Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 246

That afternoon, Sophie called. "Willa, did you see that hit piece online? I was just about to pay someone to take it down, but it's already gone. Randal works fast."

She rambled on, trying to comfort Willa, promising to track down the original poster and begging her not to take the comments to heart.

Willa gave a few noncommittal hums and hung up.

She didn't need an investigation to know who was behind this. It had Scarlett's fingerprints all over it.

That ultrasound report hadn't leaked from Willa's end, meaning Scarlett was the only plausible suspect.

There was no way Randal hadn't figured that out, yet he chose to sweep it under the rug.

What was so monumental that he absolutely had to embed himself in Vanguard Properties?

Randal returned as evening fell.

Willa was staring blankly at the TV. She wasn't absorbing a single word of the broadcast, her mind rehearsing exactly how she was going to confront him.

Randal walked over and sat beside her. He reached out, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes, Mrs. Gable made soup," she replied stiffly.

Willa took a deep breath, turning to face him. Just as she opened her mouth, he cut her off.

"Don't let that online thread get to you. I've already handled it."

Randal offered the quiet reassurance without elaborating, guilt swimming in the depths of his eyes.

Willa shook her head. "I'm not letting it get to me."

By unspoken agreement, they turned the page. No arguments, no interrogations.

Randal pulled her into his arms. His gaze was dark and heavy, brimming with a thousand unsaid apologies, but in the end, it all distilled down to a soft, lingering kiss on her lips.

But she couldn't risk the Yates family ripping her baby from her arms. Steeling herself, she forced a nod.

"Randal, you promised. I just want to leave."

At her answer, it was as if all the life drained out of him. The arm holding her dropped limply to his side.

He slowly sat up straight. His eyes were drowning in sorrow, yet he stubbornly clung to his final boundary.

"I promise you... Once the wedding is over, I'll arrange for you to leave. But when the baby is born, they take the Yates name."

"But it's not your..." Willa blurted out, her voice faltering as a wave of guilt hit her.

It was his baby. She knew that better than anyone.

"It doesn't matter if it's mine or not. If you gave birth to them, they will carry the Yates name."