CHAPTER 2

My breath hitched. 

“But that’s not all,” she added.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

She turned the monitor towards me and pointed.

“There are three heartbeats. You’re having triplets.”

My whole world shattered.

How do I explain this to the world? I went to an art gallery event after years of struggling to sell one piece without success, met a stranger, followed him back home, and had unprotected sex with him and now I'm pregnant with him. 

What would people say? What would I tell Gina? For real she would be disappointed. How could I be this careless? 

*****************

I stumbled into the apartment in a daze.

Gina looked up from her phone. “Hey, you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I dropped onto the couch, my whole body was literally shaking. “Gina… I’m pregnant.”

She blinked. “What….What?”

I swallowed. “And… it’s triplets.”

Gina’s mouth fell open. She stared at me for a full five seconds before speaking. “Triplets?”

I nodded weakly.

She sat back, exhaling sharply. “Damn.”

Silence settled between us for a moment before she straightened up. “Okay. That’s it. We need to find this guy.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “How? All I have is his first name.”

“We’ll start with the gallery event,” Gina said firmly. “They keep a guest list. We just need to see it.”

Two days later, we were at the gallery, sitting across from Gina’s manager.

“This is a bit unusual,” he said, adjusting his glasses as he scanned the list.

“Please,” Gina pressed. “It’s important.”

He sighed before sliding the list across the table.

Gina and I leaned in, going through every name on that list carefully.

And then…

“Kane Brown,” Gina read aloud.

The name sent a jolt through my spine.

She turned to me, widened her eyes. “Caroline… Do you know who this is?”

I shook my head slowly.

She pulled out her phone, typed something, and turned the screen towards me.

There he was. Kane Brown. Billionaire. Mysterious. Elusive and also untouchable.

The air left my lungs.

Gina leaned in, in a low but urgent tone.

“You have a billionaire as the father of your unborn kids, what are you going to do about it?”

I kept staring at the screen, with my heart beating so loudly I could barely hear myself think.

Kane Brown.

Not just any billionaire. The richest billionaire in Philadelphia. 

I couldn't believe that I had a one-night stand with a billionaire. No wonder he bought all my paintings and left such huge amount for me. 

My fingers felt numb as I scrolled through the endless articles about him. CEO of a major investment firm. A powerful, and elusive businessman with a net worth I couldn’t even wrap my head around.

This can’t be real. How did I get here? What would be my fate? 

“Caro?”

I barely registered Gina’s voice until she snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Hey! Earth to Caro. Are you going to tell him? What are you going to do?”

I blinked, feeling the blood drain from my face. “Tell him? Gina, do you hear yourself? How in the world would I even tell him? How? He’s a billionaire. He’s not just some guy I can show up to and be like, ‘Hey, remember me? Well, surprise, I’m pregnant with your kids!’”

Gina folded her arms, watching me carefully. “So, what are you going to do? Pretend he doesn’t exist? Get rid of the kids or run away with it?”

I bit my lip. “I don’t know.I'm so confused and lost.”

Gina sighed, but she didn’t push. “Whatever you decide, I’m with you. But don’t let fear make the choice for you.”

I exhaled slowly. She was right. Nevertheless, right now, I have other things to focus on. 

The first thing I did was find a new place. I didn't want him to look for me or even run into him any day and I also wanted to give my unborn kid a better house and environment. As much as I want to keep these babies, I want to have some respect. I’d work hard and at least give my kids a good life or even take care of myself for now. 

With the money Kane had given me for the paintings, I found an apartment in a safer neighborhood. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was clean, modern, and most importantly, safe for my unborn babies. It was a start, a new beginning for me. And I hope I don't regret it. 

It was a three bedroom apartment, one room was for me, the other was for Gina and the last was for the babies. I liked the space. And for now, my kids will be fine. 

Gina and I spent the next few days settling in, filling the space with all the essentials we needed to make the new apartment comfortable for us and my unborn babies… we got affordable furniture, a television set, a fridge, cribs, vitamins, baby clothes, and other baby essentials. 

It wasn't much but I was proud of myself. 

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I muttered, rubbing my belly as I looked around the apartment. Hard as it may be, I was doing it. 

Gina flopped onto the couch. “Well, believe it, mama. You’re about to be a whole mom of three.”

I groaned. “Don’t remind me.” The sound of it was overwhelming. Last few months, I was a hustling artist looking for daily bread and today, I am about to become a mom of three, a single mom.. It's really overwhelming. 

She smirked. “Oh, I will. Every single day. You’ll have to get used to it.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled. For the first time in weeks, I felt a little at peace and could breathe. 

But that peace didn’t last long.

Because no matter how much I tried to move on with my life, one thought kept gnawing at me..

Kane Brown is the father of my babies.

And I had no idea what to do about it.

Kane’s POV

I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

That night had been… different.

I had been with women before, women who are prettier, sophisticated, charming, and well-to-do. But something about her still lingered in my mind. The way she looked at me. The way she had been so damn nervous yet so captivating at the same time. 

So, I did what I always did when something or someone bothered me. 

I had a background check done.

It didn’t take long for my assistant to pull up everything about her. Caroline Parker. Twenty-five. Struggling artist. Not much family, except for a best friend named Gina. Financially struggling. And no criminal record. 

The more I read, the more I found myself intrigued. I didn't know why. The urge to reach out was too damn much. “How is this happening? What is this all about? It was just so crazy. Very crazy. 

And before I could overthink it, I grabbed my phone and dialed the number I now had on file.

She answered on the fourth ring.

“…Hello?”

For a moment, I just listened to her soft voice. Although she was a little hesitant. I wondered why she acted like that as an artist who was still looking for a breakthrough. I shoved it off and introduced myself. 

“It’s Kane.”

Then, there was silence before the act. 

“Sorry, Kane from where?”

I knew she was just pretending. However, I smiled and gave her the satisfaction she wanted. “Kane from the art gallery. The man who bought all your paintings.” 

She paused again. 

Then, “How did you get my number?”

I smirked. “I have my ways.”

She didn’t say anything.

I leaned back in my chair. “I wanted to talk to you about something. An opportunity.”

“Opportunity?” she repeated, sounding cautious.

“I’m organizing a high-profile art exhibition. I want you to be part of it.”

She was silent again.

Then, came a sharp exhale. “Why?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. So, I settled for the truth.

“Because I liked your paintings. And I think the world should see them.”

Another pause. Then, her voice was now quieter. “Is this… about that night?”

“No,” I answered immediately. And I meant it. “This has nothing to do with that. This is about your art.”

She didn’t respond right away.

Finally, she said, “I’ll think about it.”

That was all I needed.

For now.