Too Late, Mr. Cooper: Your Bride Ran with Your Baby novel Chapter 204

Liliana slowly lowered her eyelids, her long, dense lashes casting a shadow that concealed the emotion in her eyes. On reflection, maybe it wasn't Aiden who had changed. Perhaps, at some point, everyone around her had suddenly started acting strange.

When did it begin? It seemed to have started right around the time she decided to leave Linton.

Her fingers subconsciously tightened. She told herself she was probably overthinking it. A pregnant woman's emotions were always more sensitive, prone to wild speculation.

Liliana forced a smile, her answer candid. "Yes, a male friend. I've known him since we were kids."

Aiden laughed as well, his voice still gentle, betraying no hint of anything unusual. "That's good."

But was it just her imagination, or was there something different in his tone? It was still warm and refined, yet it was laced with a new, subtle emotion. It was so faint, so fleeting, that she almost dismissed it as a figment of her imagination.

Liliana opened her mouth to speak, a slight frown creasing her brow, but Aiden cut her off with a warm smile. "You take care of yourself, Liliana. I have to go."

She paused, then nodded. "Okay, you go ahead, Aiden."

After hanging up, Liliana quickly pushed the brief oddity to the back of her mind and went back to unpacking her clothes.

Meanwhile, Aiden stared down at his darkened phone screen, a pensive look on his handsome, scholarly face. The deep-set eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses darkened for a moment before he dialed another number.

"Hello?" Gabriel's indifferent voice came through the line.

Aiden smiled, his eyes glinting. "What's the meaning of this?"

Gabriel paused, quickly understanding what he was referring to. "It's exactly what it sounds like," he stated flatly. "Liliana needs protection. She's pregnant, and that Grayson boy happened to be available."

"Don't play dumb with me," he warned, his voice cold and expressionless. "Linton is already one possessive bastard messing with her. We don't need another one. Stay away from her. Don't cause trouble."

Aiden simply smiled, a gentle look in his eyes, and ended the call without another word.

He lifted his gaze to the picture frame on his desk. Inside was a photo of Liliana from a school sports day. She was young and radiant in a white tracksuit, her hair tied back in a neat ponytail.

She was smiling brightly into the sun, her beautiful eyes curved like crescent moons. She looked utterly, captivatingly adorable.

Aiden picked up the frame, his expression tender and possessive. His long fingers gently, reverently traced the image of the smiling girl. His eyes were deep pools of darkness as he murmured to himself with a meaningful smile, "Liliana..."

He closed his eyes and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the glass over her picture, his gentle features twisting with an even deeper affection. "Wait for me."