Chapter 140 THE QUESTION I CAN’T ANSWER
Chapter 140 THE QUESTION I CAN’T ANSWER
MAYA’S POV
I locked the bathroom door and pressed my back against it, my heart racing so hard it hurt. The cool tiles under my bare feet did nothing to calm the heat rising in my chest. Outside, I could still hear Luca’s low voice on the phone with the legal team. The call felt like both a blessing and a curse. It had bought me a few minutes, but it would not last forever.
My hands shook as I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face. The mirror showed a woman who looked terrified. Dark eyes wide. Skin pale. Mouth tight. Who is Damon? The question echoed in my head like a drum. I had known this moment would come one day, but I had never imagined it would arrive like this. On a perfect weekend away, after we had made love and whispered promises.
I gripped the edge of the sink. Four years of secrets pressed down on me. The hospital room. The first time I held him. The nights I cried alone while promising my son he would never feel unwanted. Every decision I had made to protect him now felt like a wall about to crack.
Luca’s voice grew quieter. The call was ending. I had no more time.
I took three deep breaths, dried my face with a towel, and forced my expression into something calm. It did not work. My hands still trembled. I opened the door anyway.
Luca stood near the large windows of the villa, phone still in his hand. When he turned and saw me, his eyes searched my face carefully. The confusion from earlier had not left. If anything, it had grown sharper.
“Everything okay?” he asked, voice gentle but firm. “You ran out of here pretty fast.”
I walked past him toward the bed, needing something to do with my hands. I started folding a shirt that did not need folding. “Just needed a minute. The heat got to me.”
He did not buy it. I could feel it in the silence that followed. He set the phone down on the nightstand and crossed the room until he stood in front of me.
“Maya.” His tone was quiet but left no room for escape. “Who is Damon?”
The words hit me like a physical blow. My throat closed. For a second I could not breathe. I stared at the shirt in my hands, pretending to smooth the fabric.
“He’s… he’s just a little boy,” I said finally. The half-truth tasted bitter. “My mom helps take care of him sometimes. He’s been sick with a cough.”
Luca’s brows drew together. “Your mom is getting him syrups? Why is she the one messaging you about it if he’s just some child she helps with?”
I forced a small, shaky smile. “Because she’s kind like that. She gets attached. You know how she is.”
He studied me for a long moment. The quiet of the villa suddenly felt too loud. Outside, the ocean waves continued their steady rhythm, but inside the room the air had changed. The easy intimacy of the last two days was gone, replaced by something heavy and uncertain.
“Maya,” he said again, softer this time. “Look at me.”
I lifted my eyes to his. The love I saw there made the guilt sharper. This man had fought for me. He had grovelled. He had stood up for me in boardrooms and in private. He had planned this perfect weekend just to make me feel cherished. And now I was standing in front of him with a lie on my tongue.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” I whispered. “Can we just… can we enjoy the rest of the day? Please?”
Something flickered in his expression. Disappointment, concern, maybe the first spark of suspicion. He reached out and took my hand. His thumb brushed across my knuckles the way he always did when he was trying to soothe me.
“Okay,” he said after a pause. “We don’t have to talk about it this second. But Maya… I need you to know that whatever it is, you can tell me. I’m not going anywhere.”
The kindness in his voice almost broke me. Tears burned at the back of my eyes. I blinked them away hard and nodded.
“I know,” I managed. “Thank you.”
We finished packing in near silence. The drive back to the city felt longer than the one that had brought us here. Luca kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other on my knee, but the easy conversation from the morning was gone. I stared out the window, watching the landscape change from ocean views to highway, my mind spinning with every possible way this could end.
When we reached my building, he walked me upstairs. At the door he kissed me gently, lingering like he did not want to leave.
“Call me later?” he asked.
“I will.”
He waited until I was inside before walking away. The moment the door closed, I slid down against it and let the tears come. Silent, shaking tears. Mom came out of the kitchen with Damon on her hip. My son’s face lit up when he saw me.
“Mommy!”
I stood quickly and wiped my face before taking him into my arms. He smelled like lotion and the syrup Mom had already given him. I held him tight, rocking him slightly.
“How’s my brave boy?” I whispered.
“Better,” he said, his voice oice still a little raspy.
Mom watched me carefully. “What happened?”
I shook my head. “He saw the message. He asked who Damon was.”
Her face softened with understanding and quiet worry. “And what did you say?”
“I lied. Sort of. I said you help take care of a little boy. I bought time, but not much.”
Mom put a hand on my shoulder. “You’re going to have to tell him soon, Maya. The longer this goes on, the more it will hurt when the truth comes out.”
I knew she was right. I felt it in every beat of my heart. But standing there with Damon in my arms, the fear was still stronger than the courage.
That night, after Damon was asleep, I sat on the balcony of the new apartment and stared at the city lights. My phone stayed quiet for a long time. Then a message from Luca appeared.
Thinking about you. Sleep well.
I typed back a simple response.
Maya: Goodnight. Love you.
The secret had been my shield for four years. Now it felt like a wall that was starting to crack. And on the other side of that wall was the man I loved, waiting for an answer I still did not know how to give.
I closed my eyes and whispered into the night air, “Soon. I promise.”
But even as I said the words, I was not sure I believed them yet.