Chapter 114

Lila’s POV

The words had barely left my mouth when silence swallowed the room again. Silence was now something I was accustomed to.

Daniel did not move at first. He just stood there, Ethan’s jacket still draped over his arm, his gaze holding mine in that patient, searching eyes of his. My pulse thudded in my ears, my palms clammy where they pressed into my knees. For a moment I thought maybe I had ruined everything, maybe he had decided I was too much, too complicated.

But then, slowly, he sat back down. His movements were unhurried and deliberate, like he wanted me to know he was not running anywhere. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, his eyes never leaving mine.

And what I saw there was something I did not expect. His eyes were filled with compassion, not pity or judgment. Just pure compassion.

The kind of compassion that felt steady and strong, like a hand offered without hesitation. The kind of compassion that Max had never shown me. The kind that Drew had always hidden behind suspicion and cold walls.

“Lila,” Daniel said quietly, his voice steady and calm, “being pregnant is not a bad thing. It is not something to be ashamed of. It’s a gift, a reason for joy. But…” He hesitated, his gaze softening. “I get the feeling this has less to do with the pregnancy itself, and more with the things that happened around it.”

His words sank into me, loosening something that had been wound tight in my chest.

Almost unconsciously, my hand moved to my stomach. My palm pressed gently against the curve there, and then I rounded it fully, letting the cardigan fall open. For the first time, I did not try to hide. The bump was small, but obvious now, the undeniable sign of life growing inside me.

Daniel did not flinch. He did not look at it like it was something I should cover, or like it redefined me in a shameful way. His eyes stayed steady, anchored on mine, full of respect I had not realized I had been craving.

He looked at me in such a way that I wished Drew did. It was strange but I welcomed it, I welcomed the feeling and in that moment, I decided maybe I could trust him. Maybe I could let him in, at least a little.

“You are right,” I whispered, my thumb brushing absently over the curve of my belly. “Even though I have not given birth yet, I… I already love this child more than I thought I could. This is the one thing keeping me grounded and sane.”

I swallowed hard, my throat thick. “But everything that happened around it… it makes things complicated.”

Daniel leaned back slightly, giving me space, but his expression did not shift from that same quiet attentiveness.

“The truth is,” I continued, forcing the words out before I lost my courage, “this pregnancy was not planned. If I’m being honest, I can call it a mistake. Not the child, never the child but instead the way it happened. And from there… my life spiraled.”

My voice wavered, but I pushed on.

“I faced rejection in ways I never imagined from the father of this child, who could not see me and refused to accept me. And then, the one person I thought I could trust” My throat caught. I paused, pressing my lips together before I could say too much. Max’s face flashed in my mind, followed by the memory of his betrayal, the way it had nearly broken me. I shook the image away. “He turned against me and made my life unbearable. He made me feel like I was drowning.”

Daniel’s brow furrowed, but he did not interrupt. He did not push for names. He simply let me speak.

“I could not stay,” I whispered, my fingers curling tighter over my stomach. “I could not keep living like that, wondering when the next blow would come, wondering who else would turn their back on me. I was not safe there, no one cared about me and I was just scared and devastated.

So I came here. Back home because this is the only place I thought I could feel safe. Safe from the rejection, the betrayal and the pain. And now…” My voice cracked, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. “Now, I am just trying to live for my child. To give this child something better, even if I do not know how.”

Silence stretched between us again, but this time it did not feel heavy. It felt like a space carefully held, like Daniel was creating room for me to breathe.

He nodded slowly, his voice low when he finally spoke. “You did the right thing, Lila coming back here. Choosing to protect yourself and protect your baby. That is not weakness Lila, it is strength.”

I blinked, startled by the certainty in his tone.

“And I hope you know you are not alone anymore,” he added firmly. “You may feel like it, but you are not. You have your parents, and…” He hesitated, his gaze flicking briefly toward Ethan before returning to me. “And you have me. I meant what I said earlier. I do not mind being a friend, if you will let me. I know what it is like to feel like the world has caved in on you. I know what it’s like to think you have nothing left. But it is not the end, Lila. This is not the end of your story.”

I bit down on my lip, fighting the swell of emotion rising in my chest. His words brushed against wounds I had not even known were still bleeding.

“One day,” Daniel continued gently, “when this phase is behind you, when your baby is here and strong, you will see you can still build again. You will still have your dreams. They can not die because life got hard, they are just waiting for you.”

A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.

He leaned forward slightly, his voice softer now. “You are stronger than you think, Lila. To have walked through all of this and still be sitting here, still protecting your child, still finding ways to keep going… that’s something I admire. I wish I had such strength when life was dealing me with its blows”

The words cracked something open in me. No one, not Max, not even Drew had ever looked at me like this. Not with so much admiration and respect.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Daniel gave a small nod, like it was not anything remarkable, like offering me kindness was the most natural thing in the world. He reached for Ethan’s jacket again, this time slipping it gently around his son’s shoulders. Ethan, oblivious to the weight of the moment, giggled as his toy car rolled under the table.

After a long pause, Daniel rose to his feet. “We should get going. But… Thank you, Lila. For trusting me with this much. I know it was not easy.”

I stood too, walking him to the door. My chest felt strangely lighter, as though a stone I had carried for too long had finally shifted.

As he stepped out with Ethan in his arms, he gave me one last steady look. “Remember, you are not alone. We will talk some other time.”

The door closed softly behind them.

I felt so much relief after that conversation. Mom was right when she said I could use a friend and I think I had just found one in Daniel.

I was not alone, not anymore.