5 — He's my baby's Daddy!

S E L E N A

“Chrissy,” I gasped, trying to get his attention. But he just tightened his grip on my wrist, pulling me along with him towards the door. “Wait,” I pleaded, “you can't just end the contract, we'd be the one at a loss.”

Christopher paused, making me come to an abrupt stop. His head snapped at me, and for a moment, I thought he might listen, he might reconsider. But his eyes were still hard, his jaw set.

“Screw the contract!” he shrieked, his voice full of rage. I felt my heart skip a beat, my breath catching in my throat. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, couldn't comprehend his words. “I can't let him keep messing with you, just because of some stupid piece of paper.”

I looked away, unable to meet his gaze. I didn't know what to say, or how to respond. I was stunned, speechless.

As Christopher dragged me away, I couldn't help but look back at Pedro. His eyes were fixed on me, a look of hurt and anger plastered on his face.

Seeing the pain on his face, I felt my heart bleed with guilt.

My hand was still clasped in Christopher's, but my heart was pulling me in the opposite direction. I wanted to run to Pedro, to take his hand in mine. But I was afraid that it would be a mistake, that it would only lead to heartbreak and pain. I had already been through that once, and I didn't want to fall helplessly in love with him again.

As we walked away from him, I shook my head, not willing to risk getting hurt again. He was off limits to me, a forbidden love that I shouldn't pursue. I had to protect my heart, even if it meant giving up on feelings that might have been wonderful.

I didn't know if I should be happy that Christopher had successfully dragged me out of the suffocating room, or if I should be scared because he hadn't been saying anything to me since we left the hotel.

He kept fuming and his grip on the steering wheel was so firm that it felt like it was my hand that he was gripping like that.

My heart was racing in my chest, and I couldn't take my eyes off his grip on the steering wheel as he drove into our apartment.

“Are you…”

Christopher stepped down from the car, not waiting to hear whatever I had to say to him.

With a deep breath, I gathered my things and stepped out of the car, watching as Christopher undid his tie, his fingers fumbling with the knot. He tugged it loose as if it were strangling him.

“Selena, come with me,” Christopher said, his voice hoarse with anger. He dropped the tie on the ground and walked towards the house, not bothering to pick it up.

I stood there, clutching my bag, my heart racing as I tried to make sense of what was happening. I couldn't recall a time when Christopher had ever called me by my name before, and the way he had said it was unsettling. I had a sinking feeling that whatever he had to say to me wouldn't be good.

“Am I... am I fired?” The words came out in a shaky whisper as I forced myself to keep up with his long strides. I couldn't believe that I was asking myself that question.

As I entered the house, the sound of giggling and a singsong voice drifted down from upstairs.

“You need to tell me what the fuck happened back there!” Christopher's voice was thick with anger, his jaw set tight as he jabbed his finger towards the front door. His whole body was tense, and I could see his muscles clenched.

I already knew what he meant with his question, I sighed sadly, dropping my stuff on the nearest couch to me.

“You didn't believe me when I said I didn't know him?” My voice was barely above a whisper, and I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. I could feel my cheeks burning with shame as I stared at the fireplace, unable to look at him.

“You promised not to lie to me, Selena. You promised you wouldn't hide anything from me.” Christopher's words were like a punch to the gut, and I felt the breath rush out of my lungs. I knew he was right, but I didn't know how to explain myself.

The words were stuck in my throat, and I could feel my fingers trembling in anxiety.

“Fuck it!” he grunted, sinking into the couch next to him, grabbing his head in both palms.

“I…” I gulped down nothing, tapping my heels on the tiles floor. “I’m sorry,”

“I don't need your apologies, I just want to know who the hell that fucker is, so I would know how to deal with a shit like him.” if I wasn't in a serious situation I would have laughed at how possessive Christopher was acting and I would end up teasing him with it all day.

But given my situation and I was the reason behind how he was acting, I couldn't bring myself to laugh; no, I didn't find it funny one bit.

“I didn't mean to hide it from you, it's just that I didn't want to cause you unnecessary worries. Besides, we are here for work not for me…” I bit my tongue, forcing myself to stop talking when I saw the irritated look he pulled on his face.

Christopher sprang up from the couch, balls of sweat wear already forming on his forehead as he walked up to me and grabbed my shoulders, “That’s where you got it all wrong.” he hissed, looking over my shoulder.

“I’m interested in you and your business,” he blurted out, his words spilling out in a rush. “I want to know everything… I mean, every single thing about you so I can protect you and your son from…” he suddenly stopped talking, his brows knitted as he moved his gaze to stare at me, his eyes widened in shock.

“Liam? Don't tell me that fucker is…”

“He is! Pedro Lopez is my baby's father!” I blurted out, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. My hand flew to my throat, gripping my collar as if it were the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart. My body was shaking, and I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I felt exposed, like I had just laid myself bare for him to see.

“Liam has a father?” Christopher's voice was soft, but there was a sharp edge to it. His silver eyes burned into mine, pinning me in place. I felt my heart pound against my ribcage as I nodded, my head spinning. I had never felt so exposed, so vulnerable.

“You told me he was dead,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You lied to me.”

“I’m sorry, I lied about that. I… I didn't mean to disclose who my baby's Daddy was. I'm sorry you found out this way.” my heart was beating crazily against my chest as I kept on hitching my wrist which was beginning to hurt me.

“Why?” Christopher scoffed, throwing his hand to his head, and aggressively brushing his neatly combed hair to the back.

“Why would you lie to me like that?” The accusation in his voice hit me like a slap in the face, and I flinched away from him. “Why would you keep something like this from me?” His hands gripped my shoulders, shaking me like I was a rag doll. I felt dizzy and disoriented, my head spinning as he continued to shake me.

“I-I promised to protect you. I promised to help you be a better version of yourself, and I promised to keep you safe but you couldn't trust me enough to tell me who your baby's Daddy was until now.” my heart shattered into a million pieces as I saw the hurt look on Christopher's face.

I had been living with him for the past three years, and never for once had I seen him all mad like that before. Christopher was a carefree guy who would never squeeze his face or raise his voice at you, even if you did something bad.

“How long did you plan to hide that from me? Five more years? Forever?” he yelled, his voice echoed through the room and I felt the ground shake beneath me.

“I… I'm sorry.” my mouth parted, and my breath was uneven as I watched Christopher let go of my shoulders, smacking his forehead as he took a step back.

“You…” Christopher was trying to say something when a tiny voice cut him off.

“Uncle! Look I draw Mommy!” Liam giggled happily as I heard footsteps descending the stairs.

I moved my gaze to see Liam, wrapping his arms around his babysitter's neck with a sketchbook Christopher got for him in his hand.

My heart raced when I saw the confused look on my baby's face when he saw the weird atmosphere in the living room.

“Fuck!” Christopher groaned silently, he walked up to me and whispered into my ear, “Let’s talk about this later, you wouldn't want Liam to know about this, would you?”

I bit my lip when he patted my shoulder before forcing out a smile. “Come show Uncle your drawing, boy.”

I felt light, and my legs gave out the moment they all headed upstairs, leaving me alone in the sitting room. I fell on my knees and I could feel my heart ripping apart when I heard Christopher’s happy voice upstairs with my son.