But not if she’s lying about how far along she is, I thought.

I made the call to Vincent regarding the cab and then began gathering our clothes, stuffing Axel’s jacket and tie inside the overnight bag and numbly slipping my dress back on. I ordered an Uber and stood staring at the rumpled bed for a minute, thinking of our passionate lovemaking and Axel telling me he loved me. Then I remembered the harsh words he said to me just before he left, and I swept my tears away and walked out of the room.

Asshole.

47. Axel

Axel

My head throbbed like a motherfucker as I sat in the back of the cab. Why is everything so fucked up? I might have a baby tonight with a woman I don’t love while the woman I do love is sitting in a hotel room, half-fucked and probably reeling from the shit I said to her before I left. I wanted to call her and apologize, but I didn’t have my fucking phone with me.

It was bad enough that I left her—again—to go to Milan. I had promised Blaire a night with me, and bam, one phone call, and I was leaving her alone in the hotel room where we were supposed to spend an entire night together with no interruptions.

And then I’d opened my stupid, fucking mouth and told her she was like my father. I could barely stand my father, and I knew in my heart that Blaire was nothing like him. But she had pissed me the fuck off by saying that about the paternity test, like I was some kind of idiot. It was still a shitty thing for me to say, though, and it hurt her badly. The look on her face told me that.

I knew Milan hadn’t been sleeping with anyone else seven months ago because that was right about the time she became so clingy with me. She had told me multiple times that she couldn’t bring herself to be with anyone else because she was falling in love with me. I didn’t feel the same way at all, and I should have broken shit off with her as soon as she started that mess.

But she was an easy lay, so you didn’t, and now here we are.

The cab pulled up outside the hospital, and I tossed the cabbie some money and jumped out, rushing into the ER. I gave Milan’s name to the lady at the desk, and shortly after that, I was escorted back to where Milan was sitting on a gurney. She scowled when I walked in. “Took you long enough,” she snapped.

Ignoring that, I asked, “How is the baby?”