Chapter 6

It wasn’t that Layla was deeply attached to this baby.

Back when she didn’t know the truth about the surrogacy attempt, she had genuinely looked forward to the child. She thought it was the result of her and Dylan’s love.

After she learned the truth, her feelings toward the pregnancy were complicated.

She was relieved the cheating pair hadn’t succeeded in using her as their surrogate, but she also had no idea how to face the child now. She and Lucas had been complete strangers, and somehow they’d ended up with a baby together. She didn’t dare imagine what their future was supposed to look like once the baby was born.

“Don’t worry,” the doctor said gently. “The baby is fine.

“Just make sure to stay calm and avoid overexertion.”

Layla nodded. “Thank you, doctor.”

Once the doctor left, she remembered her phone. The last person she saw before fainting was Quinn. He must have brought her to the hospital. She needed to transfer the medical fees to him.

The door clicked open again.

Layla looked up and froze.

“Mr. Moore?” She blurted the name out before she could stop herself.

The man in the silver-gray suit walked with that crisp, effortless authority of someone who was used to being obeyed. In a few long strides he reached her bedside. Before she even processed what was happening, his hand was already on her forehead.

Layla blinked, stunned.

Lucas withdrew his hand a moment later and sat down in the chair beside her. “Does anything still hurt?”

Compared to the distant, aloof man she’d met earlier, he seemed almost… human now.

Layla studied him with open curiosity. Lucas’s expression didn’t change; he simply said, “Don’t get the wrong idea. Whether as your future fiancé or the father of your child, showing up here is the bare minimum.”

So that was all it was…

Layla ignored the odd flutter in her chest. She caught sight of his overly serious expression and couldn’t help a hint of amusement.

“But we’re only a contract couple. And we’re not married yet.”

Lucas met her gaze head-on, those calm, focused eyes fixed on her. “If it’s convenient, we can go register the marriage whenever you want.”

Layla choked on her own breath for a second.

She had meant to tease him, but he flipped the entire conversation back on her without blinking.

“No, no. I’m good,” she said quickly.

She and Dylan were still in the mandatory waiting period.

If news leaked that the CEO of Moore Group was rushing to marry her, she’d be shredded by rumors before the divorce was finalized. She wasn’t about to become the reason people accused him of “marrying for lust.”

And besides, nothing real existed between them. She wasn’t going to carry that kind of blame for nothing.

Lucas didn’t press. He simply said, “Moore Group owns a private hospital. I’ve already arranged everything. You’ll transfer there and rest properly.”

Layla opened her mouth to refuse, but when she met Lucas’s calm, businesslike expression, she suddenly understood. He wasn’t doing this for her. He was worried about the baby. That was all.

The words she meant to say shrank down to a single one. “Okay.”

Lucas glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting soon. My assistant is outside. If you need anything, ask him.”

Right on cue, a young man stepped in quickly and bowed his head. “Ma’am, my name is Ezra Chancer. You can just call me Ezra.”

Layla looked over at Lucas. “I can manage on my own. Your assistant should stay with you.”

She barely knew Lucas. Living in a house he arranged and using staff he assigned already made her uneasy. Ordering his personal assistant around would feel even worse.

“It’s fine.”

Lucas rose to his full height and left, offering her nothing but his clean, decisive silhouette as he walked out.

Layla understood the cue and didn’t say another word.

After Lucas left, Ezra didn’t linger either. He simply told her he’d be right outside if she needed anything and slipped out of the room.

Layla finally found her phone in the bedside drawer.

When she unlocked it, she saw dozens of messages from colleagues… and absolute silence from the two people responsible for her being in the hospital in the first place.

She texted Quinn first, letting him know she was okay, and transferred the hospital fees.

A reply popped up almost instantly.

[Layla…]

Layla raised a brow and sent a question mark.

[Um… it’s nothing. Just take care of yourself. Hope you get better soon!]

Her instinct told her Quinn was holding something back, but she wasn’t the type to force an explanation. If he could say it, he would’ve said it outright.

Most likely the office was buzzing with rumors after she fainted.

Layla didn’t care.

Even if gossip spread, she wasn’t the one who needed to panic.

Dylan treasured Lily so much he’d never let her take the fall.

And as if on cue, her phone rang sharply.

When she saw Dylan’s name flashing on the screen, Layla raised an eyebrow and answered.

She had been in the hospital for hours.

This was his first call.

A cold, hollow feeling settled inside her. She kept her voice flat. “What do you want?”

Dylan seemed thrown off by her tone. His breathing grew heavier. “Layla?”

Layla clicked her tongue lightly. “Say what you need to say.”

Only then did Dylan seem convinced it was really her. “What’s with your attitude?”

Layla was about to fire back when he cut her off.

“Forget it. I won’t blame you this time, but be more careful next time.”

Then came the real reason for his call.

“There are rumors all over the company because of what happened earlier. Go clear things up.”

“Lily is your sister. Don’t you care that people are talking about her?”

Layla almost laughed.

She thought Dylan and Lily being involved couldn’t possibly get more shameless.

Turned out she underestimated them.

“First, I don’t know what rumors are going around the company. And even if there are, they have nothing to do with me. I am not responsible or obligated to explain anything.

“Second, she is only my stepsister. And you, as her so-called brother-in-law, seem much more worried about her than I ever was. If you care about her that much, handle it yourself and stop ordering me around.

“Third, you shoved me into a wall and sent me to the hospital. If you cannot give me a reasonable explanation for that, I will report you for assault.”

Layla did not give Dylan a chance to respond. She hung up immediately.

She turned off her phone, tossed it aside, and called Ezra back into the room to ask when she could be transferred.

He told her the car was already on the way. Layla nodded. “Thank you. Please help me pack my things.”

“Of course.”

Layla had barely left the room when Dylan came charging into the hospital like an angry bull.

He rushed into the now-empty room, saw the bed was vacant, and grabbed a nurse by the arm.

“Where is the patient who was in this room? And how is the baby? Tell me right now.”

The nurse stumbled from the force of his grip. Irritated, she snapped, “And who are you supposed to be?”

“I am her husband.”

The nurse stared at him with disbelief. “Then who is the woman standing next to you?”