High-Society Secret Baby - Maxine Sullivan Page 0,58

much she’d wanted to feel a part of the larger family unit again. A family who shared the day-to-day things like the Roths did. A family who laughed together and, yes, sometimes cried together. A family who shared a love of family.

And then she realized her mother-in-law’s acknowledgment that she hadn’t been at fault was a release. She could finally forgive Liam for what he’d done to her, not only during their marriage, but in writing that letter of untruths. She could be generous now. She had so much. She was alive and Liam wasn’t. She had their child to love and Liam didn’t. And she had the man she loved, as well. So yes, she could be charitable in her thoughts of Liam.

She was on the way back to the living room when she remembered they’d wanted to record the tree being decorated. She veered off to retrieve the camcorder from the study where Dominic had left it earlier.

The camcorder was on the desk, and she quickly picked it up. Then she noticed his briefcase open beside it, and she went to close the lid, thinking he must have been in a hurry and forgot to himself. But as she touched the handle, a heading on some papers in his briefcase jumped out at her. It was Dominic’s will.

She didn’t mean to look, but she caught her name and she was drawn to see what it said, thrilled to see that he had made his will over to her as his wife. Her heart thudded. He would only do that if he believed she was worthy of his estate.

Then Nicole’s name caught her eyes.

And then the wording jumped out at her….

“To my daughter by blood, Nicole Roth, I leave…”

For a split second it was as if someone had unplugged her from a life-support machine. Then her heartbeat kicked back in. Nicole was Dominic’s daughter? Dear God in heaven. He couldn’t possibly be…. There was no way he was…. Her eyes stared at the paperwork as if it could speak. And maybe it already had. It was telling her that what was in front of her eyes was the truth. Dominic was Nicole’s real father!

Cassandra sucked in a sharp breath and as quickly shook her head. No! Liam had fathered Nicole. He’d decided on artificial insemination because he hadn’t wanted to make love due to his illness. Why, they’d even gone to the hospital together for the procedure.

And Dominic had visited Liam.

She remembered now that Liam had said Dominic had come by when she was being prepped for the procedure. She swallowed back a sob of despair. Liam must have asked Dominic to do this for him. But why, especially after all Liam’s talk about leaving something of himself behind? He’d wanted a child, he’d said.

His own child.

No, Dominic’s child, she thought in anguish as she started the now seemingly endless walk back to the living room, the will in her hand, her heart in shock.

Once there she stopped in her tracks, her eyes going straight to her baby girl, who was sitting on Laura’s lap. Her gaze traveled over Nicole’s face with a different mindset now, taking in each of her daughter’s features. This was not Liam’s child, so there was nothing of Liam in her except by blood as an uncle. An expression she’d thought reminded her of Liam wasn’t his. The shape of those little ears, which she’d surmised were so like Liam’s, couldn’t be. And that smile. How could she have missed it before? It was Dominic’s smile. God. No wonder he’d been so protective of Nicole.

All at once she started shaking. Her throat seemed to have closed up. How could Dominic have betrayed her like this? How had he been able to look at her day after day and not say anything? That hurt the most. The deceit.

He must have sensed her, because she saw Dominic’s head snap up, and then, as if in slow motion, his gaze dropped down to the papers in her hands. He froze.

He knew.

“Cassandra?” he finally said and went to take a step toward her.

She held up her hand to stop him, then managed to speak. “Why, Dominic?”

He stood still, with a dignity that surprised her. “Because Liam asked me to.”

She shook her head, trying to clear it. She couldn’t believe this. It was a nightmare. One there was no waking up from.

“What’s going on here?” she heard her father-in-law say.

Neither she nor Dominic moved.

“Cassandra? Dominic?” Michael’s voice was firmer