Running from My Billionaire Baby Daddy

CallieA whole day had passed and I didn’t text Damien back. Didn’t call. Didn’t answer the stream of messages piling up on my phone.I could have explained. I could have just told him everything, the way the woman—Eleanor—had spoken to me, the truth she had uncovered about his lies. But something held me back. I wasn’t ready to confront him.Part of me still couldn’t believe it. Damien? The man I had shared my life with for the past few months, even if it was only that, everything between us had seemed so real. He was the one who had listened to me vent about my father’s health, who had been there when I felt like I was drowning. Now I was finding out from his supposedly 'dead' mother that he wasn’t who he said he was.I needed space. So, I took a walk. Strolled aimlessly through the streets of the city as if I could walk away from all of it. But the cold still nipped at my skin, the unease kept eating away at my insides.I ended up in a little park, the same one I’d used to visit as

CallieThe corridors smelled like antiseptic and artificial lemon. My shoes squeaked against the polished linoleum floors as I rushed past the front desk, not bothering to check in.I knew the room he was in. Room 207.My chest was tight. I held my breath as I turned the corner, expecting the worst.But when I walked in, my father was still alive. Still here. Still unconscious.His chest rose and fell slowly, machines blinking steadily beside him. I froze in the doorway, my heart slowly peeling itself off the walls of my ribcage. Relief didn’t come the way I thought it would—it felt more like dread, confusion, then sadness. I sat beside him, my hands shaking as I reached for his.“Hey, Dad,” I whispered, forcing a smile that felt too fake; it was more out of despair than real happiness. “You scared me.”I glanced at the IV bag, the monitors, and the faded quilt I’d brought from home, folded neatly at the foot of the bed. Nothing looked wrong. Nothing looked urgent.So why had the nur

Callie (5 years later) After being away for so long, coming back to the city felt new. Everything had changed, but at the same time, city life was still pretty much the same. It was weird because I had grown up here and knew these streets like the back of my hand. But the moment I stepped off the train, something felt different. And I didn't think it would ever be the same again. I wasn't the same person when I left anyway. It'd been two months since I returned. I'd spent most of that time making plans to reopen my father's old bakery, and today was finally the opening day. He had done fairly well managing this place until he got sick. The tumour ruined a lot of things, but worst of all, it took him away from me. I used to dream about running this place on my own, redesigning the menu, giving it a full makeover. Now that it was a reality, I didn't feel nearly as fulfilled as I thought I would be. I'd always wanted to change the name, but in memory of my dad, I was going to keep i

CallieHe was looking straight at me. Every sound in the room died down to a dull hum, and it felt as though it was just the two of us right there—Damien and me. I couldn't make sense of the somersaults my heart was doing in my chest or the tight knot that formed in the pit of my belly, causing me to lean back in my seat. It was like my body was trying to retreat from the moment. But there was no escaping this.I was floored. Utterly and completely.I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I'd left, hoping that life and fate would keep our paths from ever crossing again. But that plan had failed. The very same face I'd run away from those years ago was the one I was staring into right now. He had changed a lot—grown rather. He was no longer the soft, sweet, charming bloke I fell for. Everything about him, appearance-wise, was sharp and cold.His eyes were devoid of any tangible emotion. Even now, looking right at me, the only hint of emotion I got from him was a flash of something unr

Callie My phone beeped in my hand as I walked out of the building. I knew Clara was texting to say she had just gotten here to pick me up, but I was too rattled to look at my phone.What had just happened? Not during the meeting, but after...Being in such proximity to him did some damage to the walls I had built up over the years. I felt all soft and mushy inside like I was twenty years old again. My mind was all over the place. I could feel my heart thumping right out of my chest the moment he was near me. I expected bitterness, anger, resentment, but this— this, I wasn’t ready for. Underneath all of the anger in his eyes, I could see something else that was alarmingly clear. He had one question for me. Why?I didn't think I could answer that.Clara was here. I wasn’t sure if I could tell her the entire truth of what had just happened. It didn’t take long for her blue Ford to come rolling into the parking lot. Cass was in the back seat. Already excited and waving his little hand