Page 103 of Secret Baby for my Off-Limits Fiancé

I stand, my legs weak beneath me, my hands trembling violently.

“I never meant to hurt you.”

His head snaps toward me, his eyes blazing. “Then what the hell did you think would happen when I found out, Layla?”

I choke back a sob, wiping at my face uselessly. “I don’t know. I-I didn’t know how to tell you. And then time passed, and it just—”

His breath shudders, and he takes a slow step back.

His retreat feels like a punch to the gut. Like I’m watching something shatter right in front of me, something I didn’t even realize I cared about until it was too late.

Valentino shakes his head, his voice low, like he’s speaking more to himself than to me. “My son.”

The words are barely a whisper, but they hit like a gunshot.

He looks at me then, truly looks at me, and for a split second, I see it.

The hurt. The betrayal. The devastation.

And it’s all because of me.

“I can’t do this right now.” He steps back again, putting even more distance between us.

My stomach drops.

I step forward instinctively, reaching for him, but he shakes his head.

Don’t.

It’s not a word.

He doesn’t say it.

But I hear it loud and clear.

I feel it in my bones.

And just like that, I know,

I broke him.

23

VALENTINO

Theenginegrowlsbeneathme as I slam the accelerator, my Porsche tearing through the empty roads like a bullet.

The city lights blur past in streaks of white and red, my grip tightening around the wheel as the words that have wrecked my world keep replaying in my mind.

Vincent is your son.

A sharp, ragged breath escapes me, but it does nothing to ease the pressure in my chest.

I’m a father. Vincent is my son.My son.

Layla knew. She kept it from me.

Two years. Two fucking years.

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