Chapter 3

The days after my discovery passed in a blur of anxiety and uncertainty. Every morning, I would wake up hoping that the past few weeks had been a nightmare, but the gentle ache in my lower back and the persistent nausea were harsh reminders that this was real. I was pregnant—with twins—and there was no escaping the truth anymore.

I knew I had to tell Lukas, but the thought of facing him filled me with dread. How was I supposed to break the news? How would he react? Would he even care, or would he dismiss it as a consequence of a one-night stand? The fear of the unknown gnawed at me, making it hard to focus on anything else.

At work, I found myself constantly distracted, my thoughts drifting back to Lukas. It had been months since that night, and I had no idea how to find him. We hadn’t exchanged numbers, and all I knew was his first name. The chances of running into him again seemed impossibly slim, and part of me wondered if that was for the best. Maybe it was better to leave things as they were, to figure out how to raise these children on my own.

But deep down, I knew that wasn’t fair—to me, to Lukas, or to our unborn children. He had a right to know, and I had a responsibility to at least try to contact him. I couldn’t keep running from this.

I spent my lunch breaks researching ways to track someone down, but every search led to dead ends. I even considered hiring a private investigator, but the cost was prohibitive, and I wasn’t ready to take that step yet. Each failed attempt left me more frustrated, more anxious, until I started to wonder if I was destined to do this alone.

It was during one of these desperate searches that fate intervened.

I was in the office break room, mindlessly scrolling through employee files on the company’s internal database, hoping to distract myself from the growing sense of hopelessness. My coffee sat untouched on the table, its warmth fading as my focus remained on the screen. I had been staring at the same list of names for what felt like hours when a familiar one jumped out at me.

Lukas Romanov.

My breath caught in my throat as I read the name over and over, trying to convince myself that I wasn’t imagining it. But there it was, clear as day, listed as one of the top executives in the company.

My heart pounded in my chest as I quickly clicked on his profile. The photo that accompanied the name was unmistakable—those same dark eyes, the strong jawline, the hint of a smile that had once made my heart skip a beat. It was him. Lukas Romanov, the man I had spent that unforgettable night with, was not only real, but he was my boss.

The room seemed to spin as the realization sank in. This couldn’t be a coincidence—how could I have ended up working at the same company as the father of my children without even knowing it? It felt like the universe was playing some cruel trick on me, forcing me to confront the very thing I had been running from.

I had to talk to him. There was no avoiding it now. My hands shook as I closed the laptop and stood up, trying to steady my breathing. The nausea returned with a vengeance, and I had to grip the edge of the table to keep from collapsing.

I couldn’t do this. How was I supposed to walk up to him and tell him that our one night together had resulted in something so life-changing? But I didn’t have a choice. I had to be brave, for the sake of my children and for myself.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to leave the break room, my mind racing as I made my way to the elevator. Lukas’ office was on the top floor, a place I had never had any reason to visit until now. The ride up felt interminable, each floor passing in slow motion as I tried to calm my nerves.

When the elevator doors finally opened, I stepped out into a sleek, modern hallway lined with glass walls and minimalist decor. Everything about this floor screamed power and success, and I felt out of place in my simple work clothes and trembling hands. I walked slowly down the hallway, trying to summon the courage to do what needed to be done.

Lukas’ office was at the end of the hall, the door slightly ajar. I hesitated for a moment, my heart pounding in my chest as I gathered my thoughts. What was I going to say? How would I even begin this conversation?

Before I could second-guess myself any further, I knocked softly on the door. There was a brief pause before a familiar voice called out, “Come in.”

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, my breath catching in my throat as I saw him again for the first time since that night. He was sitting at his desk, focused on a stack of papers, his brow furrowed in concentration. When he looked up and saw me, his expression shifted from surprise to recognition.

“Irina,” he said, his voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. “What are you doing here?”

I stood frozen in place, my mind blank as I tried to find the words. Seeing him again, so close and so real, made everything I had rehearsed in my head evaporate. All I could think about was how different he looked in this setting—so composed, so professional, so far removed from the man I had met in that hotel room.

“I… I work here,” I finally managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Lukas raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback. “You work here? How come I’ve never seen you before?”

“I’m an assistant,” I explained, my words coming out in a rush. “In one of the lower departments. I had no idea you worked here too, until… until I saw your name in the database.”

He nodded slowly, still processing the unexpected turn of events. “This is… quite a surprise.”

“You have no idea,” I muttered, more to myself than to him.

Lukas’ eyes narrowed slightly, and I could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to make sense of the situation. “Why are you here, Irina? What’s going on?”

I took a deep breath, my heart racing as I prepared to drop the bombshell that would change both of our lives. “Lukas… I need to tell you something. It’s about that night. The night we… we spent together.”

His expression shifted again, this time to one of concern. “What about it?”

I swallowed hard, my hands trembling as I forced the words out. “I’m pregnant, Lukas. With twins. And… they’re yours.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Lukas stared at me, his face a mixture of shock, disbelief, and something else—something I couldn’t quite identify. For a moment, I thought he might not believe me, that he would dismiss it as some kind of mistake. But then his eyes softened, and he leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair.

“You’re serious?” he asked, his voice barely audible.

I nodded, tears stinging my eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t know how to find you, and I wasn’t even sure if… if you would want to know. But I couldn’t keep it from you any longer.”

Lukas remained silent, his gaze fixed on the floor as he processed the news. I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands clenched into fists before relaxing again. I wished I could read his thoughts, know what he was feeling, but all I could do was wait.

Finally, he looked up at me, his expression unreadable. “I don’t know what to say, Irina. This is… this is a lot to take in.”

“I know,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I know it’s overwhelming, and I don’t expect you to have all the answers right now. I just… I just thought you should know. Whatever happens, whatever you decide, I’ll respect it.”

Lukas stared at me for a long moment, and I could see the wheels turning in his mind, the weight of the situation settling on his shoulders. Finally, he stood up and walked over to me, his eyes searching mine.

“We’ll figure this out, Irina,” he said quietly. “Whatever it takes, we’ll figure this out together.”