Page 45 of The King's Secret Baby

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

He snorts. “And that makes this look better?”

I turn my surly gaze out the window, where I stare into the clouds as if they might provide me with some alternative course of action. Of course they don’t, and I’m stuck with sticking to the plan I’ve drafted up, despite how much it hurts.

“How long are you planning on keeping this a secret?” Simon presses.

When I don’t answer, he laughs dryly. “Wait. Forever?”

“Of course.” I turn back to him. “I can’t just come out and announce?—”

“But… but this is huge, Luca. This changes everything. You’re going to be a father. Surely you see what this means for you and Hailey?”

I look away again, my jaw clenching. “It doesn’t mean anything. We’re not together, Simon. This baby… it doesn’t change that.”

“Like hell it doesn’t!” he snaps, leaning forward in his seat. “Luca, this is a sign. You and Hailey are meant to be together. Can’t you see that?”

I feel a flare of irritation at his words. “Don’t be ridiculous!” I snap back. “She and I… we’re from different worlds. It would never work. Plus, if we did end up together, it would be a pregnancy out of wedlock — extremely unconventional. And if we did get married, it would be obvious that we are trying to cover for the pregnancy. Everyone would be shocked. It would be a scandal that PR could never fix.”

“You don’t know that,” he insists. “You’re just too stubborn to see what’s right in front of you. For all you know, the people would be happy for you, happy to see you happy?—”

I shake my head, my temper rising. “Enough. Thank you for your input, but I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

He opens his mouth to argue, but something in my expression must stop him. He sits back with a sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

The rest of the flight passes in tense silence. When we finally land, I’m the first one off the plane, my steps quick and purposeful as I try to put as much distance between myself and my best friend as possible.

But even as I walk away, I can feel his gaze boring into my back, his words echoing in my mind. And deep down, I know he’s partially right. Not about me and Hailey being meant for each other — although, God, I wish that were true — but about this baby changing everything.

Because it certainly does. Whether I like it or not.

CHAPTER 22

HAILEY

The days stretch endlessly before me, each one blurring into the next in an endless parade of boredom and isolation.

I work, shadowing Luca to every meeting. I eat. I read books about pregnancy and parenting. I wander the grand halls of the palace, marveling at the furnishings and priceless artwork. And yet nothing distracts me from the loneliness that gnaws at my heart.

Ever since Luca’s return from Prague, he’s been even more distanced. I haven’t pushed, haven’t tried to get him to warm up to what’s happening. Because what’s the use?

I’m still his live-in journalist, my report on him not complete until the coronation, but that’s where it all ends. We aren’t even having breakfast together anymore. Not that it was formally ended; he just is never there when I go downstairs in the mornings, and the maids have informed me that he’s been rising early and taking breakfast in his room.

All in an attempt to avoid me, I can only assume.

What heiscommunicative about, though, is that I stay hidden away, sequestered from the world like some shameful secret. He says it’s for my own protection, to avoid stirring up rumors and speculation. But his words ring hollow in my ears. If he truly cared for me, wouldn’t he want to claim our child as his own?

But here I am, left to rattle around this gilded cage, cut off from everyone and everything I know. The solitude is suffocating, pressing down on me until sometimes I feel like I can barely breathe.

In a desperate attempt to ease the ache in my chest, I take refuge in my room and call my mom. Her familiar voice is a balm to my battered soul, and for a moment, I allow myself to imagine I’m back home in New York, curled up on her couch as we chat about our days.

But reality intrudes all too soon. When she asks how long I’ll be on assignment at the palace, I hesitate, the lie sticking in my throat.

“It’s… been extended,” I say vaguely, hating the deception. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”

She hums in acknowledgment, but I can hear the concern in her voice. “Is everything okay, honey? You sound… different.”

I close my eyes, fighting back the sudden burn of tears. I long to unburden myself, to tell her everything — the baby, Luca’s cold distance, the crushing loneliness of my new reality. But I can’t bear the thought of disappointing her, of admitting that I’ve found myself in the same situation she fought so hard to escape.

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