Princess's Secret Baby(25)

                ‘No one.’

                ‘So how do the papers know?’

                ‘Perhaps the doctor...’

                ‘Oh, and did the doctor ask you your lover’s name?’

                He blocked every exit with his cool stare. ‘No,’ Leila said, gulping.

                ‘So, who else did you tell?’

                ‘I told no one apart from my brother.’

                ‘Still she lies,’ James said, because someone must have spoken to the media. ‘Well, your brother omitted to mention that you were pregnant when he had his hands around my throat. I’m assuming that he knew then.’

                Leila closed her eyes. ‘Yes, he tracked me down a few weeks ago and I told him that I was with child and that I didn’t know what to do...’

                ‘And yet, you didn’t think to ring me. Instead you sent him to beat me up.’

                There was a long stretch of silence before Leila spoke. ‘It’s complicated, James,’ Leila said instead. ‘Zayn is very protective towards me.’

                ‘Actually, it’s not complicated at all,’ James interrupted. ‘We had sex, and now we’re having a baby...’ It was starting to dawn on him that this was real. ‘You had no right, no right at all, to keep this news from me. Was I ever going to find out?’

                ‘I tried to call you.’

                ‘Liar.’

                ‘I did,’ Leila said. ‘That number you gave me was wrong.’

                ‘No, it wasn’t.’

                ‘It was,’ Leila said. ‘I tried many times to call you.’

                ‘Try it now,’ James challenged.

                He stood and so, too, did Leila and she took the number from a drawer and walked over to a walnut desk. James watched as she dialled the number and closed his eyes in brief frustration as she had omitted to dial for an outside line.

                ‘Are you kidding me, Leila?’

                ‘Kidding?’ Leila frowned.

                ‘You really don’t know how to get an outside line?’ He saw her blink and then frown in confusion.

                ‘I just press three and ask for my meals to be sent to me.’

                She went back and sat at the table. ‘I know you think I was trying to trap you but I truly was not. In many ways it has been good not being able to speak with you because I’ve been able to work through things myself and I’ve given it a lot of thought. I am angry with my brother about the fight, and anyway, I don’t want to rely on him or anyone. I am going to raise my baby alone.’

                ‘Our baby,’ James corrected, and Leila felt her throat constrict when she heard the snap of possession in his voice.

                ‘I don’t need your help in this, James.’

                ‘It’s not about what you need. It’s about what the baby needs,’ James said. ‘Though I’d suggest that you do need some help. I’ve heard on the grapevine that your credit card has been stopped. I guess Mommy and Daddy are not very amused with their daughter’s behaviour.’