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“Where are you going?”

“I’ my son home”

“No!” she shrieked Racing ahead of them, she blocked the door “You can’t take my baby away from me—you can’t!”

“We’ll coe with relief before he hthis baby son against his shirt, he turned to go “You will hear from my lawyers sometime before next Christmas”

“No!” she screa on his arht months!”

He glanced back at her coldly “Can I not? But that is what you have done to me You’ve had your tih for you?” he said ly

“No,” she wept freely “Please It would kill me”

Rafael looked down at her Sorief and surrender, even with her nose red and tears streaking down her cheeks, she was still beautiful He still wanted her It infuriated him

He heard the baby start to cry, his loud wailingwith Louisa’s Rafael aardly tried to comfort the baby, but could not He had no experience with babies and no idea how to comfort Noah He did not know his own son The injustice of it raged in his heart as, setting his jaw, he gently handed the baby to Louisa

“Noah Oh, Noah” Louisa’s weeping only intensified as she cradled her baby against her, whispering words of love, kissing his chubby cheeks again and again “Oh, my sweet baby”

Rafael stared down at them He took a deep breath And came to a sudden decision

“Vale,” he said through clenched teeth “I will not separate you”

“Thank you,” Louisa whispered

He stared at her coldly “It’s for my son’s sake Not yours”

She rocked the baby in her arms, her breath still uneven between sobs and hiccups Rafael looked at her, then looked slowly around the rooiraffe on the wall above the crib