Chapter 55: I Can’t Tell Him
The evening sun spilled soft amber light across the little living room when Chloe pushed the front door open. She tossed her handbag onto the couch with a dramatic sigh, the day’s stress clinging to her like a second skin.
"Bella?" she called, kicking off her heels. "Where’s my favorite godson? How’s he?"
"In here," Bella’s voice floated from the kitchen. A moment later, she appeared, drying her hands with a towel. The tired curve of her smile betrayed her exhaustion, but relief shimmered in her eyes. "He’s fine. Really. Just a scrape and a bruise. Nothing more."
Before Chloe could respond, small footsteps thundered down the hall. Timothy came barreling toward her, grinning wide. "Auntie Chloe!"
Chloe bent down and scooped him up, twirling him lightly before setting him against her hip. "There’s my champion!" she exclaimed, peppering his face with kisses. "You scared us all today, big boy. How dare you fall, hmm? Do you know how precious you are?"
Timothy laughed, his cheeks glowing under her shower of affection. "I’m okay now."
"Who pushed my soldier, eh?" Chloe teased, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "Tell me the name and I’ll march right back to that school and make them pay."
Timothy giggled harder, shaking his head. "It wasn’t like that, Auntie Chloe. They laughed at me because I don’t have a daddy. That’s why I fell."
The room fell silent. Rachel, perched on the armchair with a book in her hand, met Chloe’s gaze. Chloe’s eyes darted from Rachel’s and flicked toward Bella, who had gone still by the doorway, her hand tightening on the towel.
But Timothy’s voice bubbled on, unbothered. "But don’t worry! Mommy is my daddy now too. So I do have a daddy. The best daddy and mommy in one person! And I won’t let anyone laugh at me again."
For a heartbeat, Chloe’s chest ached. Then she forced her lips into a wide smile and kissed his cheek again. "That’s right, sweetheart. That’s better than any daddy in the world. You’re the luckiest boy alive."
Rachel met her eyes, silent but heavy with meaning. Chloe didn’t respond, not with Timothy still bouncing happily in her arms. She only hugged him tighter before setting him down gently.
"Now go wash up for dinner, champ. And no running this time!"
"Yes, Auntie!" Timothy chirped, darting down the hall while Rachel followed him.
The quiet he left behind was heavier than before. Bella exhaled slowly, avoiding both Chloe’s gaze. She needed a change of subject.
"So... how did the review with Damian go?" she asked, almost too quickly.
Chloe rolled her eyes so hard it was almost theatrical. "Disaster. The man is infuriating. He criticized my work, I criticized his, and in the end we decided... absolutely nothing. We’ll do another review tomorrow."
Bella chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You two are like cats and dogs. Don’t overexert yourself, Chloe. Just do what you can."
"Oh, don’t worry," Chloe said, tossing her hair defiantly. "I’m not losing to him. He’ll regret ever thinking he could outshine me."
Moments later, they all gathered for dinner. Dinner was warm and lively, filled with Timothy’s chatter about his second day at school and Chloe’s dramatized impressions of Damian, which had Rachel laughing until she almost spilled her tea. When Timothy finally dozed off, Bella carried him to bed, tucking him in with quiet tenderness.
By the time she returned, Rachel and Chloe were still at the table, sipping tea. The laughter was gone now, replaced with the stillness of women holding unsaid words.
Chloe set her cup down and looked directly at Bella. "So. What are you going to do?"
Bella frowned. "Do about what?" she asked, pretending she knew nothing of what Chloe was asking.
"Timothy," Chloe said softly. "He might not understand it fully now, but he’s already asking questions. He needs a father, Bella. And his father is very much alive and within reach."
Rachel nodded. "I think so too. You can’t hide this forever, Bell. He needs a father. Better still, his father."
Bella’s throat tightened. She gripped her cup so hard her knuckles whitened. "I can’t tell him."
"Why not?" Chloe pressed, leaning forward.
"Because..." Bella’s voice cracked, then steadied. "First of all, it was five years ago. He paid me. Do you know how stupid I’d look showing up to say, ’Oh, by the way, you got me pregnant that night’?" She laughed bitterly. "No. I can’t."
Rachel frowned. "That was then. This is now. I’m sure he’d understand your reluctance to tell him."
But Bella wasn’t finished. The words tumbled out in a rush. "He told me he couldn’t get me pregnant. That it wasn’t possible. Yet I did. Isn’t that some kind of... I don’t even know. A sick joke? Fate’s cruel irony? I can’t tell him, Rachel. I won’t. It’ll only bring chaos if I do."
Chloe’s eyes softened, but her tone was sharp. "Those are excuses, Bella. You can tell him—you’re just not doing it. Have you even thought about what it might mean if you did? What if he’s overjoyed? What if he wants to know his son?"
"Or," Bella cut in, her voice rising, "he becomes furious. He accuses me of trying to ruin his reputation. He says he isn’t ready for a child. Or that I’m lying. What then? Do I let Timothy grow up knowing his father rejected him?"
Rachel reached across the table, placing her hand over Bella’s trembling ones. "You’re overthinking. You should tell him first. If he rejects Timothy, then at least you’ll know you tried. You’ll know it was his choice, not yours."
Chloe nodded firmly. "Exactly. Right now, you’re making the choice for both of them. That’s not fair to Timothy."
Bella looked between them, her chest aching. Two pairs of eyes—one soft with sisterly love, the other fierce with loyalty—pinned her in place.
She sagged back in her chair, covering her face with her hands. "I’ll... think about it."
Chloe and Rachel exchanged a glance but said no more. The silence that followed was heavy, but it carried a small thread of hope.
For the first time in years, Bella let herself wonder what it would be like if she didn’t have to hide anymore.