he baby, my baby, had suddenly become more than just a part of my world. It was leverage. A pawn

pecting a reaction, but I had nothing to give her. The room felt smaller with eac

ght, trying to sound more confident than I felt. I crossed my arms, faci

f. "Oh, but Lila, you've been thrust into the competition whether you like it or not. The two men are already playing t

not when my emotions were already in turmoil. But Claire was right about one thing: I couldn't bury my head in the sand forever.

re forcefully than I intended. "You've shown up here with all these

What I'm after is simple. You need to make a decision. Jordan or Declan. One of them will

if I can make that decision.

wind of your pregnancy, it became bigger than just your feelings. It's about power. Who you choose, a

flooding over me. "And what happens if I don't ch

a. No company, no power, and certainly no future with either of them. You

chest. The truth was, I didn't know what I wanted anymore. I didn't know if I wanted a life with Jorda

ce more strained now. "I can't do this rig

, Lila. Time is something you don't have. The longer you wait, the

just a moment before she opened it. "Think carefully, Lila

est. I had never been good at decisions. I had always preferred to let things play out naturally, to see where the chips fell. But this was diff

felt compl

e had always been there for me, a steady presence in the chaos of my life. He was patient, understanding, the one person who seemed to have no a

he buildings. It was beautiful, in its own way. But the beauty felt hollow now, as if I were watching life from a distance, disconnected from ev

me with a message. I glanced at the screen,

We need

I texted back, my finger

need to talk about anymor

se of finality in those words. Had I made my d

came almost

give me a chance. Let me pr

to let him back in, to let him fix everything that had been broken. But the truth was, I

my phone buzzed again. T

ila. But don't push me aw

n on me once again. Both of them wanted me. Both of them

did I

felt so lost, so torn. The choices before me felt like a maze, a tangled

thing wa

to c