Chapter 90: Get your hands of my woman
Marcus turned and walked away, his footsteps heavy on the path. He got into his car, slammed the door, and drove off into the night, tires screeching slightly as he left.
Marcus drove for what felt like hours, the city lights blurring past him in streaks of neon and gold. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The engine roared beneath him, but it did nothing to drown out the chaos in his head.
She’s pregnant.
The words kept repeating, over and over, like a curse he couldn’t escape. Fiona his Fiona carrying a child. And according to Caleb, it was his.
Marcus slammed his fist against the steering wheel, the horn blaring for a split second before he regained control. He pulled over on a quiet side road lined with trees, far from the main streets. The car came to a stop under the shadows of overhanging branches. He killed the engine and sat in the sudden silence, breathing hard.
He leaned his head back against the seat, eyes closed, trying to make sense of it all.
Clara had told him yesterday. She had seen Fiona at the hospital, near the maternity wing, looking sick and guarded. At the time, he had played it cool in front of Clara. He hadn’t let her see how much it affected him. But the moment he was alone, the thoughts had started eating at him.
Now, after seeing Fiona’s face — the fear in her eyes, the way she had instinctively protected her stomach — he knew it was true.
Fiona was pregnant.
The realization hit him again, harder this time. He had loved her. Or at least, he had believed he did. The way she had ended things so coldly still burned. He had convinced himself it was her loss. But the idea that she was carrying a child possibly his made his chest tighten with a toxic mix of jealousy, regret, and a strange, unwanted hope.
If it’s mine...
He couldn’t finish the thought. The possibility that it could be Martin Mole’s made his blood boil. He remembered the way Fiona had looked at Martin during meetings at Voss — the stolen glances, the tension in the air whenever they were in the same room. He had brushed it off as work stress at the time. Now it felt like a betrayal that had been hiding in plain sight.
Marcus slammed his fist against the dashboard again, the pain shooting up his arm doing nothing to dull the storm inside him.
He had driven to her house on impulse, needing to see the truth in her eyes. But Caleb’s intervention had made everything worse. The way that man had claimed her — my woman — had ignited a rage Marcus hadn’t felt in years.
He sat in the dark car for a long time, staring at the quiet street ahead. The leaves rustled softly in the night breeze. The city felt far away.
Fiona was pregnant.
And she was with Caleb now.
The thought made him want to scream. He had lost her. Completely. And the worst part was knowing he had played a role in it — the way he had treated her, the way he had let Clara into his life, the way he had failed to fight for her when it mattered.
But he wasn’t ready to let go.
Not yet.
Marcus started the engine again, his mind made up.
He would find out the truth.
He would confirm if the baby was his.
And if it was... he wouldn’t let Caleb take it from him.
Fiona and Caleb stepped into the house but Her legs were unsteady, not just from the recent fever, but from the emotional storm that had just swept through her front porch. Caleb’s hand remained on the small of her back, guiding her gently inside, his touch protective and grounding.
Caleb’s jaw was still tight, his body radiating anger as he locked the door behind them. The confrontation with Marcus had left a bitter taste in his mouth. He could still see the way Marcus had grabbed Fiona’s arms, the desperation and entitlement in his eyes. The audacity of that man showing up uninvited in the middle of the night, demanding answers about a child that wasn’t even his to claim.
"I can’t believe he had the guts to come here," Caleb said, his voice low and edged with fury as he followed Fiona into the living room. "After everything he put you through, after breaking your heart, he thinks he can just show up and demand to know about the baby? He lost that right the moment he let you go."
Fiona didn’t respond right away. She walked slowly to the couch and sank down onto it, pulling the soft throw blanket over her lap. Her hand instinctively rested on her small bump, feeling the gentle, reassuring flutters of the baby inside her. The motion was automatic now, a silent promise to protect this little life no matter what.
Caleb paced a few steps in front of the coffee table, his hands running through his hair in frustration. He stopped and turned to her, his expression softening when he saw how quiet she had become.
"Fiona... are you okay?" he asked, his voice gentler now. He sat down beside her on the couch, close but not crowding her. "I’m sorry if I overstepped out there. I just couldn’t stand seeing him touch you like that. He has no right. Not anymore."
Fiona stared at the floor, her mind deep in thought. The words Caleb had said outside — *"I am the father. And get your hands off my woman."* — kept echoing in her head. She had worked so hard to keep this pregnancy a secret. From Martin. From the office. From the world. It had been her shield, her way of protecting her child from the chaos of her old life. And now, in one heated moment, that secret had been spoken aloud. Not just to Marcus, but in a way that felt like it could spread like wildfire.
She didn’t speak for a long time. The silence stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable. Caleb waited, his hand hovering near hers but not touching, respecting the space she seemed to need.
Finally, Fiona looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears and a quiet accusation.
"I had worked so hard to keep this baby a secret," she said, her voice barely above a whisper at first, then gaining strength. "Now it’s all out because of you, Caleb. You shouldn’t have said that."
Caleb’s face fell, the anger from moments ago dissolving into regret. He opened his mouth to respond, but Fiona continued, the words tumbling out as if they had been building inside her since the confrontation.
"I know you were protecting me. I know you were angry. But you told him the baby is yours. You claimed it in front of him. Marcus isn’t stupid. He’s going to dig. He’s going to ask questions. And if he connects the dots to Martin... everything I’ve tried to protect could fall apart. I’ve been so careful. Hiding the pregnancy at work, avoiding doctors who might talk, keeping it from everyone except Mom and Lena. And now... one moment of anger, and it feels like the secret is slipping through my fingers."
Her voice cracked on the last word. She looked down at her hands, fingers twisting together in her lap.
"I’m scared, Caleb. I chose you because you made me feel safe. But tonight... it felt like the chaos followed me home. Marcus knows now. Or at least suspects enough to keep digging. If he finds out the baby is Martin’s before we can secure the adoption... what then? Martin has power. Money. Lawyers. He could try to take the baby. Or at least make our lives hell. And Clara... she’s already suspicious from the hospital. If she hears about this, she’ll spread it everywhere."
Caleb listened without interrupting, his expression pained. He reached out slowly and took one of her hands in his, holding it gently but firmly.
"I’m sorry," he said, his voice rough with regret. "I didn’t think. I saw him grabbing you, and all I could think about was protecting you and the baby. I shouldn’t have said it like that. Not in front of him. I let my anger get the better of me. That was my mistake."
Fiona didn’t pull her hand away, but she didn’t squeeze back either. She stared at their joined hands, her mind still racing.
"I know you were trying to help," she whispered. "But now Marcus thinks the baby is yours. He’s going to keep pushing. He’s going to want proof. And if he starts talking to people at Voss... the rumors will explode. I’ll be the girl who got pregnant by the boss and ran to his rival. They’ll call me a sellout, a homewrecker, everything. I just wanted a quiet life for this baby. A safe one and now this....."
