Page 38 of The King's Secret Baby

Pregnant by Luca.

Prince Luca. The king-to-be, the man who’s made it clear he wants no future with me.

I close my eyes, fear and panic and a wild, desperate hope warring in my chest.

What am I going to do now?

CHAPTER 19

LUCA

Ipace outside Hailey’s room, my mind racing, full of memories of her pale face this morning.

She clearly isn’t doing well, and the thought of something being terribly wrong with her makes me sick with dread. If something happens to Hailey…

I draw a quick breath, shocked at how much the thought of losing her upsets me. My father is gone. My mother gone.

Aside from Simon, Hailey is the most important person in my life.

Which sounds ridiculous, I know that. I’ve pushed her away, told her that we can’t be involved in any way but professionally. Hell, I don’t even treat her as a friend.

Yet that doesn’t stop her from filling my dreams every night. Doesn’t stop me from keeping a room furnished in my heart just for her. Us not being together doesn’t mean I don’t care for her, and care for her I do — with every fiber of my being.

The door opens, and I spin around. Dr. Novak exits Hailey’s room, closing the door firmly behind herself.

“What is it?” I say quickly.

Dr. Novak folds her hands in front of her belt. “Sir, I am bound by patient-physician confidentiality. I can tell you nothing. I’m sorry.”

My shoulders slump. “I understand. Thank you for seeing her.”

“Of course.” She bows before disappearing down the hallway.

I knock on the closed door, my heart pounding in my chest. “Hailey? It’s me, Luca. Can I come in?”

A pause, then, “Yes, come in.”

I enter, closing the door behind me. Hailey is sat on the edge of the bed, her face pale, her eyes red-rimmed. She’s been crying.

The sight makes my heart clench.Oh, no. Is it even worse than I imagined?

“Hailey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” I hurry to her, but stop myself right before taking her hands in mine. Despite what’s happening now, I drew the line — yet again — in the pool last night, and I need to be careful to not send her mixed messages.

Or to make things even harder on myself — as keeping our boundaries in place requires my not doing anything that will cause my self-control to break.

She takes a deep breath, her hands trembling in her lap. “Luca, I… I’m pregnant.”

The world stops. My breath catches in my throat. “What?”

“I’m pregnant,” she repeats. “And it’s yours.”

I stare at her, my mind reeling. Pregnant. My child. Our child. How did this happen? We were careful. We used protection.

But none of that matters now. The reality of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks. I’m going to be a father. And Hailey… Hailey is carrying my child.

I sit down beside her, at a loss for what to do next.How am I supposed to respond to this?

“Hailey, I… I don’t know what to say.”

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