“That was sarcasm!”
She huffed, fisting her hands on her hips.“Yeah?Well, it sounded real enough to me.”
He stared at her, fury rising again.“Are you seriously telling me you thought Ididn’twant kids?That you kept Jayla from me because of a few offhand comments?”
She glared at him.“Yes!Damn it, Saif!You were the one saying how grateful you were not to have kids!”He ran a hand through his hair and Jemma huffed impatiently.“Our daughter,” she cut in sharply.“She’s our daughter.”
“And you didn’t tell me.”
“No.I didn’t.Because I didn’t want you demanding I have an abortion.”
He flinched like she’d slapped him.“Ineverwould’ve said that.”
“I didn’t know that!”she hissed at him, her voice cracking.“Too many times, you didn’t exactly sound thrilled about the idea of kids.”
“I would’ve taken responsibility—”
“Howromantic!” she snapped, voice steeped in venom now.“Jayla doesn’t need a man who ‘takes responsibility.’She needsparentswho love her.Who choose her.”
“I would have—!”he started, then stopped.Her words had triggered the memory.
Hehadmocked his cousins about their kids.Repeatedly.But he’d never told Jemma the other side of that story.He’d never mentioned how much he adored his nieces and nephews—how their little faces lit up when he visited, how much he treasured reading them bedtime stories, hearing about their school adventures, or sneaking them into the palace kitchen for midnight sundaes.He hadn’t told her how they curled up beside him, or how playing with them in the pool was the highlight of his trips home.
But just because he hadn’t told her didn’t mean she was justified in keepinghis childfrom him.
“What?”Jemma snapped, her temper rising.“What would you have done, Saif?”She stepped closer, eyes flashing.“Would you have settled down?Helped me raise our daughter?Bought a house?Lived happily ever after with me until—” She stopped herself, lips clamped shut.
“Yes!”he shot back.“I would have done all that and more.Withoutthe ‘until’ you didn’t finish.”His eyes widened as realization hit.He took a step back, then slowly returned, his expression darkening into something even more furious.“You thought I’d leave.You thought I’d find someone else.”His voice lowered to something rougher, angrier.“You thought I wasn’t strong enough, or loyal enough, to love you.”
She didn’t answer at first.But she didn’t deny it either.
“Yes,” she finally admitted, voice soft.“That’s what I thought.You’re too...everything.I didn’t think I could hold your attention for long.”
“So you ended it first,” he said coldly.“You thought ifyouended it, it wouldn’t hurt as much.”
Her shoulders lifted in a half-shrug, arms folded.“No.I left because I found out I was pregnant—and I knew you didn’t want kids.But I did.”
“You were wrong,” he growled.“Wrong in so many ways.”
Saif looked down at the sleeping baby, his expression unreadable now.
Then he turned and walked out the door.
Jemma didn’t try to stop him.She stood frozen, watching the door shut behind him, her heart cracking with every step he took.
Had she been wrong?
Had she destroyed something that could’ve worked?
No, she told herself as she walked over and sat beside her daughter.
No.She had done what she believed was right.
Ignoring the tears that blurred her vision, she touched Jayla’s soft cheek and whispered through her tears, “I’d do it all again for you.”
Chapter 20
Saif nearly ripped the swinging doors off their hinges as he stormed out of the apartment building.His chest heaved with fury, and his jaw clenched so tight it ached.He wasdonewith Jemma—so disgusted he could barely form words.
