05

Victoria Harper 

Of all the men in the world—why him?

I blinked once. Twice. The nightmare didn’t disappear; it just kept breathing in front of me

Reality hit harder with every blink.

My chest squeezed so tight I thought I might actually faint. He looked different than I remembered. Taller. Stronger. His shoulders filled out his jacket like it had been made for him. 

His hair was dark and a little messy, but the kind of messy that looked like he wanted it that way. His jaw was sharp, his mouth firm, and his eyes… they were the same The same eyes that used to narrow across the hallway when I was fifteen and trembling under his smirk, only now they looked older, colder, harder.

He was still infuriatingly good-looking. And I hated that I noticed.

He looked equally shocked to see me but quickly covered it up with a smirk I so desperately wanted to wipe off his stupid face 

My jaw clenched. 

“Looks like you guys are quite familiar with each other. I’ll let you both talk things out” Dr. Allen said when he noticed the tension in the space 

The door clicked shut behind Dr. Allen, leaving me alone with the devil in a tailored suit.

“Surprise, nerd,” his voice was deeper, rougher now. “Life’s got a wicked sense of humor, doesn’t it?”

My nails bit into my palms. “Don’t call me that.”

His smirk widened, like he’d just won. “Why not? You used to turn bright red every time I said it. Looks like you still do.” His gaze flicked down my body, slow and deliberate, before snapping back to my face. “Except now, you’re carrying my child. Makes the nickname a little sweeter, don’t you think?”

I inhaled sharply, heat rushing up my neck. “This is a mistake. A sick mistake. The hospital already told me—”

“—that you’re pregnant with my kid.” He stepped closer, his shoes clicking against the tile until there was barely a breath between us. 

My back hit the cold wall. I hated that the memory of high school came rushing back. Him cornering me in the hallway, whispering insults just low enough that no one else heard. 

Except now, there was no giggling audience. Just his eyes, colder and sharper, pinning me like prey.

“Stay away from me,” I forced out, even though my voice betrayed me with its tremor.

“Stay away?” His laugh was low. 

His hand lifted, brushing my hair back from my cheek, and I flinched despite myself. “You’ve got something of mine inside you. And I don’t walk away from what’s mine.”

My pulse spiked, traitorous and loud in my ears. I shoved his chest, but his body was solid, unyielding. 

His cologne smelled expensive, intoxicating, wrapping around me, and I cursed the shiver that betrayed me.

“You don’t get to claim me just because of some mistake,” I snapped. “You were a bully then, and you’re still a bully now. The only difference is you wear a suit instead of ripped jeans.”

He leaned in, so close that his lips hovered a breath from my ear. “Careful, Harper. You might be the only girl alive who can talk to me like that and still breathe afterward.”

My throat went dry. His words shouldn’t have sent heat curling low in my belly, but they did.

I turned my head sharply, desperate to break his hold, and hissed, trying to walk away

His body easily blocked me. “You think this child doesn’t deserve a father?”

The sting in his words cut deeper than I wanted to admit. “Don’t you dare act like you care,” I shot back. “You’re the same nightmare. The last thing I need is you in my life again.”

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes but it was gone as quickly as it came. He leaned down slightly, close enough that his breath tickled my cheek. “Who doesn’t like a little nightmare once in a while”

My throat went dry. “I never asked for this,” I hissed. “This is my baby. I’ll raise it however I see fit. And I’ll do it without you.”

His jaw tightened, the smirk slipping for the first time. “Our baby.”

I glared at him, ignoring the way his proximity made my stomach twist in confusing ways. “I’d rather raise this baby alone than have it grow up thinking you’re some kind of hero. Because you’re not.”

He didn’t flinch this time, only smiled, slow, dark, infuriating. “You keep telling yourself that, Harper. But you and I both know this isn’t over.”

I pushed past him, my shoulder brushing his chest. The brief contact burned, sending a jolt through me that I despised. 

“Don’t ever show your face to me again,” I snapped over my shoulder. My voice trembled, but my legs didn’t stop.

By the time I reached the hallway, my mind was already spinning. Daniel. I had to tell him. Tell him I hadn’t cheated, that it was all a mistake. 

If I convinced him, he would let me keep the baby without withdrawing his financial support towards my dad. 

Maybe I could still salvage what was left of my life even if it meant tying myself to Daniel forever.

But deep down, beneath all my panic and fury, one horrible truth clawed at me.

I couldn’t get the heat of Christian’s nearness out of my head no matter how hard I tried to hate it.