Page 70 of Redemption

“We don’t need proof!” He pauses. “Fine, if I can get her to leave, we won’t do it. Not yet, not until the right time.”

I pull away. There is no way I can be with him now. Not after what I just heard. I need to leave Dublin. I need to get as far away from him as possible if it will save his life.

My hands drop to my stomach. I wish my mom was still here, I wish she could tell me what to do. I don’t want to get rid of this baby but I can’t let my family know who the father is. They will kill him for sure if they found out.

I take a deep breath as I open the door to my apartment. I don’t act surprised when I see Dante in my living room.

“I’ll go home,” I tell him.

“Finally listening to what we tell you,” he retorts. “Pack your shit. We leave tonight.”

“Mom!”

I blink and see Aria standing in front of me, waving her hands in my face. “I thought you were having a stroke. You weren’t answering me. I was about to call Magda.”

“Sorry, I just got lost in thought.”

She gives me a funny look but then sits back down and eats her chicken. “You were weird, Mom.”

I give her a short smile. “Moms are supposed to be weird.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Whatever.”

“Did you just say whatever to me?” I ask, feigning shock.

She doesn’t say anything and just takes a dramatic bite of her dinner.

I pick up my fork. “How do you even know what a stroke is?”

“I was looking up medical conditions in history class. I was bored.”

I laugh. Of course she was. I push my memories aside and make small talk with her for the rest of dinner.

* * *

After Aria goes to bed, I stand in the kitchen for half an hour. My mind no better than it was at the football field. Maybe I was seeing things. Maybe it wasn’t Kilian, and that’s why his texts are unanswered. He has no idea why I am flipping out because it wasn’t him.

I make my way upstairs, hoping a bath will help ease the tension out of my shoulders. My hand is gripped firmly around my burner phone. I want to text him again. I want to call him. I want his voice to calm me, tell me he wasn’t here. I could play it off as missing him. That the phone sex and dirty texts aren’t enough. But I am sure he would see right through me.

I shut my bedroom door behind me and take a shaky breath as I drop the burner phone into my nightstand.

“Who is her father?”

I jump at the sound of Kilian’s voice behind me. My heart going into my throat. I turn around and find him leaning against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face. “Kilian.”

“Who is her father?” he snaps.

I bite my lip as I try to find some sort of lie inside of me. “I told you. He was some man—”

“Dammit, Mirabella. Don’t lie to me.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I saw her.” He pauses. “I saw her.” His words fade away as he remembers seeing her face.

“Don’t call me Mirabella. I can’t stand it from your lips.” I know those aren’t the words he wanted to hear.

“I’ll call you what you want when you tell me the truth. I deserve the truth. I deserve to know who her father is.” His eyes never leave mine as he says those words. A desperate plea in his eyes he keeps out of his voice.

My mind drifts back to the memory from earlier. Finding out I was pregnant, wanting to tell him, and being too chickenshit to do it. How would things have been different if I had told him that night? If I didn’t go home. Or if I didn’t overhear Dante speaking on the phone. My own mind questioning Kilian’s motives. If I hadn’t heard those words, I know I would have gone back to him. Would have told him everything. Every secret I kept from him. My real name, my family, the baby. All of this would be different.

“Bella?”