He lowered his eyes.
I felt something inside me fracture again.
“I told you what my mother went through working for a wealthy family. I told you how ashamed she felt afterward. You stood there listening while knowing I was talking about your father.”
“I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“That the moment you knew who I was, you’d stop seeing me.”
His eyes flicked toward William.
“And start seeing him.”
For the first time, I understood Caleb’s fear.
But understanding wasn’t forgiveness.
“Then I told you I was pregnant,” I said. “And you proved that fear right by disappearing.”
Caleb went pale.
“That wasn’t why I left.”
“Then tell me why.”
Part 5 — The Deal
Caleb looked toward his father before answering.
“The night you told me you were pregnant, I came here.”
I stared at him.
“Here?”
“I knew pieces of what happened with your mother, but not everything. I made him tell me the truth.”
William let out a humorless laugh.
Caleb ignored him.
“He admitted what he’d done to Sarah.”
“And then?”
Caleb took a slow breath.
“My grandfather left me a trust.”
I remembered the letters.
“One-point-six million dollars,” he continued. “My father has controlled it since I was nineteen because of the way the trust was structured.”
William crossed his arms.
Caleb’s voice tightened.
“He offered me a deal.”
My stomach turned.
“What deal?”
“If I stayed away from you until the baby was born, he’d stop fighting the transfer and release the trust.”
For a moment, I couldn’t speak.
“And you agreed?”
“Yes.”
The word hit harder than I expected.
Caleb stepped forward.
“I thought once the money was legally mine, he couldn’t use it to control our future anymore. I thought I could come back afterward, tell you everything, and build a life with you that he couldn’t touch.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“You thought abandoning your pregnant girlfriend was the best way to build our future?”
“I know how it sounds.”
“No, Caleb. You don’t.”
My voice began shaking.
“You weren’t the one wondering every night whether the person you loved had ever loved you back.”
His eyes filled.
“I never stopped loving you.”
“Nora was born thirteen days ago.”
“I know.”
“So why are you still here?”
“The transfer cleared three days ago.”
He swallowed.
“I was getting ready to leave. Then Dad told me Nora had been in intensive care. I didn’t know which hospital you were at. I didn’t even know whether she was okay.”
