

She filled in the blanks. "You never wanted the mistake of an unwanted pregnancy, not even with me. And not even the fact that we were in a committed relationship, or so you led me to believe."

"Is this revenge?" His eyes glowered as he looked at her, and she had to force herself not to flinch. "Are you trying to pay me back for leaving you?"

"Do you honestly think I enjoy humiliating myself by coming to you?" she hissed. "I thought about terminating the pregnancy. You are with the woman you love; I was nothing to you, and I have accepted that. But the fact is—I am pregnant with your child, and you need to know about it. I am not asking you to marry me–"

"Because that's not going to happen."

She flushed at his scathing remark and wished to God she was really pregnant. "Well, that's telling me. Anyway, I am here because you deserve to know."

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