Chapter 7

Regret?

Felix had made up his mind the moment he decided on revenge, and he would never regret it. He couldn’t allow himself to.

Luna was sentenced to one year in prison.

Bailey never came looking for him again. There was no point in trying to talk things through.

Bailey went to see Luna. "I’ll fight for you in court! I’ll get Orion’s remains back!"

Luna gently stroked her slightly rounded belly and shook her head with a calm smile. "Bailey, don’t. Orion is with me now. He’s come back to be my child again. Let it go. After my father donated his organs, the organization will take care of his burial. He’ll be at peace."

Bailey stood outside the glass wall, gripping the phone. "Luna, do you really have to have this baby?"

"I’ll be out in a few months. You have to help me keep it a secret. Felix doesn’t care if I live or die, and he won’t come see me. Once I have this baby, I need you to take him away. Bailey, my only good eye is starting to go blind too, but I’ll hold on. I just want to see this child’s face.

"My father left me some money. It’s in my account now. You can withdraw it and use it to take care of Orion. I did the math and it’ll be enough to support him until he’s grown.

"Don’t worry about me. Orion wasn’t healthy before, probably because I didn’t eat well when I was pregnant with him. Now, I’m eating plenty, and this child will be healthy. I’m just afraid of burdening you."

Bailey held the phone, tears streaming down his face. "Don’t say that. I’ll find a donor for your cornea transplant. If I had known Felix would turn out like this, you never should have—"

"I don’t regret it."

Bailey swallowed the lump in his throat and went silent.

Felix was convinced that once Luna got out, she would come crawling back to him. She had nothing left, and since they were still married, there was no way she could remarry. If she didn’t return to him, where else would she go?

How long could she last? She had always been so timid, sheltered since childhood, never having gone through anything difficult. After she was kidnapped, she couldn’t even leave the house unless she was with him.

As Felix thought about it, he smoked more furiously, filling the CEO’s office with the thick smell of nicotine.

She had never been through any real hardships, except for that kidnapping. That kidnapping had made her even more fearful.

Later, he brought all the chaos into her life.

But he didn’t want to admit it, and he refused to acknowledge it.

The office door swung open.

Stella walked in, holding Lily’s hand. As soon as she entered, she started coughing from the thick cloud of smoke, her brows furrowed. "Felix! Why are you smoking so much?"

Lily began coughing too, which sent Felix into a rage. His face darkened as he yelled, "What kind of mother are you? Bringing her into a room full of smoke like this!"

Stella froze, shocked by his outburst.

Felix stomped out his cigarette, picked up Lily, and stormed out of the office.

Lily wrapped her small arms around his neck and whispered softly, "Daddy, I’m not scared of the smoke."

Ever since Stella had taught Lily to call him "Daddy," she hadn’t stopped.

Felix walked into an empty conference room and set Lily on the table.

He looked at her. She was his daughter, even though he couldn’t remember how he had ever ended up in bed with Stella.

But the paternity test didn’t lie. He had gone to three different labs to confirm it before he could accept it.

Whenever he felt overwhelmed, he would quietly study Lily’s face. Somehow, it always managed to calm him down a little.

He couldn’t help but see traces of Luna in her. Those bright, watery eyes reminded him of Luna when she was 13, right after her kidnapping. She had looked scared, vulnerable, yet full of gratitude.

"Sweetheart, you need to take care of yourself, okay? If you know smoke isn’t good for you, don’t walk into a room full of it."

"But I missed you, Daddy."

Felix stroked Lily’s face, his thoughts drifting to Orion.

Was it just a coincidence that all children seemed to resemble each other?

Lily called him Daddy, and Orion had called him Daddy too.

But with Lily, he didn’t mind. Yet when it came to Orion, Luna’s child with another man, he couldn’t stand it.

Why did both children remind him so much of Luna?

And why did they both have the same illness?