Chapter 126

Unfortunately, her prejudice against her father for the way she believed he had treated her late mother had ensured that Layla had not had a very high opinion of men, even to begin with.

And how much had Lucas’ own behaviour since their first meeting contributed to her continuing distrust? The casual one-night stand? The engagement he had neglected to mention? The blackmail he had used to persuade her to marry him? His conduct has been less than stellar.

But Lucas had always had a can-do approach to problems. Layla wanted him to love her. He could lie and tell her he loved her. Was he willing to do anything to keep her? Lucas winced, shocked by the concept.

What had she done to his brain? His brain clearly wasn’t working properly. Shock and sorrow had temporarily deranged his wits because, for the first time since childhood, he felt helpless and almost panicky.

It felt wrong not to be with Layla, although maybe she genuinely needed time alone to deal with what had happened. He couldn’