Chapter 140: Baby Daddy 2
His presence filled the space without a single word, his gaze cold and unwavering as it settled on Sebastian. There was no need for threats. No need for raised voices. The message was clear. You are standing in my home. You are speaking to my wife. Choose your next words carefully.
Amara didn’t look back at him. She didn’t need to.
"You don’t get it, Sebastian," she said quietly, her voice no longer sharp but steady, grounded in something far stronger than anger.
"You don’t get to walk back into my life when it’s convenient for you and call it care." Her fingers curled slightly over her stomach.
"This child..." she continued, her voice softening just a fraction, "...will not grow up confused about where they belong. About who shows up. About who stays." Her eyes lifted back to his
Silence fell again. Heavier this time. Final. Sebastian stood there for a moment longer, the weight of her words settling over him like something permanent. The bags in his hands suddenly looked... meaningless. Useless. Slowly, he nodded. Once. Twice.
"I understand, but," he murmured, though it was clear he didn’t fully. Not yet. The tension didn’t leave. It lingered.
Clung to the walls. Sat heavy in the air. Pressed against Amara’s chest until breathing felt like work. And then. Sebastian stepped forward again, like he hadn’t just been dismissed.
"Come on, Amara... we can’t pretend this child couldn’t be mine." His voice was firmer now, no longer pleading, grounded in something dangerously close to certainty. "I know for a fact it’s mine, baby." The word slipped out naturally.
Wrong. So painfully wrong. Julian’s fingers twitched at his side.
"I’m not going to walk away because you hate me," Sebastian continued, his gaze locked on her like he could will her to remember something she had already buried. "And you have every reason to hate me, I know that... but I’ve never stopped loving you."
A step closer. "I won’t stop trying to earn your forgiveness."
Amara didn’t move. Didn’t blink. But something in her expression changed like a door quietly slamming shut.
"You might hate the idea that we’re bound forever because of our child," he went on, softer now, almost coaxing, "but we’ll have to live with that. And give our child a good home."
For a second. Just one second. Silence held. Then Amara laughed. Soft. Sharp. Unbelieving.
"Oh, Seb..." She shook her head slowly, like she was looking at a stranger wearing a familiar face. "As if I don’t know this was all part of your perfect plan."
Her eyes lifted, cold and cutting now. "Well, listen to me." She took a step forward this time, not retreating, not breaking, meeting him head-on.
"As long as I am married to Julian, this child is his. By law." Her hand rose again, deliberately, resting over her belly before she tilted it just enough for the ring to catch the light.
A reminder. A line drawn in stone.
"And until there is a DNA test to prove otherwise," she continued, her voice dropping into something quieter... more dangerous, "I don’t want to see your face." A pause.
Then... "And yes, I know you can go to court. Demand your rights." Her lips curved faintly, but there was no warmth in them. "But would you really want to risk it?"
That landed. Sebastian stilled. For the first time since he arrived... doubt flickered. Not about the child. About everything else. The truth that could unravel far more than just this situation.
His jaw tightened. He looked at her for a long moment, searching, maybe hoping for something softer beneath the steel. He didn’t find it.
"Get some rest, Amara," he said finally, his voice quieter now, stripped of its earlier insistence. "Stress isn’t good for the baby." And just like that..He turned. And walked away.
The door shut. This time, it echoed.
"I want to kill him." James’ voice broke through the silence, raw and unfiltered as he stepped forward, pulling Amara into his arms before she could stop him.
Her body was rigid at first. Then it gave. Just slightly.
"How did I even get here?" she muttered, her voice cracking under the weight of everything she refused to show. "How did I let this turn into such a nightmare..." Her fingers curled into his shirt, frustration spilling over now.
"I hate this. I hate him. I hate." The words choked off. Because suddenly. She wasn’t alone anymore.
Only then did Julian move the rest of the way toward her. Slow. Careful. Like approaching something precious. "When did you get back?" Her voice changed instantly. Controlled. Composed. Guarded.
She pulled away from James, straightening as if nothing had just cracked inside her. Julian stood a few steps away. Watching.
Not one had heard him come in. But he had been there long enough. Long enough to hear enough. His expression gave nothing away at first. Too calm. Too still.
But his eyes. His eyes were storming. Dark. Heavy. Dangerous in a way that had nothing to do with anger and everything to do with restraint. "I’ve been here," he said quietly. A lie. Or maybe not. Because it didn’t matter when he arrived. What mattered was what he heard.
His gaze shifted briefly to James, then back to Amara. Not accusing. Not questioning. Just... searching. Amara swallowed. Julian took a step closer. Slow. Measured.
Before Amara could say another word, he crossed the distance between them and gently scooped her into his arms. The motion was so natural, so instinctive, it stole the breath from her lungs. Careful. Protective.
Like she was something fragile and irreplaceable. He carried her to the sofa and sat her down, his hands lingering just a second longer than necessary, like he was making sure she was really there.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his voice stripped of everything except concern. "Do you want me to call the doctor?" Amara shook her head. No. She didn’t trust her voice yet.
"I heard what happened at the company," Julian continued, crouching slightly so he was at her level, his eyes scanning her face like he was searching for cracks she refused to show. "Do you want me to look into the will?"