Page 147 of Illicit Heir

She glances behind her, but the door is still shut. She looks back and shakes her head. "No, Lauren, I'm not happy. Do ya think I had a choice?"

"Ya always have a choice," I declare.

She takes a deep breath and shuts her eyes, shaking her head. "No, I didn't. He was going to kill my father."

"So ya threw me and my unborn baby under the bus?"

She squeezes her eyes shut, begging, "Please, ya have to understand. My da owed a debt that he couldn't pay. He really was going to kill him."

I huff. "Your father made a debt he couldn't pay. He should have dealt with the consequences. Instead, you made me and my baby deal with them. I hope you're proud of yourself."

She steps closer. "Lauren, please. I didn't mean to harm ya. I really didn't. I just... I didn't know what to do. It was my father. It was the only way I could save him."

I stare at her, with more hatred filling me. I'll never forgive her. How can I? She might have killed Dominick. She could have killed Annie. She could have killed me and my baby. It could still happen because of whose control we're under now.

She swallows hard. "I want to help ya, Lauren."

I scoff. "Help me? How exactly are ya going to help me? Are you going to get me out of the prison I'm now in for the rest of my life? Or are ya going to try to take my son from me the way everyone else wants to?"

She wrinkles her forehead. "No, of course I don't want to do that. I would never try to harm you or your baby."

"Really? That's not very convincing after what ya did."

"Please. Ya have to understand," she pleads.

My son starts to whine, and I move him over to my breast. He immediately begins to feed, and I hold him tighter, threatening, "Don't ya dare come near my son ever again. If ya do, I'll kill ya!"

"Lauren, I promise you, I will try to make this better."

"Ya can't make this better. Do ya not get that? I know you're young, but you're not stupid, Maeve. Ya understand the ways of Caleb and how this works. Ya know how evil he is and that he would show me and my son no mercy."

Tears well in her eyes. "I'm sorry! I never meant to harm ya!"

I lash out, "Ya didn't just tell him where I was. Ya told him my baby wasn't his."

"I told him it wasn't his because I thought he wouldn't come after ya," she blurts out.

I sarcastically laugh, then hurl out, "Ya seriously thought he would just forget about me? That he wouldn't come after me, especially knowing that I slept with his enemy and was impregnated with his baby? Ya didn't think he'd use that against me just for his own sick pleasure?"

She bites her lip, looking defeated.

I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. Then I remember what she's done.

She lifts her chin and squares her shoulders. "I promise ya I will help ya take care of this."

"How? How are ya going to help me, Maeve?"

"I'll talk to Devin. I'll find him."

"For what purpose? So the O'Connors can take my baby?"

She gives me a confused look. "Do ya really believe they'll take your baby?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. But ya can't just walk up to the O'Connors and talk to Devin. Is that what ya think you're going to do?"

Wrinkles form on her forehead. "I... Well... I know Alaina. I could go talk to her. She'll help us."

I laugh again. "She's an O'Connor now. We're O'Learys. Have ya forgotten that?"

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