Page 20 of The Bratva's Secret Baby

I’d even moved away from New York and started a new life in a small town, in upstate New York. I tried to convince myself it was a coincidence, but what were the odds?

Damien never did anything by coincidence.

Memories from six years ago swamped my thoughts, throbbing like a wound in my chest. As if an enormous chunk of my heart had been ripped away.

When we met at the café today, he didn’t utter a word to me. He just glanced at me for a few seconds and placed his order. It was just long enough to make sure I would notice him. The minutes it took for Harry to make his macchiato lasted an eternity, and the second he walked out of the door, I bolted out of the café, jumped in my car, and raced home.

He hadn’t changed one bit. Just like the last time we saw each other; his face was void of any expressions. His icy-blue eyes still had that darkness in them, and he still dominated the room without even trying.

Damien was still the same.

And my feelings for him hadn’t changed either. My stomach still churned when I was around him, and my heart still raced from the intensity of his eyes boring into mine.

What am I thinking?

My throat dried up like a desert, and rising to my feet, I hurried to the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, I settled on one of the stools by the kitchen counter.

Once the cap came off, I drowned the whole bottle of water in one drink, relishing the coldness as it sizzled down my stomach.

Closing my eyes, I reassured myself.

Damien isn’t here for me. He wouldn’t come for me. I’ve done nothing wrong.

He had no reason to come after me after all this time. Not after how he hurt me and broke me like I was nothing. He had no right to come for me. None.

“Mommy!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin from the sudden sound but held my chest in relief when Kaity ran into the kitchen with her nanny. The whole encounter with Damien had scared the hell out of me.

“Mommy! I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Pumpkin.” I pulled Kaity into a hug, then dragged my attention to her nanny.

“I’m sorry if we scared you, Ms. West,” Kaity’s nanny, Jane, said. “She heard you and got so excited.”

“Oh, no. It’s no problem at all. I just thought to come home a bit earlier today.” I smiled at her. “You can take the rest of the day off.”

Jane’s lips parted in a grin. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

She bounced on her toes. “Thank you, Ms. West.” She shifted her gaze to Kaity and her grin grew wider. “Bye, Kaity. See you tomorrow.”

Kaity waved her little hands at Jane. “Bye.”

I pinched Kaity’s face softly as Jane left. “How are you, baby?”

Kaitlyn West—or Kaity as I liked to call her—was my daughter. I had her five years ago, eight months after I saw Damien for the last time. She had his blue eyes, only hers weren’t filled with darkness. They were immaculate blue, innocent, and sweet.

Her long black hair draped over her shoulders like a blanket, reaching to her lower back. Both had the same smile, the same twinkling in their eyes when they were happy, Kaity… well, she was a splitting image of him.

After six years, his face had almost faded from my memories. But after I saw him today, the sharp jawlines, dark features, and beautifully arched brows, I saw the uncanny resemblance between them.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I said to Kaity, my forced smile dissipating into a more genuine one. “Mommy’s just exhausted from work.”

Raising herself to her toes, she placed a hand on my forehead. “Is Mommy sick?”

I took her tiny palms in my hand and rubbed them gently. “No, baby. I just need a little rest.”

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