The Billionaire's Secret Baby

Chapter Five

After Grace was born, the years went by in a blur. I got lucky and got a job in a small company that offered daycare, so I could focus on work without worrying where Grace was. Balancing everything was exhausting, but watching her grow made every sleepless night worth it.

Riley and I had managed to save enough for a three bedroom apartment so we could have our own space, and just like that, my daughter was five years old and I was waiting anxiously to pick her up from her first day of school.

“Mommy!” Grace's voice made me look up instantly.

She ran up to me, her backpack and little pigtails bouncing behind her as she crashed into my legs and I bent down to scoop her up.

“Hi, baby,” I said, hugging her tight. “How was your first day of school?”

Her smile lit up her entire face. “It was so fun! I made a lot of friends, and my teacher said I was really good at coloring, and, and, we sang a song about the alphabet, and guess what, Mommy? I know all the letters already!”

“Of course you do. You’re the smartest little girl in the world.” I laughed, brushing her hair from her eyes.

She beamed, chattering the whole way to the car as I buckled her into her seat.

Grace was still buzzing about her day when Riley came home a few hours later, kicking off her shoes and tossing her bag on the counter.

“There’s my favorite niece!” Riley said dramatically, opening her arms while Grace giggled and ran straight into her. “Aunty Riley! Guess what! I have a best friend now!”

“Already? Wow, you’re faster than your mommy,” Riley teased, shooting me a grin.

“Ha ha, very funny,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Everything was fine for a week, until Grace had a cough. I didn't think it was serious, but then it became a fever and soon she could barely keep any food down.

“It's okay, baby. We're going to the hospital.” I had no idea if I was reassuring her or myself as I drove as fast as I could to the ER. Riley was away for a business trip and it was close to midnight and I knew she would be asleep.

It struck me then that I was alone, with no friends except Riley, no family except my daughter…who was currently laying pale on a hospital bed as I waited for the doctor to come back to tell me what's wrong.

When the doctor finally came back, his face was grave. “Miss Johnson, we have identified an issue with your daughter’s blood. Her red cell count is abnormally low, and it looks like it's a hereditary condition.

“Hereditary?” I echoed, my voice cracking. “But… I don’t have anything like that.”

“Then it must have come from her father.”

Matteo…. My stomach dropped. I remembered him saying something about his father's health once, but it was in passing and it's been so long that I had forgotten about it. I had buried everything about him deep enough that I could almost pretend he never existed. But now this? The one good thing I got out of that relationship and he still found a way to ruin it.

The doctor kept reassuring me over and over again that it wasn’t serious and with the right medication Grace would be perfectly fine. They said it like it was supposed to reassure me, but all I could see was my little girl hooked up to wires and monitors, looking so small in that hospital bed.

When they finally left the room, I slipped out into the hallway, pressing my back against the cold wall as I slid down to the floor, buried my face in my hands, and cried.

“Hey… are you okay?” A man’s voice sounded above my head.

“Does anyone ever cry in a hospital hallway for fun?” I snapped.

Instead of walking away like I hoped, he crouched next to me, meeting my gaze.

“Sometimes we just need someone to talk to.” He said, staring at me like he understood my pain.

“Sorry, that was rude. I just…it’s been a long day.” I quickly wiped my face.

“You don’t need to apologize. You’re clearly going through something.”

I sighed, hugging my knees. “My daughter… she’s just five. She got sick out of nowhere, and I thought I was going to lose her.”

His eyes softened instantly. “How is she now?”

“They said she’ll be okay, but I it doesn’t stop the fear, you know?”

“I know,” he said simply. “I’m a doctor too, but I’ve also been the person sitting on the floor outside a hospital room before.”

That made me look at him properly. Despite the fact that he was sitting next to me, I could tell he was tall, taller than I was at least. He was dressed simply in a dark blue shirt and black trousers, but you could tell he worked out under the clothes. If it was any other time I might have felt a bit of attraction, but I could barely think about anyone but Grace right now.

“You’re a doctor?” I asked.

“Yeah, though not here.” He gave a small smile. “Dylan.”

“Sofia,” I murmured. “And… sorry again for snapping at you.”

“No apology needed.” He stood, extending a hand to help me up. “I’ve seen worse reactions in this hallway.”

“Here's my card in case you have any questions about your daughter's condition. Sometimes it's best to hear from different sources.” He winked at me, and just as quickly as he'd appeared, he was gone, leaving me to wonder if I had imagined the whole thing. But the card in my hand said otherwise.