Page 56 of The Fake Family Deal

I’m so outraged by the whole thing that it’s not until I turn the corner to the block where she lives that the main word of the story sinks in and makes my blood run cold.

Pregnant.

Can Marina really be pregnant?

My heart leaps into my mouth as I extrapolate what else that might mean.

Could I be the father?

It seems unlikely, though. We always used protection, and I made sure everything was okay. Sure, we had a lot of sex, butpregnant…

Of course, she’s an adult. She can do what she wants. I can’t exactly judge her for having sex with anyone else when it’s not like we were really a couple. But the timeline doesn’t make any sense if it’s not me.

She told me that she never had time to meet anyone, or the confidence to bring anyone home, with Lila being so young. She told me that barely anyone ever showed interest in her, and I told her that was ridiculous because she was one of the most gorgeous people I had ever met.

She had blushed at that.

Could she have found someone after us? After the café?

I’m sure there are plenty of guys who would leap at the chance to take her to bed, but that doesn’t feel right. Even though she’s furious with me, I can’t see her breaking our act that quickly. She’s too honorable for something like that.

A mistake then, maybe. A dumb, drunk night that led to something that span out of her control. It’s plausible, but I still don’t think it’s likely.

None of this makes any sense.

And it’s not any of these so-called journalists’ business.

Now I want to see her more than ever.

When I get to her apartment block, I pause for a minute to catch my breath and stare up at it. It’s a modern enough block, madeof glass and steel and brick, full of apartments that will all look the same, all be soulless and beige and owned by a landlord with more money than sense.

Just like me.

It’s completely ordinary. I used to think she was ordinary like this, too.

As I step inside, I try to calm myself down. But the fact is, I’m not going to be calm until I get some answers. At the very least, I want the truth.

CHAPTER 28

MARINA

Lila bursts into tears the second the hammering on the door starts, spilling paint all over herself and the floor, which just makes the tears stronger.

“Argh,” I say, wavering between attending to Lila and answering the door.

I look between the two again, then decide that whoever’s at the door is probably an adult and can cope with waiting two minutes while I calm Lila down. Or maybe they’ll go away. That would be good too.

I’m not exactly in the mood to entertain.

Lila wails again, and I scoop her up into my arms, glad that I’m not wearing white. Paint-covered clothes aren’t exactly my ideal, but she needs me close now, and it’ll wash. It will all wash.

“Hush, sweetie,” I coo, bouncing her about.

She only just stops crying when the thumping on the door starts again.

“Shut up!” I yell, and, carrying my screaming baby through the house, I fling open the door, ready to rage at whoever’s there for disturbing our peaceful afternoon, only to be shocked into silence.

It’s Ellis.

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