And, perversely, the possibility that he might agree with her didn’t thrill her the way she had imagined it would. Instead, she felt unaccountably disappointed and realised just how much she still wished that their relationship in Paris could have progressed like so many other happy couples did. Couples like Minh and David, who loved each other so much they would do anything for the other person.
She sighed. What had her mother always said? If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Such an old-fashioned saying, passed down through the generations. Would she pass it on to Nadeena with that same air of inevitability?
‘Tell me,’ he began conversationally, ‘did the Internet mention the custody arrangements for a woman who kept her child’s birth a secret from its father?’
No, he was not going to be cooperative and icy shivers tripped down her spine as she saw that she had angered him again ‘No,’ she bit out tersely.
‘Then you’re right—’ his smile was even tighter than hers ‘—when you say that your analysis isn’t very complete. And furthermore,’ he drawled with icy control, ‘while you might be happy sharing custody of our daughter, I am not.’
‘I’m not either,’ she replied hotly. ‘But you’re not giving me any other choice.’
‘On the contrary; I’ve given you the best choice there is,’ he drawled arrogantly.
‘Marrying you?’
She could see instantly that he’d taken offence to her contemptuous tone from the stillness of his big body but dammit, he didn’t love her. If he did...if he did then things might be different...
‘This is all something you should have thought about before you ran away,’ he bit out contemptuously.
‘I did not run away,’ she retorted. ‘I left.’
He made a low noise in the base of his throat that startled her. ‘I told you I would return and we’d talk about options.’ His eyes glittered dangerously. ‘You weren’t there.’
‘Like abortion?’ she spat, remembering how cold she had felt reading his missive. How icy she had felt in his apartment when he had confirmed that yes, he’d have preferred not to be an expectant father.
‘No, not that.’
He lost colour and tugged a hand through his hair as if the thought truly horrified him.
‘Well, it probably would have happened if you had pushed for that horrible paternity test you told me I had to take.’
His brows drew together. ‘A paternity test made sense.’
‘Do you have any idea how dangerous those tests are?’
‘No, I—’
‘About one in three hundred amniocenteses end in miscarriage and I would have needed the earlier test. With the CVS you can double the chance of a miscarriage. But then that would have worked a lot better for you than this, wouldn’t it?’
Nadir jumped to his feet, his movements lacking their usual grace. ‘For the love of all things holy, Imogen, I would never have put you or our baby’s life at risk. You must know that.’
Imogen wrapped her arms around her stomach, all the anger leaching out of her as he stood before her all ferocious and earnest as if he meant what he was saying.
Did he?
She didn’t know. What she did know was that she didn’t want to be forced to do something stupid that they would both later regret because Nadeena would be the one to pay the ultimate price when things turned bad. Still, a twinge of regret spiked inside her chest. The way he’d said ‘our baby’, as if he really felt something for Nadeena already. ‘And you would have just accepted that I not take the test, I suppose,’ she scoffed.
‘Of course I would have accepted it.’ He settled his hands on his hips. ‘At what stage in our relationship did I ever show you that I was unreasonable?’
Imogen tapped her foot and wanted to say all the time. But the truth was that he had never been unreasonable towards her. Ever. He had always been thoughtful and kind. Loving. A lie she couldn’t afford to be swayed by again. ‘Now. You’re being unreasonable now.’
‘That’s a matter of opinion.’
‘Damn it, Nadir.’ A flash of renewed irritation surged inside her. ‘You can’t keep me here against my will.’
‘Actually, I can,’ he said with all the arrogance of a man born to privilege. ‘But I won’t.’ He paused, ran his hand across his stubbled jaw. ‘I will, however, stop you from taking Nadeena away from me again.’
Imogen’s insides seized and she knew her face went pale, her breathing laboured. ‘I hate you.’ Because he’d just effectively narrowed her choices down to marriage to him or give up her child.