CHAPTER 26
“The beauty of love lies in its ability to be reborn…”
MARIA GAbrIELA
I inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to focus on the spreadsheets in front of me—but my mind was miles away.
Instead of finishing the reports, I found myself opening a new browser tab and typing: “condom effectiveness.”
I couldn’t help it.
Even with Diego’s constant pressure weighing on me, curiosity was eating me alive. The statistics told me the chances were minimal, almost impossible. Yet here I was—pregnant with a man who believed he’d taken every precaution.
“Ninety-nine percent effective… Guess I’m the unlucky one percent. Congratulations to me,” I muttered under my breath, letting out a sigh of resignation and trying to find some humor in the absurdity of it all.
Before I could spiral into conspiracy theories about how my body had decided to ignore basic probability, movement by the door caught my eye.
A little boy stood there, looking lost in the hallway, his wide eyes darting around anxiously.
I stood and walked over to him, crouching down to his level.
“Hey, are you lost? Do you need help finding someone?”
He looked at me with those big, innocent eyes, and my heart softened instantly.
“I was looking for my dad, but I think I went too far…” he said, his voice small and shy. “I’m Arthur. Who are you?”
My heart skipped a beat.
Arthur? Diego’s son?
“I’m Maria Gabriela,” I said gently, smiling. “I know your dad. How about we go find him together?”
Arthur hesitated for a second, then grinned mischievously.
“My dad said your name the other day—when he was sleeping on the couch,” he said, giggling like he’d just shared a secret. “He said it real quiet, like when I dream about ice cream!”
I blinked, stunned. Diego said my name in his sleep? That was… unexpected.
I tried not to let my mind run wild, but the warmth creeping up my face was impossible to hide.
“Really?” I managed, forcing a casual tone. But before I could ask anything else about this shocking little revelation, I felt a heavy presence behind me.
Diego.
He appeared in the hallway wearing that hard, stormy expression that always got under my skin. His eyes shifted the instant he saw us together.
“Arthur, didn’t I tell you to wait in my office?” His voice was firm—almost cold—and the sharp look he threw at me made my knees threaten to give out.
Arthur dropped his head, clearly feeling the weight of his father’s disapproval. Diego grabbed his son’s hand, almost pulling him away from me.
“Let’s go.”
He shot me one last, frosty glance. For a split second, it looked like he might say something, but he didn’t. His jaw tightened, his stare lingered, and then he turned, walking off with his son in tow, disappearing behind his office door.
I let out a frustrated sigh. Confused didn’t even begin to cover it.
That man was an emotional roller coaster—and I was getting sick from the ride.