Chapter 9

It was out of character for Layla to work in the shadows and help someone else achieve their dreams when hers had just been within reach. She'd had a clear goal in mind since she was a child, which was to become the best wedding dress designer in the world. She had worked her entire life to accomplish that goal. Even when she was just Seth's secretary, she had never stopped participating in various competitions to further her ambitions. How could someone so driven choose to abandon her dreams just like that? Unless, of course, something was keeping her from pursuing her dreams. Seth's heart dropped to his stomach as he entertained that possibility. If his memory served him well, Layla had been injured once. He was away on business at the time, but when he returned, her wound had already healed. She had told him that she had accidentally cut herself with some broken glass. Could it be that the cut was more serious than she had let on? The more Seth thought about it, the more frustrated he got. Not wanting to go in circles anymore, he called Rowan Sinclair, the Parker family's doctor. A beat later, Rowan's lazy drawl sounded from the other end. "Hello, Seth. Miss me already? We just saw each other not long ago, didn't we? I'm starting to think the reason you're holding off on marrying Clarissa is because you're secretly in love with me." Seth was already annoyed to begin with. After hearing Rowan's sarcastic taunt, he grew even more irritated. He gritted his teeth and snapped, "Screw you!" "I'm flattered, but I don't swing that way. Sorry to disappoint you. There are other fish in the sea," Rowan countered insouciantly. "That's enough. There's something important I need to ask you." When Rowan heard how grave Seth sounded, he dropped the jokes and asked, "What is it? Why are you being so serious?" Seth pressed, "Have you known about Layla's coagulopathy all this while?" "Yeah. Why?" "Then, why didn't you tell me about it?" Rowan answered frankly, "She told me to keep it a secret from you. She was afraid that you might persuade her to terminate the pregnancy if you knew she had a bleeding disorder and that you'd become overprotective of her. "Hold up, Seth. Are you telling me you had no idea about her coagulopathy until now? Didn't you ever wonder why she had nearly bled herself to death during childbirth? "This isn't like you, Seth. You brought Clarissa to all the clinics available just because she had a mild case of low blood sugar, but you didn't even know that your wife—whom you'd shared a bed with—had coagulopathy? "Tsk, tsk. Layla must have truly loved you. The poor thing risked her life to give you a child." Seth's heart tightened at Rowan's words. He had no reason to doubt the latter, who happened to be the Parkers' family doctor. Rowan had also tended to Layla's injuries on multiple occasions, and he had assisted during her delivery. As it turned out, Layla hadn't kept her condition a secret from Seth because she didn't love him, but rather out of fear that he would worry. Seth had no words for what he was feeling right now. Not only had he betrayed Layla's love and trust in him, but he had also doubted her dedication to him. No wonder she wanted to cut him off. He cursed himself for it and immediately dialed Layla's number. However, after a long while of ringing, she did not pick up. She did not answer any of his follow-up calls, either. Seth turned the car around and dropped Benjamin off at the Parker residence. He then headed to Layla's place. Meanwhile, Layla's phone had rung several times in a row, but she silenced it after glancing at the caller ID. When Mark saw the name on the screen, he looked at her and suggested, "Maybe you should answer it. It might be an emergency." Layla said bluntly, "There's no rule that says a teacher has to entertain calls from parents after work hours. Come on, I'll help you with dinner. Daisy should be hungry soon." With that, she tossed her phone on the couch and went to the kitchen with Mark. At that moment, Daisy padded out of her room to watch television. She circled the coffee table in search of the remote but to no avail. Gripping the edge of the couch, she heaved herself onto the cushions to continue her quest. She did not find the remote, but she did come across Layla's phone wedged into the corner of the couch. The name "Benjamin's Dad" was flashing on the screen. Daisy's doe-like eyes widened as she stared at the screen curiously. She vaguely recalled Benjamin. He was the good-looking, older boy who didn't like her that much. Without hesitation, her chubby little fingers swiped the phone screen and put the call through. At once, a low, male voice rang out from the other line. "I'm at your place, Layla. Come down right now. We need to talk." Daisy couldn't help the rush of familiarity that seized her at the sound of the man's voice. Something tugged at her little heart when she heard that the man was downstairs. Clambering off the couch, she dashed into her room and shoved a handful of things into her pocket. She then opened the front door and left. When Daisy saw Seth standing by the entrance to their apartment building, her dark eyes glittered like the starry night sky. She bounded up to him and raised her arms, craning her neck to look at him. It was her endearing way of asking to be picked up. Seth had been in a foul mood until he saw Daisy's adorable face. He couldn't resist bending over to pick her up. Settling her atop his hip, he pinched her chubby cheek and asked gently, "What are you doing down here? Where's your mom?" Daisy pointed upstairs, then at her mouth. Seth understood her at once and asked softly, "Your mom's cooking, huh?" The little girl nodded and gave him a thumbs-up, praising him for figuring out what she meant. The storm cloud that had been hovering over Seth dissipated as he took in Daisy's endearing demeanor. He was even jealous of Mark for having the privilege of sharing a precious daughter with Layla while he was saddled with Benjamin, the spawn of the devil. Seth ruffled Daisy's hair lovingly. "If only I could have a daughter as adorable as you." There was a time when he'd hoped Benjamin would be a girl. He was so geared up to welcome a little girl into his life that most of the baby stuff he got was for girls. He even changed his phone's lock screen to doe-eyed little girls in hopes of manifesting his dreams. He never expected that the baby would turn out to be a boy—and a bona fide menace, at that. Seth had wanted a daughter after that, but he gave up on the thought when he saw how much trauma Layla's body went through. Daisy was pleased to hear Seth praising her. She reached into the front pocket of her overalls and drew out a handful of stickers. She chose a pretty princess one and stuck it on his collar. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked his cheek. She was so soft and smelled so powdery that Seth could have melted. He didn't even make to peel off the sticker on his collar even though it was completely at odds with his usually grave visage. And just like that, he earned a sticker for each praise he gave Daisy. It wasn't long before his very expensive tailor-made suit became a canvas for multiple cartoon stickers, not that he minded. He was having so much fun that he forgot what he had come here to do. Inside the apartment, Layla brought the dishes out from the kitchen and set them down on the dining table. She then walked over to the nursery to tell Daisy dinner was ready, only to realize her daughter was missing. She searched the entire room but could not find the little girl. A dreadful foreboding filled her as she hollered, "Mark! Daisy's gone missing!" Mark immediately reassured her, "Don't panic. She couldn't have gone far on her own. Let's go look for her downstairs." They hurriedly took off their aprons and made to leave. But when they opened the door, they found Seth standing on the doorstep with Daisy nestled comfortably in his arms.