The room seemed to spin as Layla’s confession hung in the air between us. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even think straight. My eyes widened as I stared at her, desperately searching for some sign that this was a bad joke, a dream—anything but reality.
But it was the truth. I could see it in Layla’s eyes.
“He’s really Nathan’s?” I stuttered, grappling with the enormity of her revelation.
Layla nodded, her eyes rimmed with red from crying. “I didn’t find out until recently. I thought he was Cade’s,” she said, referring to her bodyguard-turned-fiancé.
“How did this happen, Layla? Nathan and I—”
She cut me off with a wave of her hand, her face flushed with the stress of her confession. “I understand how complicated this sounds, but let me explain,” she said. “If you’ll hear
