I Walked Away With His Love Child

Chapter 7

After dealing with the waiter, Lachlan turned his sharp gaze on Fiona.

"So," he said smoothly, "you were planning to introduce my wife to a job at my hotel?"

He let out a cold chuckle. "Should I be thanking you for that?"

His lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Adeline earns millions a year in royalties. Can you match that salary?"

Fiona's fake smile faltered as she shrank back into the crowd.

"I was just joking. No need to take it seriously."

Around us, the room fell silent. Guests who had mocked me earlier kept their eyes down, suddenly fascinated by their drinks or the floor, anything but Lachlan Lowe's glare.

Once everything had quieted, Lachlan turned to me, one eyebrow lifted.

I knew that look. He was standing up for me, without hesitation.

I wrapped one arm around our son and the other around Lachlan's waist, resting my head on his shoulder with a warm smile.

"Thanks, babe. I'm really okay now."

Gideon tried to follow us, lips parting as if to speak again, but one look from Lachlan stopped him cold.

Back upstairs, Lachlan immediately made a few calls. He ordered someone to bring us fresh clothes and have the suite prepped. Then he opened his phone and texted his assistant to custom-order an entire new wardrobe for me.

He muttered under his breath, clearly still annoyed.

"They look down on you the second I'm not around… Looks like I need to throw out anything under six figures."

I grabbed his arm, stopping him before he went full overprotective mode.

"I'm out shooting all the time for work. I can't be hiking up cliffs in a ballgown. Just something sturdy and easy to wash is fine."

Lachlan frowned, clearly displeased, then paused in thought.

"Fine. Then I'll get you a new car. Do you want a Maserati or a Maybach?"

I couldn't help but smile and shake my head. He was still upset about everything that had happened tonight.

The truth was, over the years, Lachlan had always treated me with nothing but love and respect.

People who knew where I came from assumed I married into money just to become his live-in housekeeper, endlessly trying to please him, living in his shadow.

After all, marriages with such a wide gap in status rarely feel equal.

But Lachlan? He respected my work. He encouraged it. He made space for it.

When his schedule allowed, he even came with me on trips, lugging my gear, learning photography from me, just to be part of my world.

With him, life was simple. Sweet. Happy.

Especially today, after seeing Gideon again, I realized how lucky I was. I had no regrets.

I honestly thought that banquet would be the last time I ever saw Gideon.

But life had other plans.

A few days later, while I was out photographing landscapes, I ran into him again.

He was wearing a plain white T-shirt, the same style he used to wear in college. He looked almost the same, sunny, boyish, and achingly familiar.

The moment he saw me, he stood up like he'd been waiting.

"Adeline," he said quietly. "I knew you'd come here."

His eyes were full of pain and something else, hope, maybe. Desperation.

"You haven't forgotten the past. I know you haven't."

"You still love me… don't you?"