Leonardo's POV
I sat frozen on the hospital chair.
The hallway buzzed faintly with footsteps and distant chatter, but somehow, it still felt painfully quiet.
Then someone sat beside me. Sebastian.
"Is Emily asleep?" I asked, my voice rough.
"Yes," he said softly. "She finally managed to rest."
I exhaled, leaning my head against the wall, my pulse echoing in my ears.
"What are you going to do now, Leo?"
"What do you mean?"
"She was really pregnant," Sebastian said carefully. "Which means you don't have to go through with Nathan's damn plan anymore."
"Shut up. That mission was also my decision—"
"Yeah, because of Nathan's bullshit," Sebastian cut in sharply.
I didn't reply.
He sighed. "You'd better take good care of Emily after this, Leo. She just lost her baby."
"My baby too."
The words slipped out before I realized it.
Sebastian went quiet. After a moment, he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Right," he murmured. "Your baby too. I'm sorry for your loss."
Then a shadow loomed in front of us.
Sebastian groaned. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Nathan, what the hell are you doing here?"
Nathan's grin was too casual. "What? I just came to visit Emily."
"No one's allowed to see her," I said flatly.
He let out a low whistle. "Wow. Possessive husband much?"
I ignored him.
"Although…" Nathan tilted his head, smirk widening. "Are you sure you're really the husband? The father? It could've been anyone. Maybe her boyfriend. Maybe Sebastian."
He paused, eyes glinting. "Or maybe me."
I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt.
"God, Nathan, shut the hell up," Sebastian snapped, shoving him back a step.
Nathan chuckled, brushing his sleeve. "If I were you, I'd be suspicious too."
He placed a single flower on Sebastian's lap and walked off down the hall.
Sebastian threw it aside the second Nathan disappeared.
"Don't let him get to you, Leo."
I stayed silent.
"No. No fucking way," Sebastian muttered. "You're not actually thinking about what he said, are you?"
Still, I couldn't answer.
Because I was.
"Fuck, Leo," he said quietly. "You've always let Nathan twist your head."
"No," I muttered. "It's just… what if… what if it really wasn't mine, Seb?"
Sebastian stared at me, disbelief and pity in his eyes.
"Jesus Christ, man. I may not know Emily that well, but I'm sure as hell she's not that kind of woman."
He walked away, leaving me alone with the flower on the floor, white, delicate, and already starting to wilt.
~~~~~
Valerie's POV
We didn't speak the entire drive home.
Three days had passed since the hospital, and today, I was finally allowed to leave.
After that day, the tears, Leo's arms, his whisper that everything would be okay, we both pretended it never happened.
He went back to being distant. And I was too drained to ask why.
But his words still lingered.
Leo had apologized.
For something.
I just didn't know what for.
I glanced at him as he drove, his face unreadable, the silence between us thick enough to choke on.
"Mom insisted on meeting you today," he said suddenly. "Are you feeling any better?"
I startled, caught off guard that he'd spoken just as I was staring.
"Uh… yeah. I guess so."
A bitter smile tugged at my lips. "Three days must've been long enough for your mother to wait."
He said nothing. Just kept driving.
When we pulled up to the house, a sleek black sedan was parked neatly in the driveway.
I frowned. "Is that your new car?"
Leo sighed. "Do you really think I've had time to buy a new car?"
Before I could reply, a woman stepped out.
Eleanor Rhys.
What? She's here already?
I quickly got out of the car. Eleanor's eyes softened with sympathy as she hurried over.
"Oh, Emily, dear, I'm so sorry for what happened…"
"I'm fine now, Eleanor." My voice was steady, even if my chest wasn't. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise."
"Promise?"
"I told you we'd go for our prenatal checkup together."
I smiled weakly. "But I guess my baby preferred Heaven instead."
Thud.
The words hit me harder than I expected. My throat tightened.
"Oh, sweetheart," Eleanor whispered, pulling me into her arms. "Please don't say that. I'm just glad you're safe."
After that day, after crying until I couldn't breathe, I'd learned something.
When people show me kindness now, I don't feel comfort.
I just feel numb.
Unworthy. Disgusted with myself.
Then an arm slid around my waist, warm and steady.
"Mom," Leo said quietly, "let Emily rest today."
"Of course. I just wanted to see my daughter-in-law."
Eleanor smiled, brushing my cheek gently. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"
"Of course, Eleanor. Thank you."
Her car disappeared down the street, and as soon as it did, Leo's arm fell from my waist.
"Let's talk," he said, already walking toward the house.
I followed him into the living room.
He looked exhausted, eyes shadowed, shirt slightly wrinkled, like he hadn't slept properly in days.
"What is it, Mr. Leo?" I asked quietly.
"Stop it."
"Excuse me?"
"Stop calling me Mr. Leo. Just Leo."
"Okay. I'm sorry—"
"No." He rubbed his temples, exhaling harshly. "Stop apologizing. Emily, the one who should be sorry here… is me."
I blinked. "What?
He reached into his briefcase and took out a folder stamped with Saint Mary Hospital.
"What's that?" I asked warily
"Proof," he said, voice cracking. "Proof that I didn't believe you."
My chest tightened.
"What do you mean?"
He hesitated. "I… didn't believe you were really pregnant. And even when you were, I doubted the baby was mine."
I froze. "What?"
Leo sighed. "Open it."
I stared at him for a long second before slowly flipping the folder open.
A DNA report.
I scanned the lines with trembling hands.
He'd tested the baby's DNA.
"You…" My voice came out as a whisper. "You actually tested it?"
"I know," he said quietly. "It's horrible. But I needed to be sure."
I couldn't speak. The air felt too thick.
"What would you have done," I finally asked, "if it wasn't yours?"
"What?"
"No, Leo. Tell me."
My hands shook. "If it wasn't your baby, what would you have done? Would you have killed me? Or made me disappear like your previous secretary?"
"God, Emily, calm down—"
"Calm down?" I choked out a laugh that didn't sound like mine.
Everything inside me was trembling. Fear. Fury. Grief.
Right now, I wasn't even sure which one hurt more.
Leo looked at me, his eyes narrowed.
"Emily," he said quietly. "Do you seriously think I'm the kind of man who could hurt someone?"
"Of course I do!" I snapped. "You…you hurt your own brother, Leo! What makes you think I'd believe you wouldn't hurt me too? Especially after this?"
My voice cracked through the silence like glass shattering.
Don't even start. In my head, the words burned louder than my voice. You didn't just hurt people, Leo. You killed my father.
Leo didn't answer. He just stared at me.
Then, after a long, breathless pause, he stood up.
"You know what, Emily?"
His tone was cold. Final.
"You're fired. And we're getting a divorce."