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Home / Romance / Falling For My Father's Best Friend / Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

All Chapters of Falling For My Father's Best Friend : Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

164 Chapters

151

Days had past. Dare to say life went back to being almost cotton candy and rainbow.Sorting outfits. Still limited in movement, something clicked. Tye branding Mrs Rossi talked about, could it be the plan I had with Matoe? Was she setting up my blueprint for me already?I sighed and looked up to see Matoe. He has been out all days I could not tell what he wants was really doing."So...no bail for Rafiq" he said..I nodded, my mind was somewhere else, Valentina's message. Some part of me what to see her. To know what she wants to talk while the other sensible part knew it would be nothing but evil. What if I get stupid enough to see her in private and she stabs me.I shivered at the thought of that.Matoe's mouth moved before I heard him. I blinked, waiting for him to repeat again."I said, I was thinking of you to tease your company. You know, for people to have it in mind" he said.I nodded. He wasn't wrong though but won't it clash with his mom's business? Or what?I shrugged and t

152

The guest bathroom was quiet except for the gentle slosh of water as I sank deeper into the oversized marble tub. Steam curled lazily toward the ceiling, carrying the faint scent of lavender and eucalyptus - something Elena had added to help with the lingering tension in my body. I let my head rest against the cool edge of the tub, eyes closed, trying to breathe through the low, almost invisible ache in my lower belly. The doctor had been clear: rest, no stress, no sudden movements. But stress had a way of finding me anyway.My phone rang on the marble counter.I opened one eye, heart skipping when I saw the caller ID.**Dad.**My stomach twisted. I stared at the screen, water dripping from my fingers as I hesitated. Part of me - the little girl who still desperately wanted to be loved by her father - wanted to answer. The other part, the woman who had been thrown away like trash, wanted to let it ring until it stopped.On the second ring, I answered."...Hello?"Nathan's voice came

153

Call it pregnancy hormones or just boredom and trying not to stress think, bath became my next favorite.One sweat drop and I am in the tub.I don't like the smell of tea and I am washing again!Gosh! It was fucking 3 am and I snuck out to soak in the tub.The guest bathroom smelled like rosehip and chamomile. I stood in front of the large vanity mirror, the soft golden lights casting a warm glow over my face. One week out of the hospital, and my body still felt like it belonged to someone else - slower, heavier, more fragile. Could be just mood swings, or the fact that Mateowould soon be going to court. I needed to see my father but a Chicken like me refused to call him back and ohh, the DNA test.What if I just do the goddam NIPP Test because I give myself high blood pressure!I squeezed a small amount of night cream onto my fingertips and began patting it gently under my eyes. The motion was soothing, almost meditative. I worked it into my skin in slow circles, moving down to my c

154

The morning light was too bright, too clinical, like it was already interrogating us. I stood in the center of our dressing room, the air thick with the scent of Mateo's cologne and the lingering, humid warmth of the shower.My fingers felt like lead as I reached up to straighten his silk tie. I've done this a dozen times, but today, my hands wouldn't stop that tiny, traitorous tremble. I focused on the knot, my knuckles brushing the crisp white of his collar."Stop," Mateo murmured.I didn't. I smoothed the lapel of his charcoal suit jacket instead. "It's crooked.""Isabella." He caught my wrists. His palms were hot, his grip firm enough to ground me but gentle enough. I finally looked up. His jaw was a hard, angular line, the muscle near his ear ticking rhythmically. His eyes, usually so unreadable to the world, were swirling with a dark, restless storm."You're overthinking," he said, his voice a low vibration I felt in my own chest."And you're holding your breath," I countered,

155

The courtroom felt like it was shrinking, the walls closing in as the judge's gaze remained fixed on Mateo. My heart was a frantic bird trapped in my chest, but Marcus, our lawyer, didn't miss a beat. He stood up, his presence commanding the room, cutting through the silence like a blade."Mr. Rossi's silence isn't a confession of fraud, Your Honor," Marcus said, his voice smooth and dangerous. "It is the silence of a man who chose a child over a biological technicality. For thirteen years, Mateo Rossi has been the only shield between Lucian and a world that didn't want him. If Rafiq truly loved his son, where was he during the fevers? The school plays? The broken bones?"Marcus turned, pacing toward Rafiq. "He was busy having an affair with the boy's mother. They had thirteen years to claim him. They waited until it was convenient-until it was a weapon. You don't hate a child you've raised for thirteen years just because a piece of paper says something different. You love him more fo

156

The morning light was soft, filtered through the heavy velvet curtains of the kitchen, but I had been awake since the birds started their first gossiping chirps. Pregnancy had turned me into a creature of odd hours, but today, it wasn't just the hormones. It was the adrenaline of yesterday's victory and the quiet, domestic urge to build something sweet in a house that had seen too much salt.The head cook, Mrs. Higgins, moved around me like a silent shadow, her eyes crinkling with approval as I folded the batter."Steady hands, madam Isabella," she whispered. "The cake can feel your heart."I laughed softly, the scent of vanilla and roasted hazelnuts filling my senses. For the first time in weeks, I didn't feel like a patient or a victim. I felt like a woman making a home. By the time the oven timer dinged, the kitchen felt warm, safe, and entirely ours.I was just finishing the frosting—a smooth, chocolate ganache—when the sound of heavy, frantic footsteps echoed from the hallway.

157

The hospital air was too clean, too sharp. I sat on the edge of the exam table, my sleeve rolled up, watching the nurse label the vials for the NIPP test. Mateo stood at the foot of the bed, his presence so massive and dark it seemed to suck the light out of the room.I looked at him, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. "I’m going to see him after this, Mateo. I’m going to see my father."He didn't move a muscle, but I saw the way his pupils blown wide. "That look on your face since yesterday, I thought as much," he said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, sleek black clip—no bigger than a button. "You aren't going without this."I stared at it. "A bug? Really, Mateo? You’re bugging me now?""I’m protecting my investment," he said, though the heat in his eyes said I was far more than an investment.I gave a small, shaky laugh. "You’re a creep."He stepped closer, his thumb tracing my jawline with a possessiveness that made my ski

158

**MATEO’S POV**Fucking shit! How?I wanted Jake to turn the car around. I wanted to go back to that café and tear Nathan Hartley apart with my bare hands. But I couldn't. Not while Isabella was shaking like a leaf, her hand pressed white-knuckled against her stomach.The ride back was a blur of high-speed turns and oppressive silence. When we reached the estate, I didn't wait for Jake. I scooped Isabella out of the car, ignoring her weak protests. She felt lighter than air, as if the truth had hollowed her out from the inside. I carried her to our room and stayed there for hours, stroking her hair and tracing the line of her temple until her breathing finally leveled out into the heavy, fitful sleep of the exhausted.I stood up, I could hear my heartbeat in the quiet room. Jake was standing by the door, his shadow long and grim."Stay here," I whispered, my voice sounding like a rusted blade. "Any noise, any movement—I don't care what she says, you make sure she doesn't harm herself

159

The morning air at my parents' estate was crisp, a sharp contrast to the suffocating stench of the hotel room I’d left hours ago. I was in my father’s study, the scent of old leather and expensive bourbon grounding me as we looked over the files Ayisha had compiled on the Cortez family."The parents are old-school, Mateo," my father said, his eyes scanning the map of the Cortez estate in the countryside. "They live for their reputation. Finding out Valentina has been playing house with her high school mistake in a hotel you paid for? It’ll crush them again after her " supposedly visit to a family" when they sent her away.""That’s the point," I muttered, my fingers tapping rhythmically on the mahogany desk. "I want the original birth records. I want the hospital files. I want every piece of leverage they have over Isabella."The door swung open, and the sharp click of heels announced my mother’s arrival before she even spoke. She stood in the doorway, an amused smirk playing on he

160

The bedroom was a whirlwind of metallic teal silk. I leaned against the doorframe, watching Isabella spin, the fabric catching the afternoon light and shimmering like the surface of the Thames. She looked radiant, her movements light, almost ethereal.I couldn't wrap my head around it. Four days ago, she was a broken mess in the back of my SUV, her world leveled by the filth Nathan and Valentina had spat out. Today, she was humming a pop song and debating necklines."Too much?" she asked, stopping mid-spin. She frowned at her reflection, smoothing the silk over her stomach. "I don't like this one. It makes me look fat.""It makes you look like a goddess," I countered, pulling out my phone. Before she could protest, I snapped a photo. She was mid-laugh, her hair caught in the motion, her eyes finally bright again."Hey!" She pointed a finger at me, a playful scowl on her face. "You're under arrest. Taking unauthorized photos of a pregnant woman in a dress she hates is a federal offens

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