Chapter 45

• Samantha's POV
• The aftermath of the press conference left me feeling like I was walking a tightrope, every step more precarious than the last. The reporters had gotten what they wanted-an answer-but I was left with nothing but a growing pit in my stomach. Naming Louis as the father of my child had been the only way to quell the storm, but the lie hung over me like a guillotine. And worse, I didn't know how Jack would handle it.
• Jack had barely spoken to me since the press conference. His quiet retreat hurt more than I cared to admit. He wasn't angry-not outwardly-but I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes lingered on me as if searching for the person he thought he knew. I'd tried explaining it to him, tried to make him understand that I'd done it for us. For the baby. But he had simply nodded and walked away.