All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Discarded Bride : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Bella POVThe morning after the reception, I woke to Tom jumping on my bed, his small body landing on my stomach with the force of a tiny meteorite. "Mommy! Mommy, wake up! Angela says we can go to the zoo today if you say yes!"I groaned and pulled him close, tickling his sides until he dissolved into giggles. "The zoo? Don't you want to sleep in like your poor, exhausted mommy?""No! I want to see the lions and the elephants and the penguins!" Tom bounced enthusiastically. "Please, Mommy? Please?""Alright, alright." I kissed his forehead and sat up, glancing at the clock. Nine AM, which meant I'd actually gotten a decent amount of sleep for once. "Go tell Angela we'll go after breakfast."Tom whooped and ran out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the memory of last night's dance. Caleb's hands on my waist, his voice in my ear, the desperate look in his eyes when I'd walked away.I refuse to think about it, I told myself firmly. Yesterday is done. Today is about Tom

Bella POVI didn't sleep that night. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, my mind racing through every possible scenario for the morning's meeting. What would I say to Caleb? How would I explain why I'd kept Tom hidden? What if he tried to take my son away from me?What if he looked at me with those grey eyes and I forgot how to hate him? At 4 AM, I gave up on sleep and went to the gym, running on the treadmill until my legs burned and my lungs screamed. Physical pain was easier to handle than the emotional chaos threatening to consume me.By 5:30, I was showered and dressed in dark jeans and a simple sweater, no armor today, no power suit to hide behind. This wasn't a business meeting. This was something I couldn't quite name, and that terrified me.Maya was already awake when I emerged from my room, two cups of coffee waiting on the counter."You look terrible," she said bluntly, handing me one."I feel worse." I took a long drink, grateful for the bitter burn. "Is Tom still asleep?

Caleb POVI sat in that coffee shop for an hour after Bella left, staring at the cold coffee I'd never touched and replaying our conversation in my head. She was lying to me. I knew it with every fiber of my being.That child wasn't Maya's son. That child was mine, was ours, was the baby I'd told her to abort years ago. I'd seen it in the way her hands had trembled when she'd said she "did what I told her to do," in the way she'd accidentally called him Tom before catching herself, in the devastation on her face when she'd learned about Grandmother's death and mentioned great-grandchildren.Bella had kept my son from me for years, and I couldn't even blame her for it. I pulled out my phone and looked at the photo Jade had sent me again. The little boy with my grey eyes and Bella's smile, holding her hand with complete trust. Tom. She'd named him Tom.Not Thomas Black. Thomas Hart. My son carried her name, not mine, because I'd forfeited any right to claim him when I'd laughed at Bella

Bella pov Maya appeared and took Tom's hand, leading him away while shooting me a concerned look over her shoulder. I opened the door just wide enough to slip out into the hallway, closing it firmly behind me so Tom couldn't see."What are you doing here?" I demanded, keeping my voice low. How do you even know where I live?"Does that even matter, I am Caleb, nothing can be hidden from me in this city. Now back to the matter that brought me here, do you know that Jade called me," Caleb said, his grey eyes intense. "She told me everything, Bella. About how Tom is actually your son, not Maya's. About how you've been lying to me, how you've kept my child hidden for years."My heart stopped. "I don't know what you're talking about""Stop lying." His voice was harsh, but underneath it was pain. "I investigated Maya chen. She doesn't have any children, Bella. Which means that little boy in the photos is yours. Which means he's mine too."I stared at him, my carefully constructed world crumb

Bella POVThe aquarium trip was supposed to distract Tom from yesterday's tension, but I couldn't stop checking over my shoulder, half-expecting Caleb to appear around every corner. Maya noticed my paranoia and kept shooting me concerned looks while Tom pressed his face against the glass of the shark tank, completely oblivious."Big fishies!" Tom pointed at a hammerhead gliding past. "Mommy, look at his funny head!""I see it, baby." I crouched beside him, one hand on his shoulder, always touching, always making sure he was close. "Hammerhead sharks use their special heads to find food in the sand.""Cool!" Tom's eyes went wide with wonder, and for a moment, I could almost forget the disaster waiting for us back at the hotel.Almost.My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a text from Jennifer.Emergency. Call me NOW.My stomach dropped. I stood up quickly, scanning the aquarium for threats. "Maya, can you stay with Tom for a minute? I need to make a call.""Of course