“All right. I’ll tell him.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
16
Leo
“Mr. Conti,there’s a woman on the line for you,” my assistant, Katie, says as she stands in the doorway to my office after I hang up with some investors from Australia.
“Who is it?” I rub my eyes after staring at the computer screen for far too long.
“She wouldn’t give her name.” Katie shrugs. “But she said it’s urgent.”
“I’ll take it.” I reach for the phone, seeing the red blinking light for line one. “Please close the door. And, Katie, you can go home. It’s late, and I really appreciate you being here on a Sunday.”
“Thank you, Mr. Conti.” Katie nods and closes the door behind her, giving me privacy.
“Hello,” I say, hoping it’s Daphne.
I’ve been trying to get ahold of her for hours, and she hasn’t returned a single text or phone call. I figured she was busy with her family, but with each hour that ticked by, I’ve become more concerned.
“Leo, we need to talk,” she says, and I can tell there’s something wrong by the tone of her voice. “But not over the phone.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at home.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she says before disconnecting the call.
I grab my keys, leaving the rest of the work I had left to do sitting on my desk for tomorrow. I rush to her place, driving like a crazy person through the streets of Chicago, not giving two fucks about a ticket or my personal safety. Once there, I slip through the front door of her building as someone walks out instead of using the fire escape.
I knock, trying not to sound too panicked. “Daphne.” When she opens the door, I’m struck by the paleness of her skin. “Are you okay?” I take her hand in mine, noticing the hospital bracelet on her wrist. “What happened?” I ask before she has a chance to answer my previous question.
“I’m fine,” she says and pulls me inside. “Close the door before someone sees you.”
I kick the door closed, not wanting to take my eyes off her. “Why were you in the hospital? I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all day.”
She walks toward the couch and collapses. “I need you to not freak out.”
I rush to her side. “What is it?”
She pulls a pillow into her lap and hugs it tightly. “We have a big problem.”
At this point, I’m thinking the worst. Either she’s sick or trying to push me away again. I lift her arm and run my thumb underneath the hospital bracelet on her wrist. “Why were you in the hospital?”
“I passed out.”
“Why? Did they find something wrong?” I ask, feeling like I’ve asked her twenty times in the last minute and she hasn’t bothered to answer.
“There’s no easy way to say this.” She pauses and takes a deep breath as her gaze dips to the pillow.
My heart’s pounding, and I can barely breathe. Daphne’s never been one to beat around the bush, but right now, she can’t seem to get the words out. “Just tell me, Daphne.”
“I’m pregnant,” she blurts out.
