Jake's POV
"Jake," she murmured as she sat up, leaning against my chest but looking straight into my eyes.
"Hmm?" I replied, my fingers tracing lazy patterns on her back. "There's something I need to show you. Can you please give me my phone back? " She asked looking back at the dashboard. I frowned, sitting up as well. "What is it?"
"Just trust me," she said with a small smile. Once she switched on her phone, she scrolled through the gallery and handed it to me, displaying a picture of a little boy.
It was the most beautiful baby thatI had ever seen, perfect in every way. My breath caught in my throat. "Who's this?" I asked, my voice thick with emotion as I took in the image of the child.
I knew it right away that it was Lea'skid but I didn't want to admit. I was jealous. A strange poison was corrupting the calm that had descended on me, moments ago. His eyes were bright, his smile infectious."His name is Kai," she said softly. "He's three years old."
I almost choked with unknown emotions as I admired the boy. "He looks... he looks like Phill," I said, my voice cracking.Lea reached out and held my hand, her grip firm and reassuring. "Jake, Phill was never the father. Phill was trying to help me hide the fact from you because I feared that having a baby might harm your career.Nobody ever touched me except you. Kai is yours."
I stared at her, stunned and speechless. My mind raced, struggling to process her words. It was like I had been hit by a freight train.
"Mine? He's... mine?" I finally managed to say but my mind was still processing the information. All the memories realigned themselves. It started to feel like my entire life was a big lie.
"Yes, Jake. He's our son. I've wanted to tell you so many times, but I couldn't.I was scared. I didn't want to ruin your dreams, your future." Her words sounded like some alien language and were beyond my comprehension.
Emotion crashed over me like a tidal wave. " It means... It means you were pregnant when you came back that night, at our apartment and saw me and Rosa.... You were pregnant when you had that accident? " I was talking to myself not to her. " You were pregnant when you vanished from my life but you didn't even bother to tell me. But Phill knew everything? He knew I had a child but never bothered to tell me... "
I couldn't stay still. I threw the car door open and stumbled out,naked, my mind reeling. "How could you keep this from me?" I shouted, pacing on the side of the road. It was as if someone had momentarily lifted the boulder of Lea's separation from my chest, only to replace it with a mountain. I was hyperventilating. It was too much. " Lea... you chose to suffer alone instead of trusting me. You didn't think I was worthy. "
" Jake... " But I turned around with burning eyes, not letting her finish.
"Lea... why didn't you tell me? I had a right to know. I missed so much.I felt a surge of emotions that I couldn't contain. Anger, regret, love, and overwhelming joy all collided inside me." I missed everything! His first steps, his first words..." Lea scrambled to get dressed, grabbing my pants and running after me. "Jake, please," she begged, tears streaming down her face. "I thought I was doing the right thing. Please understand!"
I sank to my knees on the pavement, the weight of my emotions were too much to bear. "I should have been there," I sobbed, my body shaking with grief and anger. "I should have been there for both of you."Lea knelt beside me, wrapping her arms around me. "I'm so sorry, Jake. I was scared and confused. I didn't know what to do."
" I had a right to know, Lea. I missed so much..." My voice grew louder, more desperate."I know," she said, her voice breaking. "I was wrong to keep it from you. I thought I was protecting you, but I see now that I was just ..."
I clung to her, my tears soaking into her clothes. "We could have figured it out together," I said, my voice raw with emotion. "I missed so much. I can't believe he's mine.He is so beautiful.He has already grown up so much."She held me tighter, her own tears falling onto my skin. "He's yours, Jake."I looked up at her, my heart breaking. "I need to see him, Lea. I need to see my son."
She nodded, quickly wiping her tears, her face filled with understanding. "I'll call him," she said softly.I watched as she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
I held my breath as the phone rang. And then it went unanswered. Lea looked at me apologetically. " What time will it be back home, Jake? I think Kai must be sleeping! "
Just then her phone rang and it was a call from Kai. But when Lea answered a woman replied from the other end.
"Anna, it's me. Really sorry if you and Kai were sleeping," she said, her voice shaky. "Can you put Kai on the phone, please? There's someone who wants to talk to him.Its very important! "
But the response from the other end was definitely not what either of us had expected. The lady named Anna fumbled on the other end.
After a long pause on the other end, Anna's voice came through, sounding panicked and very very agitated. " Madam, I'm so sorry for not answering right away.The reason...I mean....Kai...We... we were looking for Kai... We can't seem to find him anywhere. “