Chapter 49

“Do you feel bad that your father doesn’t know about the twins?”

“I don’t know, but maybe it’s all for the best. He has always wanted grandchildren. I feel he’s going to freak out and won’t be able to keep the good news. My father and your father are close friends; he might tell Eric, and once Eric knows, I fear Vanessa and Connie would find out too.”

Hailey sighed, massaging her temple. “See why I’ve always avoided you all? And at this point, I doubt restraining orders would help. Now that Vanessa is pregnant, she’s going to be even more vicious when she learns about the twins.”

“I promise you I’m not the father of the bastard child she’s carrying.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything, Cole. I just feel that if it doesn’t belong to her, we’re going to suffer. She can’t accept that you don’t like her and that you’d rather be with me.”

“It sucks, but you’re right.”

“I don’t want you to worry about anything. I’ll deal with Vanessa and Connie myself.”

Hailey nodded.

“So, will you be returning to work tomorrow?”

Hailey shook her head. “I’ll work from home for the rest of the month. I’ll arrange for the boys to be homeschooled to monitor Enzo.”

Cole nodded.

“I still can’t believe I didn’t suspect you were pregnant.”

Hailey rolled her eyes at Cole and walked away.

“Babe! Are you angry with me?” he called, following her, but she didn’t answer.

Hailey went to the bar in the living room and poured herself a glass of red wine. She then sat on the couch, ignoring Cole, who followed her like a lost puppy.

Cole sat beside Hailey, facing her as she sipped her wine. “This is the second time I’ve asked this, and you’re refusing to say anything.”

“What did you want me to say?”

“I want to know everything! From when you found out you were pregnant to now.”

“Jessica is the worst when she’s pregnant. She nags and gets sick a lot. I know I didn’t spend much time with you, but it never occurred to me you could be pregnant.”

“What a terrible human you are!” Hailey glared at Cole. “You can recognize your best friend’s symptoms but ignore your wife’s.”

“If Jess weren’t married with kids, and I didn’t trust her, I’d definitely think you two were a thing.”

Chapter 49

“I would never have a thing with Jess, even if she were the last woman on earth, and she knows that. We’re just friends.”

“I know I was horrible to you. You have no idea how much I hate myself every day. I now know the true meaning of ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.’ God knows I’d do anything to go back and make amends.”

“I said I wasn’t going to ask again because I didn’t want to upset you. But Enzo and Ollie wanting a younger sibling made me curious, and for the first time, it hit me how much I’ve missed in your lives.”

“I found out I was pregnant the day we ended things. I was so happy that morning; I felt the pregnancy would be the start of amazing things. Plus, it was our third anniversary.”

“I gave you a gift that morning at the office. But you threw it away, saying it was over. Remember?”

Cole stared in shame but wanted to hear more.

“You said mean things that killed all the joy I had that day. I wasn’t feeling well, so I went home, hoping you’d be calm when you got back from work, and we could talk.”

“I got home and found my bags outside.”

Cole frowned. “How come?”

“I think I should be asking you that.”

“Security said you ordered it. Vanessa came out. We had a heated argument. I told her I was pregnant, but…”

Cole felt his heart burning with anger. “Vanessa knew you were carrying my child?” He couldn’t believe Vanessa knew and hadn’t told him.

Hailey took another sip from her cup before responding. She nodded.

“She pushed me. I fell, and she kicked me in the belly.”

“What the hell, she wanted to kill the baby?”

“That was probably her intention.”

Cole cursed. “That bitch! I should have killed her when I had the chance.”

“What do you mean?” Hailey asked.

“I went to her place after I learned she’d come to you with fake news about her pregnancy. I choked her, and now I regret not choking her to death.”

“Me not talking about the past doesn’t mean I’m hiding things. It just brings back painful memories, especially now that I’ve healed from them.”

“She probably thought I’d lost the baby because I was bleeding. I called you, but you weren’t answering. I passed out, and the next time I woke up, I was in the hospital.”

“I remember Vanessa telling the security guard not to help me or he’d be fired.”

“But he called his brother, who took me to the hospital, and fortunately, my pregnancy was saved.”

“I’m so sorry about everything,” Cole whispered. Hailey saw the remorse and sadness in his eyes.

“Then I saw you and Vanessa flaunting your new status on TV. It was clear I didn’t belong in your life, so I stayed away, as you wanted.”

“I stayed in the hospital for another week before I was discharged.”

“I met Debbie the day I was discharged. I was crying at the reception. I had nowhere to go. I’d never felt so scared and confused. I needed someone to lean on, a family member, but I was alone.”

Debbie was there for a checkup; she approached me and comforted me. She took me in and cared for me. It was strange how easily we bonded, even though she barely knew me.”

“At some point, I considered an abortion, but I couldn’t go through with it, though Debbie was against it.”

“I was a mess when I had a scan and found out I was having twins. I cried so much I felt sick. I was just accepting the reality of one child; how was I supposed to cope with two?”

“I didn’t have a job because the pregnancy took a toll on me; I was fired twice because I wasn’t productive. But Debbie didn’t complain. She kept caring for me and never made me feel like a burden.”

“I gave birth to the twins, and Debbie was helpful again. Her mother came to live with us for three months to help. Debbie also hired a nanny.”

“About six months after I gave birth, I got a visit from a lawyer about my grandparents leaving me a trust fund. It was so much money I almost went crazy. Apparently, my grandparents were against my mother marrying my father, so they cut her off. That’s why I inherited so much, because my mother was their only child.”

“My dad is ruthless, and that news made me cry for nights. My mother cut ties with her parents to be with him, and he still had the nerve to take a second wife and treat her unfairly. I still find my mother’s death a mystery, and it’s a pain I don’t think will ever heal.”

I put the money from the trust fund to good use, and that’s how I started ENROL. I worked hard day and night, and that’s how I achieved what I have today.”

“The rest is history.”

“And Ty connected me with some of his business partners.”

“He’s an amazing man, but it’s sad I can’t give him what he wants.”

Hailey gulped down the rest of her wine. Her eyes widened when she saw Cole kneel before her.

Chapter 49

“What are you doing?” she mumbled, unsure.

He took the empty glass from her hand, placed it on a table, and then took her hands in his.

“I know I’ve apologized many times, but having heard what you went through, I understand why you’ve been distant.”

“I know apologies can’t change the past or ease your pain. I’m so sorry, Hailey. I should have been there to protect you, but I made things worse.”

“Your mother sacrificed her relationship with her parents to be with your father, but he never appreciated her.”

“You did the same. You married me to save your family from shame and help revive your father’s company, but they never showed you any love, and your stepmother and sister constantly try you because they’re jealous of you and your success.”

“I’m so sorry for all the pain we’ve caused you, Hailey. I promise I’ll make it up to you from now on. And anyone who messes with you or our kids will deal with me first.”

“I’m really sorry for everything I put you through. Please forgive me.”

Hailey shook her head. “Why?”

She shrugged.

“I don’t mind you giving me conditions. Just speak up. Let me know what’s on your mind.”

Hailey said nothing.

Cole sighed, stood up, sat beside Hailey, and pulled her onto his lap.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, her heart beating faster. She tried to move away, but Cole wouldn’t let her.

“Stay still, please.”

“No, get off me.” She struggled.

“Stay still, babe, I have good intentions, I promise.”

Seeing she wasn’t cooperating, Cole kissed her.

“Fuck, you taste so good!” Cole mumbled between kisses.