Page 69 of His Son's Ex

“Close the door.” I cut her off, my tone icy.

Her eyes flash, but she does as I say, quietly sealing us in. “What’s going on?” she asks. “You sound furious.”

“I am furious, EvaSmith,” I snap, stepping around my desk. “Or is it Petrov?”

She pales, staggering backward. “How did?—?”

“How did I find out? I have connections. I’ve suspected something was off for a while now, and I just came fromthe Abramovic estate. I saw the pictures. I know you’re Eva Petrova.”

She stands rigid, hands trembling at her sides. Surprise and fear flicker in her eyes before being replaced by resignation. “Dante, I never meant?—”

“To lie to me? To use me?”

“No!” She almost shouts the word, tears brimming. “My family died. We lost everything. I had to hide, Dante. I had no choice.”

I throw my arms wide. “Until when? Until you met me and decided to get your revenge?”

Her face contorts, tears spilling freely now. “Revenge? I never wanted revenge. I just wanted to survive, to build a life away from all the pain and loss.”

The heartbreak in her voice nearly cracks my fury, but I cling to it, needing answers. “So you ended up working for me—did you think it was poetic justice, gaining access to my systems?”

She shudders, pressing a hand to her stomach. “You’re twisting it. I’m here because I needed a job, because I’m good at what I do, and because I?—”

“Because you what?” I demand, stepping closer. “Did you hope to bring the Bellacinos down from the inside?”

She looks at me in horror. “No!” She staggers a bit as her eyes roll back, her face even paler than before.

Alarm jolts through me. “Eva?” I catch her as her knees buckle. She’s clammy with sweat.

“Dante,” she breathes, her voice faint. When her knees give out entirely, I lower her to the floor, my pulse racing.

I run to the intercom, consumed with worry. “Janine! Get an ambulance!”

“No,” Eva protests weakly, reaching out for me. Her eyes flutter open, panic in them. “Don’t… no hospitals.”

“You need to see a doctor. You nearly passed out.”

She shakes her head. “I’m pregnant.”

My stomach free falls. “You’rewhat?”

She pulls away, face crumpling. “Pregnant. With your child.” Tears slip down her cheeks. In a flash of motion, she rights herself and bolts for the door. “I quit,” she says, her voice cracking. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Eva, wait.” I scramble to my feet, but she’s already yanking the door open.

“I quit, Dante,” she says again. Then she’s gone, fleeing down the corridor before I can form a coherent response.

For a moment, I just stand there, chest heaving.Pregnant.The word pounds in my skull. The last few months whirl by as a blur in my mind; the passion, the arguments, the secrets.

I force my legs to move, tempted to chase after her. But after a couple of steps, an invisible chain holds me in place. My mind is locked in shock—swirling with questions, fear, and guilt.

For the first time in ages, I have no idea what to do.

CHAPTER 20

EVA

My gaze is locked on the sidewalk, arms crossed, head down, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. The BK&C building looms behind me, getting smaller with every step.