Damien’s POV
The words echoed in my ears like a death sentence.
*I’m pregnant.*
My brain shut down. Completely. Just... stopped processing.
"What?" The word ca out strangled. Wrong. "What did you just say?"
Emma’s face crumpled. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "I’m pregnant, Damien. With your baby."
"No." I stepped back. Hit the wall. "That’s not possible."
"It is." Her voice shook. "From that night. At the hotel."
The room tilted. My vision blurred at the edges.
"Emma, I don’t rember that night. I told you that. I don’t rember anything after sitting in that conference room."
"I know." She wrapped her arms around herself. "But it happened. Whether you rember or not, it happened."
My hands clenched into fists. "Tell exactly what happened. Every detail. Leave nothing out."
She flinched at my tone. "Damienâ€""
"Now, Emma. Tell now."
She took a shaky breath. "Gabriel called that eting. Said Valerie wanted to talk to you. You went to the conference room and I followed because... because I was worried. Sothing felt wrong."
"And?"
"You sat down. Started talking to Gabriel. Then..." She paused. Wiped her eyes. "Then you got angry. Started saying things about Sera. About how she’d left you. How you couldn’t trust her anymore."
That didn’t sound like . But I stayed quiet. Let her continue.
"You grabbed a drink Gabriel offered you. So whiskey. Said you needed it." Emma’s voice got smaller. "That’s when things got strange. Your eyes went unfocused. Your speech slurred. You kept saying you needed to forget. That you couldn’t handle the pain anymore."
"I didn’t rember that, the drink." The certainty hit like a freight train. "I didn’t rember anyone pass the drink."
"I don’t know!" Emma’s voice rose. Desperate. "Maybe. But Damien, you... you grabbed . Pulled close. Said you needed soone. That you couldn’t be alone."
My stomach turned. "That’s not what happened."
"It is!" She stepped closer. "You took to your car. Drove to the hotel. You were different. Not yourself. But you kept saying you wanted . That you needed . That you couldn’t stop thinking about ."
"I never said those things." My voice was ice. "I’ve never thought those things."
"Then how do you explain this?" Emma yanked down the collar of her shirt.
Bite marks. Dark purple. On her collarbone. Her shoulder. Her neck.
Exactly where I’d marked Sera a thousand tis before.
"You did this." Emma’s finger traced one of the marks. "You marked . Over and over. You said you wanted everyone to know I was yours."
"No." The word tore out of . "That’s notâ€" I would neverâ€""
"And you have marks too." Her eyes t mine. Challenging. "Check your back. Your shoulders. I fought back, Damien. I scratched you. Deep."
My hands flew to my shoulders. Felt the raised lines there. Scabs. Healing scratches I’d noticed in the shower but hadn’t questioned.
Evidence.
"This doesn’t prove anything," I said. But my voice lacked conviction.
"It proves everything!" Emma was crying harder now. "You took to that hotel. You marked . You... you were with . All night. And now I’m carrying your child."
"How do I know it’s mine?" The words ca out cruel. Desperate.
Emma’s face went white. "How dare you."
"How do I know this isn’t so sche? So plan you and Gabriel cooked up to destroy my marriage?"
"I loved you!" The words exploded out of her. "I’ve loved you for years! But I never... I would never do sothing like this! Never!"
"Then why now?" I stepped toward her. She backed up. "Why wait weeks to tell ? Why disappear? Why avoid all my calls?"
"Because I was terrified!" Her back hit the wall. "Because I knew what this ant! Because I knew you’d react exactly like this!"
"Like what?"
"Like it’s my fault!" Tears stread down her face. "Like I planned this! Like I wanted this! But I didn’t, Damien! I didn’t want any of this!"
She slid down the wall. Collapsed into a heap on the floor. Sobbing.
I stood over her. Every muscle in my body coiled tight. Ready to explode.
"I don’t rember," I said. Each word precise. Final. "I don’t rember being with you. I don’t rember marking you. I don’t rember any of it. So forgive if I don’t believe this baby is mine."
"It is yours!" She looked up at . Mascara running. Face destroyed. "I haven’t been with anyone else! There is no one else!"
"That’s convenient."
"It’s the truth!"
Silence fell. Heavy. Suffocating.
My mind raced through possibilities. Scenarios. Ways this could all make sense.
None of them did.
"Fine." I pulled out my phone. "I’ll transfer money to your account. Enough for... for the procedure. And more. Enough to never work again if you want."
Emma’s crying stopped. She stared at . "What?"
"You heard ." I started typing. "I’ll give you whatever you need. A million. Two million. Na your price."
"You want to..." She couldn’t finish. Just stared in horror.
"Get rid of it." The words ca out flat. "Schedule the appointnt. I’ll pay for everything. The best doctors. Private clinic. Whatever you need."
"You’re asking to kill our baby?"
"It’s not a baby yet. It’s a clump of cells. And it’s not mine."
"It is yours!" She scrambled to her feet. "How can you say that? How can youâ€""
"Because I don’t rember!" My voice rose. Echoed through the empty house. "Because this whole situation is insane! Because my wife left because of this and now you’re telling you’re pregnant?"
"Your wife left because you cheated on her!" Emma shot back. "That’s not my fault!"
"I didn’t cheat!" I grabbed her shoulders. She flinched but I didn’t let go. "I was drugged. Set up. This whole thing was planned."
"By who? ?" Her laugh was bitter. "You think I wanted this? You think I wanted to be the other woman? To be pregnant with a baby my boss doesn’t even want?"
I released her. Stepped back. Ran my hands through my hair.
"I don’t know what I think anymore." The admission ca out broken. "But I know I can’t... I can’t let this baby exist. Not like this. Not when it’ll destroy what’s left of my marriage."
"Your marriage is already destroyed."
"Not yet." I looked at her. "Not if we handle this quietly. If we take care of it and never speak of it again."
Emma wrapped her arms around herself. "I always knew you didn’t see . Didn’t care about . But I never thought... I never thought you’d ask to do this."
"My family matters more. My kids matter more. Sera matters more." I t her eyes. "I’m sorry. But yes."
She stared at for a long mont. Sothing shifting in her expression. Sothing hardening.
"And if I say no? If I keep it?"
"Don’t." The word ca out as a warning. "Don’t do that, Emma."
"Why not? It’s my body. My choice."
"Because I’ll make your life hell." The threat was quiet. Calm. Absolutely serious. "I’ll deny paternity. I’ll fight you on every support paynt. I’ll make sure everyone knows you tried to trap ."
Her face went pale. "You wouldn’t."
"Try ."
"I could tell Sera. Tell her you’re having a baby with . End your marriage for good."
My entire body went rigid.
Then I moved.
Fast. Faster than she could react.
My hand wrapped around her throat. Gentle. Not squeezing. Just... there. A promise of violence.
"Listen very carefully." My voice was dead calm. "If you tell Sera about this. If you breathe one word of this pregnancy to anyone. I will kill you."
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