Oops! My Secret Baby Is Caught By His Top-Lawyer Daddy! Novel

---- The sender's username was blank, but Aaron didn't need to guess. If it wasn't Ariella, it was one of her so-called friends. Rage flared in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to track down the sender and give them a piece of his mind-preferably with his fist. But right now? All his courtroom wit and debate prowess were useless. Even he had to admit: if he were in Clara's shoes, and someone sent him photos like that of her and another man-he'd lose it too. He set the phone back down and slid closer to her under the covers.

"Please," he murmured, "just give me a chance to explain." She didn't say anything. Just kept sniffling through her tears. Aaron's chest ached. He pulled her in tighter, wrapped his hand around her clenched fist. "If you don't want to hold my hand, then I'll hold your fist. That works too." ---- "My past," he continued gently, "I can't change it. I won't pretend it didn't happen. But at that banquet-I barely said two words to her. She tripped, I caught her, I pushed her away. That's it. If you don't believe me, ask Matt-he was standing right there." But Clara kept crying.

Aaron could feel it-this wasn't just about the photos. She was hurting. Deep. Clara believed him about the banquet. She really did. Over the past few weeks, she'd felt how deeply he loved her. If she hadn't, she never would've let her guard down, never would've started dreaming of a real future together. So no-she didn't believe he was cheating. Not unless he was an Oscar-winning actor. But the photos weren't what crushed her. After a long silence, Clara finally spoke, voice raw and raspy from crying. "We're just not right for each other." The words hit him like a sucker punch.

---- An hour ago, she'd been the happiest woman in the world. Now? It felt like the floor had been ripped out from under her. That's what she got for falling so hard. For trusting too quickly. For thinking love was enough. Aaron's chest tightened so hard it hurt. He couldn't take it anymore. He rolled her over, made her face him. "I don't have anything going on with her!" he said, voice low but intense. "Can you stop letting your imagination run wild? Call Matt. Right now. Hell, check the car's dash cam if you want proof. Be mad. Be upset.

But don't throw away what we have over this." He was a lawyer. He believed in facts. He needed her to see the truth. But the more he talked, the more hopeless he felt. He'd always been a man of science. A rational thinker. And yet right now? All he wanted was to turn back time. Go back eight years. Never meet Ariella. Never fall for her. Wait, untouched, for Clara. Clara finally looked up at him. Her eyes were ---- swollen, her hair a mess, nose red and puffy. She looked heartbroken-and furious. "We're from two different worlds," she said coldly. "We think differently. Live differently.

Handle problems differently. And you don't even know why I'm mad." Aaron's breath caught. The master of eloquence, the courtroom king-he had nothing. He whispered, "Then tell me. Whatever I messed up, I'll fix it." Clara gave him a weary look. "You're in your thirties. You've had relationships. That's normal. I'm not asking you to be a saint. And I believe the second photo was edited-it's obvious." Aaron blinked. "Then why are you still upset?" Clara's tone turned sharp. "Because when we ran into her at Serenique, you told me she was a coworker.

Then the other night, you said she was a waitress. I can handle the truth. But I can't handle being lied to." Aaron sighed. "I was just trying to keep you from overthinking." ---- She gave a hollow laugh. "No, Aaron. The truth is-you don't see me as your wife. You don't treat me like your equal. You treat me like a child. You spoon-feed me filtered facts. You think I can't handle reality. You say you love me-but all I see is hormones talking. Lust, not love. You see Leo, and think, 'Maybe I should build a family.' But it doesn't matter who the woman is. As long as it fits. That's not love.

That's convenience. And I don't want that kind of love." Aaron's heart clenched. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Clara cut him off again. "There's too much between us. The age gap. The experience gap. We're better off as roommates. You'll always be Leo's dad-but I'll never be the kind of woman you actually need. Let's face it, Mr. Hotshot Lawyer... you're way out of my league." And with that, she threw off the blanket and sat up.