Page 54 of To Hate You

“Can I have a moment alone with Sienna, guys?”

Silas slanted a brow. “You two literally just came from a luxury getaway.”

“I’m serious.” I shot him a pointed glare, and he immediately swung his feet off the side of the chair and got up.

“We’ll be outside.”

Sienna looked at me with curious eyes, and I hated how I was about to derail her entire fucking life. It was moments like these that had me wishing I had driven past the Whitlock estate that night, changing my mind about taking that job. It was a complete mindfuck knowing that Sienna was the best thing that could have happened to me, yet I knew how simpler her life would have been without me.

The door shut behind me, and Sienna pulled her knees up under the yellow weaved blanket. “What’s wrong?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, searching through my thoughts for the right words before pulling a chair closer and sitting down next to her, brushing my palms together. “I…um, I was hoping we’d have more time and that I’d be able to find another way.”

“Another way for what?”

I closed my eyes, inhaling deep.

“Noah, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”

“We have to leave, Sienna.” I peered at her, hating myself for doing this. “You and I, we have to leave.”

“Oh, thank God.” Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t fucking scare me like that. For a moment, I thought you meant you and your marine friends.” She threw her legs off the bed on the other side and got up. “I’m good to go. Just let me get dressed and attempt to tame my mane.”

“Sienna—”

“Wait.” She balked and searched around the room. “Please tell me you brought me something to wear? I don’t think people will appreciate me walking out of here wearing nothing but a man’s shirt.”

“Sienna, listen to me—”

“I’ll just have to ask Spencer to go buy me something.”

“Sienna!” I shot to my feet. “Listen to me.”

She froze, appearing motionless while staring at me with unblinking, forest-green eyes. The air in the room was suddenly thick with tension, the weight of what I was about to say crushing my chest.

“I was hoping that it wouldn’t come to this, that I wouldn’t have to ask you to make this sacrifice.”

“No.” She touched her belly and inched back. “I’m not getting rid of this baby, Noah. I get that you lost a child and the last thing you probably want right now is another one, but I won’t—”

“Sienna, no.” I rounded the bed so I could be closer to her. “It’s not that. I would never ask you to do that. God no.” I shook my head and clasped my hands around her shoulders. “I’ll admit, finding out you’re pregnant knocked the wind clean out of me, and I’m still trying to process it. But asking you to…to give up the baby never once crossed my mind, and it never will.”

The flash of relief in her eyes didn’t mask her fear and uncertainty, shimmering with tears on the verge of escaping. “Then what are you trying to say?”

“I’m trying to say that we have to leave, and—”

“And I told you I’m ready to leave.”

“But are you ready not to come back?” I let go of her, not taking my eyes off hers.

She licked her lips and crossed her arms, the look of confusion hanging like a dark cloud over her. “What do you mean not come back?”

“They will never stop hunting me. And now that they know about you, they won’t stop going after you either.”

“You’re saying we have to run?” Her voice shook, her eyes searching mine.

“No. I’m saying we have to start over.”

“As in move to another city? Another country?”

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