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‘I don’t know,’ he said suddenly, in as rare and as honest an ad he could only attribute to the shock of being confronted by his own flesh and blood ‘For while the logical part of my brain continues to tell me I have no desire for a child of my own—there is another parta part which is rammed by nature to perpetuate the species To carry enes forward into the future’

Her face contorted, as if she’d just bitten into so very sour

‘Is that all he is to you, Diene pool?’

‘How else do you expect iven et to know hie of his existence What did you iine I would feel when I found out, Erin? Only, I was never expected to find out, was I, you cold-hearted little bitch? You would have kept it from me until I had drawn the last breath from my body’

She flinched ‘I don’t want this to deteriorate into a slanging match’

‘At this precise moment I don’t particularly care what you want, but you will hear me out,’ he said icily ‘Do you think I approve of the way you’ve rearedhis home in a place like that?’

‘Externals aren’t everything,’ she flared back defensively ‘And at least Ihim up to be happy and healthy’

‘But you could have done ued ‘You could have come to me for help A man as in a position to help you properly—so that you wouldn’t have to struggle bringing upto e because you needed money’

His words brought Erin to her senses What was she doing, letting hih of Dimitri to realise that he would take control in any situation if she let hi And she couldn’t afford to let him Not over this

‘You know exactly why I didn’t come to you,’ she said quietly

‘Because I never wanted children?’

‘That was one of the reasons I’ She halted, suddenly at a loss What has Tara done? she thought bitterly What serpent has she unleashed here?