I shake my head. “Celia, I’ve told you this before that what was between us was over long back. You need to move on.”

She folds her arms in anger. “Like you’ve moved on with that Indian girl? You’re making a mistake with her. You can’t trust her. She’s a liar and a cheat. She...”

“Enough!” My anger is swift. “I will not tolerate you insulting the woman I love.”

My eyes widen at my angry declaration. Fuck! I’m in love with Aaliya. I love her. I love Aaliya!

My heart literally stops for a moment before it starts beating once again with renewed energy. I don’t know when I fell for her. Was it first time when she snapped at Gabe on hearing I was a Duke and how that was relevant to her? Or was it one of those times when she made me apologize for being arrogant to her? Or is it simply because of her and the strong, sharp, innovative and perceptive woman she is? Now that I finally accept I’m in love with her, I’m certain I haven’t truly loved anyone else like I love her.

The connection between us had been instant and over time our bond has only grown stronger. I love her and I can’t wait to tell her when I see her again. Hopefully, she will return soon and we can be together.

“If you won’t believe me then I need to show you,” Celia says. She opens her bag and lifts a manila envelope and hands it to me. “Open it.”

“Celia...”

“Please, Damien, open it.”

Photographs come tumbling in my hand as I empty the contents of the envelope. They are pictures of Aaliya. She’s in a park, Hyde Park I recognize from the lake, and there is a little boy with her. There are so many pictures of her and the boy. My heart pounds as the next picture I see shows Gabe holding the boy in his arms and Aaliya gazing at them with a smile.

“What the fuck are these?” I yell. My brain is screaming for me to accept the one thing my heart is absolutely refusing to do. Instead I ask her, “You had her followed.”

“What choice did I have? I suspected she was up to something the moment she so easily left with you at the charity auction. And each time I met her after that only confirmed my suspicions, so I hired someone to keep an eye on her. She returned last evening.” Celia points at the pictures. “These were taken a few hours ago.”