Chapter 127

Five days later, Layla sat out on the terrace below the twining vines that were slowly changing to autumnal shades and dropping their leaves. She had thrown up before she made it down to breakfast, and her breasts were painfully sensitive.

It was as if every possible side effect of pregnancy was suddenly kicking in all at once. She had gone for her blood tests with Dr. Silvano and he had reassured her that the results were normal.

Her nerves, though, were all over the place because Lucas was due back that very evening and she was stressed out at the thought of seeing him again because he had been so polite and distant when he phoned. In addition, he had mentioned dining with

Beverly, who was also in London, and Layla had had to battle an innate streak of jealousy and tell herself that she was relaxed about his friendship with his former fiancée. But even so, Layla feared comparisons being made and knew it would always hurt that Lucas should believe that Beverly would have made him the