Page 102 of Pregnant By A Rich Demon 3

“Yes.” I nodded, gaining momentum. “And I didn’t want to frighten you. You were already dealing with so much—the pregnancy, the contract, everything. I didn’t want to add to your stress.”

“How considerate.”

Her tone was ice.

I pressed on. “And if I’d told you, Amai would have known. Winston would have known. They would have retaliated. I was trying to protect you, Truth. I was waiting until I could keep you safe.”

“Protect me.” She repeated the words slowly, like she was tasting them. “That’s what you’re going with?”

“It’s the truth.”

“No.” Truth stepped forward, and I instinctively took a step back. “Every Landry man I’ve met uses ‘protection’ as an excuse for control. You didn’t tell me because you wanted Amai to hurt me.”

“That’s not⁠—”

“You wanted him to fuck up,” she continued, her voice rising. “You wanted me to find out in the worst way possible, so I’d come running to you. So, you could be the hero who picked up the pieces.”

“Truth, that’s not fair⁠—”

“And you enjoyed it, didn’t you?” Her eyes blazed. “The possibility that these twins could be yours. Because it gives you another reason to chase what Amai thinks is his. It’s not about me. It’s not about the babies. It’s about him.”

The accusation hung in the air between us.

My jaw tightened.

“Oh, it’s like that?” I said quietly.

Truth didn’t flinch. “It’s just like that.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then, I laughed—short, bitter, humorless.

“You want the truth?” I said. “Fine. I’m not going to apologize for wanting you. I’m not going to apologize for wanting those babies. I’m not going to stand here and pretend I don’t want everything Amai has.”

Truth’s expression didn’t change.

“I see you,” I continued, my voice hardening. “I see what you could be. What you should be. And yeah, maybe part of it is about him. Maybe part of it is about proving I’m not the worthless fuck-up Winston thinks I am. But that doesn’t make what I feel any less real.”

“What you feel,” Truth said slowly, “is obsession. Not love.”

“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But at least I’m honest about it.”

“Are you?” She tilted her head. “Because it sounds like you’ve been lying since the day we met.”

My hands clenched into fists at my sides.

“I’m working things out with Amai, but I’ll keep you in the loop about the babies. You’ll get updates. You’ll be involved. But that’s it, Kaisen. That’s all you get.”

Something inside me snapped.

“You’re working things out with him?” I laughed again, louder this time. “You mean you’re letting him fuck you stupid, so you forget he’s been lying to you this whole time?”

Truth’s face went cold.

“You must be slow as fuck in the head,” I continued, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “Like he’s not the same manipulative bastard he’s always been.”

“Get off my property.”