Chapter 491

Chapter 491
I Want You As Her Father.

Raina's POV.

I wasn't going to tell Aaron, not now, not ever.

He loved Susannah, and as far as I was concerned, he was her father.

As for Richard, I was going to get rid of him one way or the other.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." I snapped as I paced around the room.

"Richard cannot win against me in court no matter how hard he tries, so..." I paused, the rest of the words drowning in my throat as my eyes widened.

Aaron stood by the door, his eyes clouded with tears as he stared at me.

Had he overheard everything? Fuck!

Dad noticed my reaction and turned around.

"Aaron, you came back?" Dad asked, his brows drawing together.

Without replying, Aaron walked in.

"Is it true? Everything I just heard, is it true?" His voice faltered as he stared at me.

I glanced at Dad, my hands trembling.

"I... You... That doesn't matter, Aaron." I stammered, struggling to steady my voice.

He chuckled dryly, his fingers dragging through his hair.

"Answer me. Fucking answer me, Raina!" He demanded, his voice rising.

"Is Richard Susannah's father?" He demanded, his eyes fixed on mine.

I looked away, my eyes stinging with tears.

"Yes... Richard is Susannah's father." I admitted, the words catching in my throat.

The words leaving my mouth brought a bitter taste to my tongue, and what was even worse was having to say those words to Aaron.

"How could you?" He demanded, his eyes widening as he stared at me.

"How could you do this to me? Why did you lie to me? There was no reason to lie. You fucking hated me." His voice cracked as he struggled to keep himself together.

"I didn't." I insisted, my voice catching.

"I swear, Aaron, I didn't lie to you. I thought she was yours. I wanted her to be yours, so I never entertained any thoughts of her being Richard's." I explained, tears gathering in my eyes.

"I only found out about a week ago. I found the paternity test results hidden away in his study. I never knew." I whispered, pressing my lips together as I struggled to hold myself together.

I wanted him to know that I hadn't betrayed him. I was oblivious to the fact that Richard could be the father. I had no intention of hurting him.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" He demanded, his voice breaking through the silence. "Why didn't you tell me when you found out? Listening to what you told Liam, it was obvious you had no intentions of telling me."

My fingers curled into my palms as I struggled to hold his gaze. I had been afraid of this moment, and now there was nowhere left for me to hide.

"Because the results don't change the fact that you're her father," I insisted, my voice unsteady.

"See, let's forget about this. Let's forget about the paternity test." I shook my head quickly, searching his face. "I can fix this."

I stepped closer, my hands trembling as I spoke.

"I will offer Richard so much money that he can't refuse. If he doesn't, I will make sure to win against him in court."

"I will keep him away from our daughter. Yes, our daughter, Aaron. We will continue to raise her together." I reached for his arm, but he didn't move.

"Rain," Dad called.

"You just have to leave this to me and continue being her father," I pressed on, barely giving myself time to breathe.

"Raina, stop..." Dad interrupted.

"Raina, that's enough."

"What? What?" My voice cracked as I looked between them. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"I'm telling you I won't let him take her, don't you get it?" I insisted, my fingers twisting into my hair as I paced across the room.

They both watched me without saying a word.

"Raina, I think we should talk about this some other time." Dad's voice softened as he approached me.

I wrapped my trembling arms around myself.

"Why? Why... Why can't we talk about it now?" My voice rose as I backed away from him.

He glanced at Aaron before returning his attention to me.

"I think you should calm down." He reached for me.

"No!" I shouted, jerking away from his hand. "I'm not going to calm down."

"He wants to take everything from me." I pressed myself against the corner of the room, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Mummy."

The tiny voice made the room fall silent.

"Why are you crying?"

Susu stood by the door, her teddy bear pressed against her chest, her messy, thick hair falling over her face as she rubbed her eyelid.

"Did something happen? Who made you sad?"

Only then did I realize that tears had soaked my cheeks.

I raised my eyes toward Dad, my lips trembling.

"Come here, princess. You're supposed to be in bed." Dad stepped forward and lifted her into his arms. "You should be asleep, not walking around."

"Well, I was, but I heard Mommy screaming. Is she okay?" she asked, her small fingers curling around the teddy bear.

"Yes, she is. Now let's get you back to sleep."

I wiped my tears with the back of my palm as I watched Dad carry her away.

I shifted my gaze to Aaron, who remained standing there, staring at me after witnessing my reaction to his confrontation.

"Do you still love her after knowing?" I asked, my voice barely steady.

"Do you still love my daughter and want to be her father after knowing you aren't?"

His gaze dropped as he rubbed his temple.

"I cannot automatically stop loving her because of some test, Raina. I love her regardless of everything that has and will happen."

"But I'm not sure I still want to play the role of a father. I don't think Richard will want me to." His shoulders lowered as he looked away.

I straightened, my chest rising and falling as I tried to catch my breath.

He looked at me for a long second, his expression softening.

If I hadn't swallowed a bit more sedatives tonight, maybe I wouldn't have reacted the way I did.

"Go to sleep, Rain. Don't make us all worried." His voice lost some of its sharpness as he turned away.

He walked out before I could stop him.

I went after him but stopped a few steps from my door.

My throat tightened as a thought crossed my mind.

What did he mean by he wasn't sure if he wanted to be Susu's father anymore?

Did he want to leave? Did knowing the truth make him want to leave us?

Was he going to go back to Theodore?

Knowing he didn't have the obligation of being loyal to me and Susu anymore, would he run back to Theodore's arms?

I shook my head and let out a dry chuckle.

No... I wouldn't let that happen.

I wouldn't let Theodore win against me. He wouldn't take anything away from me again.