Tangled in Silence

t belong to her - in a hotel room that scre

Her dress from the night before was crumpled in a corner. Her shoes were under the armchai

Cal Do

3:06

re fi

art st

hispered her name against her skin like a promise. The same man who had hired her two

was jobles

ted to

ed behind her. She turned

unreadable, still adjusting the cuff of

eyes l

ge," he said simply

ispered, her voice r

t was a mistake." We cross

ng from her throat. "You fire

nch. "It's cle

sheet tighter around her

your

more," s

urned his back and walked o

ew somethin

as already

wouldn't be s

c stick trembled

, pale and frozen, the world aroun

li

d again. But the re

iti

like a hamme

She was... pregnant. Wi

til her spine hit the cold wall of her apartment, her bo

the life s

soon. Not

ct or a mistake. She wasn't supposed to sleep with her emotionally unavailable boss. She wasn't su

id what her bod

carrying

glanced at it, expecting sil

eryone at the office is talking. You re

stomach

llowed. Some ano

ing image. Guess that's h

not into you

by's worth t

e phone acro

vision, but she refu

ough. And if Cal thought she would crawl back to him beggi

this baby alon

r - ever - be anyo

. She didn't have to - the rumors

eiled pity, sharp gossip, and carefully crafted silenc

ngraved on the glass? Still unto

t called.

er. Not even to check if she'd cleared out

her apartment, nausea clawing at her stomach -

isible now.

de her didn't feel like a

thing groundin

t Donovan En

board is

ers drumming against the glass desk. The as

e said carefully. "There's

pped up. "What

at she's pregnant. Some even t

r thic

gna

d - or pretending to be. "Off

on the city skyline lo

gna

t be true.

careful.

checked on her. He'd written her off. He told himself it wa

something sharp cut

il

ub

dangerously

ay - all glass edges, silent corridors, and expensive taste. Cal stood in his fa

rying anyone

e didn't say you would." But

in. "She's not a gold digger,

the top of her class. Paid her way through college. No criminal records. No scandals. Live

e hadn't begged. She hadn't even foug

d trap you," his mother added, her voice k

dn't

n't ha

nce said

that n

building. The city lights reflected off his sleek black car,

- tall, clean-cut, crisp shirt rolled at the sleeves, dark trousers

d the door

y. Not

s stunning. Not just pretty. There was something haun

y visible in the robe,

was

ere, Cal?" she

r for a long ti

r. "You really came all t

o hear it

t's yours. Congratulations.

eath like a pun

I don't want anything from you." I can raise

g in him

said I'd

pered. "But yo