Page 11 of Julian

"Is everything okay with Angela?" he asked, even though he knew the answer since he’d just left her.

“Angela is fine," Duncan replied, his expression unreadable. "This concerns Kiara."

Julian's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that. "Kiara? What about her?"

"She's pregnant.” Duncan studied him for a long moment, as if measuring his reaction. “And I believe you may be the father."

The words hit Julian like a physical blow. He blinked, certain he'd misheard. "I'm sorry… what?"

Duncan's expression didn't change, but Julian caught the slight tightening around his father's eyes. "I understand this is shocking news. But I need you to think carefully about your interactions with Kiara over the past little while."

Julian's hands gripped the armrests of his chair as fragmented images swirled through his mind. The library. Kiara's laugh echoing softly in the dimly lit room. The burn of the alcohol on his tongue. But the memories felt like looking through frosted glass—shapes and shadows without clear definition.

"It's not possible," he said, his voice sounding distant to his own ears.

But maybe it was? He didn’t have clear memories of the time they’d spent together past a certain number of drinks. Plus, it might explain why she’d stopped spending time with her. Had he…? He couldn’t even stomach the thought that something had happened between them that she might not have wanted.

"I… we talked," Julian said slowly, his voice hoarse. "In the evenings. But I don't remember…" He trailed off, the implications making his stomach churn.

"You don't remember what, exactly?"

The question hung in the air. Julian pressed his palms against his temples, trying to force clarity through the fog of too much alcohol and too late nights. "I don't remember anything happening between us that could have led to… a pregnancy."

Duncan's expression hardened. "Julian, I'm not asking for details of your intimate life. I'm telling you that Kiara is pregnant, and the timeline aligns with when you two were spending evenings together."

Julian ran a hand through his hair, disregarding his earlier concern about appearing disheveled. "Has she said I'm the father?"

"She hasn't confirmed it, but she hasn't denied it either." Duncan leaned forward slightly. "When I asked her directly if you were the father, she said she'd rather not say."

The implication hung heavy in the air between them. Julian's mind raced, desperately trying to piece together what might have happened. Surely he would remember if something physical had happened between them.

The headache he’d woken with that had been a dull throb suddenly sharpened into something more vicious.

He thought of the looks that Angela and Jude had exchanged in the breakfast room. If there was anyone that Kiara would have confided in about who the father of her baby was, it would have been Angela.

Julian's hands clenched into fists on his thighs. The hesitancy in Angela's eyes when she'd said Kiara was "fine" suddenly took on new meaning. She knew. Of course, she knew.

"I need to talk to Kiara," Julian said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Duncan's expression remained impassive. "I thought you might say that. However, I wanted to speak with you first, to make a few things clear."

"Clear?" Julian's voice cracked slightly. He cleared his throat, trying to regain some composure. "I don't even know if it's true yet."

"But you're not denying the possibility."

Julian's stomach twisted. The honest answer was that he couldn't deny it—not when there were entire evenings that existed in his memory as nothing more than hazy impressions and black holes.

“No. I guess I can’t deny it.”

Duncan nodded. “Still, in the event that it is confirmed, I want you to understand the expectations I have for you.”

“Expectations?” Julian asked, feeling shellshocked but trying to brace himself for what was still to come.

“Once we’ve established that the baby is yours, you’re going to marry Kiara.”

“Marry?” Julian tried not to choke on the word. He had never envisioned that for himself. “You want me tomarryher?”

“If we determine the child is yours, yes. It’s time for you to settle down.”