Chapter 30 Chapter 30
Damien’s POV
The words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs.
Pregnant.
She was pregnant.
With my child.
I stared at her, unable to form words, my mind racing through a thousand thoughts at once. A baby. Our baby. The implications crashed over me in waves, each one more overwhelming than the last.
“I know this isn’t ideal,” Hailey said quickly, her voice shaking as she misread my silence. “I’m not ready for this. I’m still in school, I have no money, no stability, and now I’m caught up in some mafia war I don’t understand. But…” She paused, her hand moving instinctively to her stomach. “But I want to keep it. I can’t explain why, but I do.”
Something fierce and protective surged through me, so powerful it nearly took my breath away. This wasn’t just about Hailey anymore. This was about my child, about a future I hadn’t planned for but suddenly couldn’t imagine not having.
“You’ll be safe,” I said, my voice rough with emotion. “Both of you. I promise you that.”
Relief flooded her features, but I wasn’t finished.
“You’re staying here,” I continued. “From now on. This is your home.”
“Damien…..”
“And I’ll assign personal bodyguards to you,” I added. “They’ll follow you wherever you need to go, classes, the store, anywhere. You won’t be alone.”
“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “Absolutely not.”
I frowned. “Hailey, you’re in danger. The Morellis already tried to kill you once. Now that you’re carrying my child….”
“No one can know,” she interrupted, her eyes pleading. “Please, Damien. I’m not ready for the whole world to know I’m pregnant yet. I need time to process this myself before everyone else finds out. Bodyguards following me around campus? That’ll draw attention, questions I’m not ready to answer.”
I wanted to argue, wanted to insist that her safety was more important than discretion. But I could see the genuine fear in her eyes, not just of the Morellis, but of everything this pregnancy represented.
“Fine,” I said reluctantly. “We won’t tell anyone for now. But you’re staying here. That’s non-negotiable. You’re carrying my child, Hailey. I need to know you’re somewhere safe.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, a shrill voice cut through the room.
“Dad!”
I closed my eyes briefly, frustration and exhaustion washing over me. Of course Sophia would choose now to reappear.
Sophia stormed into the room, her face still blotchy from crying but her eyes blazing with renewed fury. She pointed an accusing finger at Hailey.
“I want her out!” she screamed. “She needs to leave right now!”
“Sophia,” I said, my voice hard with warning. “Shut up and speak nicely.”
She whirled on me, shock and betrayal written across her face. “Are you seriously taking her side? After everything?”
“I’m not taking sides,” I said, though that was a lie and we both knew it. “But you will speak respectfully or you will go to your room.”
“Respectfully?” Sophia laughed bitterly, the sound harsh and broken. “Is this the substitute? After all these years, is she supposed to replace Mom?”
The accusation hung in the air like poison.
“That’s enough,” I said quietly, but my voice carried an edge that made even Sophia hesitate. “Go to your room. Or go to school. I don’t care which. But you’re not staying here right now because you clearly don’t understand what’s happening.”
“I understand perfectly,” Sophia hissed. “You’re choosing some random girl over your own daughter.”
“That’s not….”
But I stopped because Hailey had stood up, her other arm wrapped protectively around herself, her face pale and drawn.
“I should go,” she said quietly, not meeting anyone’s eyes.
“No,” I said firmly. “You’re staying.”
She didn’t respond, just turned and walked out of the room with as much dignity as she could muster while cradling a broken arm.
The moment she was gone, Sophia turned back to me, her expression a mixture of rage and hurt.
“Is that bitch going to be living here?” she demanded. “Or is this just a one-time thing?”
“Watch your language,” I warned.
“Answer the question, Dad,” she pushed. “Because if she’s staying, then I’m leaving. I refuse to live in the same house as her.”
I stared at my daughter, at the pain and jealousy and confusion written all over her young face, and felt the weight of impossible choices pressing down on me.
Sophia didn’t even know why Hailey was here, didn’t know about the pregnancy or the danger or any of it. She just wanted Hailey gone because she saw her as a threat, as someone taking her father’s attention away from her.
And I couldn’t explain the truth. Not yet. Not when Hailey had just asked me to keep it quiet.