Chapter 20

The drive back to the house that Caspian had prepared for Julia was taking a long time. She had no idea where they were going, but Liam was happy, and she was certain that Caspian wouldn’t hurt her. So, she stayed calm, her eyes wandering around the scenery outside the window.

She was focused on the outside world, but Caspian? He was focused on Julia. He couldn’t stop staring at her as they drove back home.

A smile involuntarily spread across his lips as he gazed at her. He was happy and glad she was enjoying the view outside.

The fact that she didn’t want to talk about him standing in as Liam’s father saddened him, but he didn’t want to bring it up if it would make her uncomfortable.

After what felt like an eternity, the car came to a halt in front of a nice, comfortable building in a secluded area.

Julia was confused. She had thought they were going to get something, maybe food or something else, but looking around, there were only houses and nothing more.

“Why are we here?” she turned to look at Dominic first, then at Caspian, who was caught up in staring at her.

“Mr. Caspian?” She stuttered, swallowing nervously.

Just then, he snapped out of his thoughts. He felt embarrassed knowing she had caught him staring at her without any self-control, but he hid his embarrassment immediately.

“Is there a problem, Julia?” he asked softly.

“Yes, this isn’t the hospital, and this isn’t our home. We…” she was about to continue, but instinctively, Caspian took a tender grip of her hand and, with a smile, nodded.

“I know this isn’t your home yet… but it can’t be the hospital either because you are not going back there, at least not for now. The bills have been settled as promised, and all your belongings were moved into this place. You’ll be staying here for now, Julia,” Caspian explained, his touch thrilling as she turned to look at the building again.

“Wow! You mean we get to stay here?” Liam exclaimed as he pushed the door open and rushed out.

Dominic swiftly followed him, making sure he was okay as they headed for the house itself.

Julia wasn’t sure if this was what she wanted. It would be nice to stay in such an environment, but it was too much. It was definitely going to look as though she was trying to take advantage of Caspian’s wealth.

“So, what do you say?” Caspian asked, noticing her silence while he explained.

“This… this is too much, Mr. Caspian. I’m sorry, I can’t accept this.” She shook her head as she climbed out of the car.

Caspian did so too and rushed towards where she stood. “What do you mean by it’s too much, Julia? You can’t go back to the hospital, you know.” He tried to reason with her, but she wasn’t sure she wanted this yet.

“I know I can’t, but I’m sure Liam and I will find something,” she declared firmly, her words making Caspian grow frustrated.

“Oh, Julia… you need to stop this! You either stay here or come live in my house. You can’t reject either of the offers!” Caspian warned, and staring into his eyes, she could see how genuine he was in wanting to help her, but she wasn’t sure of his motive.

Her eyes briefly trailed to the building, and with a heavy sigh, she finally agreed to do as he said.

“Fine.” She let out reluctantly. This brought a deep smile to Caspian’s face; he could hug her at that moment.

“Thank you so much for helping me today, Mr. Caspian,” she continued as she spoke to him.

He shook his head. “I did it for you and Liam, Julia… it wasn’t a big deal, okay?” Caspian said softly, making Julia giggle.

At this point, he couldn’t help but want to know more. He couldn’t help but want to hear from her what had happened.

With his hands sliding into his pockets, he took a few steps closer to Julia, her heart racing as she stood between the car and Caspian.

“Tell me, Julia… who is Liam’s father?” he questioned, his brows arched as he waited for her response.

Julia felt a lump form in her throat as she swallowed. “Liam’s father is…” she was about to say when, just then, Liam rushed out of the building, drawing their attention to him.

“Daddy! Mommy! Come on in… please!” He sounded so excited, not knowing he had just ruined the moment in the blink of an eye.

He rushed to where they stood and held Caspian’s hand. “Daddy, come on, let’s go in.” He was going to pull him into the building, but Caspian stopped him.

“Maybe next time, Liam,” Caspian said softly as he crouched down to Liam’s level. “Daddy needs to leave soon, okay? But I promise to always be the Daddy you want!” Caspian assured as he caressed Liam’s hair.

“Now go in and wait for Mommy, okay?” Liam nodded and ran back into the house.

As Caspian stood up, his back turned to Julia, she couldn’t help but feel tense. For that moment, she couldn’t believe she was about to tell Caspian that she had an affair with a stranger before her wedding day.

‘Was I insane?’ she bit her lower lip as he turned back to look at her. She felt nervous and couldn’t stand being there with him any longer, knowing he would want to continue the conversation.

“I think I should go in now.” She faked a laugh as she walked past him.

Caspian understood she didn’t want to talk about it, but it wasn’t going to stop him from doing what he needed to do.

With a swift move, he gripped Julia’s hand and pulled her back to himself, his arms curling around her slender waist as he stared directly into her eyes.

“Mr. Caspian, I…” she started, but he cut her off sharply.

“It’s Caspian to you now, Julia… Why don’t we keep this going? I don’t think I want to stop now. It wouldn’t be nice seeing you alone, and Liam needs a father.”

At this point, Julia’s heart leaped with shock. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing from Caspian. She wanted to enjoy the moment, but recalling that it was just an act, she felt bad. She wanted something real herself but assumed Caspian was all about business.

“Fine, I’ll… I’ll keep acting as your wife!” she declared bluntly.

“Acting?” Caspian’s brows raised. “I don’t…” Before he could finish speaking, Julia pulled away from his grip, turned on her heels, and left Caspian standing there alone.

“I don’t want you to act as one, Julia… I want you to be my wife. To be one with me.”