The Billionaire’s Pretend Fiancée

Roman’s POV

I watched with ire boiling inside me as Lana walked into the room with a smile plastered to her face.

“Hi, babe.” Her voice wafted into my ears, and I scoffed in annoyance as I picked up a book from the nightstand, and decided to pretend I was reading it.

I was not in the mood to argue with her at that moment.

For an unknown reason, I felt emptier that day. And everything seemed to irk me.

I hadn’t seen Sofie for the past three days.

I couldn’t make out why her absence seemed to be affecting me so much.

“Aren’t you even going to acknowledge my presence?” She whined, placing the gift bag in her hold on the nightstand.

“What are you here for?” I asked, without steering my concentration from the book.

“I came to apologize for how I acted the last time I was here. I’m sorry, Roman.” She pouted, staring at me.

I huffed. “Since you’re done apologizing, you may leave.”

“I have a fashion show in Paris in two weeks, so I’d have to leave New York soon. ” She revealed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I still don’t understand why you’re telling me this.” I muttered.

“Even if you continue to hate me till the world ends, I’d never dream of excluding you from my life. You mean the world to me, Roman. Without you, everything is just so fucking meaningless, can’t you see how crazy I am for your love? Why do you keep pushing me away?” She hissed, clenching her hands into fists.

I ignored her and made to press the nurse call button when Sofie and Damien walked in.

I didn’t know why but seeing them stand together side by side caused rage to simmer inside me.

“I see you brought your boyfriend over today.” Lana said, picking her purse.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“You are doomed, Lana. Just keep enjoying your freedom for the time being because when you’re caught, you’d never be able to smell the air outside the prison walls.” Damien hollered, and in response, Lana just snorted.

“Who keeps letting her in anyway?” I hurled, and she darted me a shocked stare.

“I have no idea either. But it’s going to stop today. From today henceforth, if you ever dare to step foot in this hospital as a whole, I’ll deal with you mercilessly.” Damien barked.

“Are you just going to let him continue talking to me like that?” Lana sobbed.

“You said you came to apologize. And you did that moments ago, I have no idea why you’re still here. Get the hell out of my sight, Lana!” I spat.

She darted me a glare but said nothing before storming out of the room.

“Did she bring these?” Sofie spoke for the first time since she entered the room, and before I could answer, Damien nodded.

I decided to let it go instead of darting him a glare.

“She probably did, Sof. It’s shocking how obnoxious and stupid she can be. I mean, who gives a hospital patient a box of perfume?”

It felt unsettling to hear Damien talk to her in such an endearing manner.

He had even called her ‘Sof.” I wondered how close they must be for him to call her by a nickname.

Sofie didn’t say anything. She just took the gift bag from the nightstand and threw it out of the window.

Damien and I exchanged stunned glances as she calmly closed the window and turned to us.

“We don’t know if she infused the perfume with poison. There’s nothing she can’t do. We always have to be careful with her.” She explained, and I nodded.

“Right. That’s smart of you.” I commended, and her cheeks flushed as she smiled shyly.

My lips involuntarily quivered in a smile as I watched her smile prettily.

I was greatly entranced by her. I just wanted to keep talking to her about things that even I had no idea of.

“You should sit down, Sofie. You’ve been moving around since the day began.” Damien just had to interrupt our little, blissful moment.

I didn’t attempt to hide my disdain at all and I just scoffed.

“Don’t you have work today?” I asked him.

“I do. But my junior attorneys can take care of it. Have you forgotten that I own a law firm?” He laughed but I really didn’t find it funny.

I was beyond annoyed when Sofie softly laughed along with him.

What was so funny about his statement?

I could make better jokes than the boring excuse of a joke he just uttered.

“Sit down, Sofie.” Damien reiterated, guiding her to the sofa beside my bed.

“You’re such a nagger at times.” She grumbled but still obeyed and sat down.

“He can be so overbearing.” I mumbled in agreement, to which Sofie nodded.

“Exactly. I’ve countlessly told him that I’m only pregnant, not lame yet he keeps hovering over me.” She muttered.

I instantly lowered my gaze to her flat abdomen. “You’re pregnant?”

She stiffened as she shared a quick look with Damien before answering. “Yes, Roman. I’m pregnant with your child.”

The book fell off my hand as my jaw gaped in shock. “What?”

Sofie just smiled. “I’m a little above nine weeks gone now.”

I felt inexplicable exuberance at her answer even though my mind held no memories of her. “So we’re married then.”

To my disappointment, she shook her head. “No. We are in a very complicated relationship. We are engaged and also dating.”

My brows knitted in a befuddled frown. “Oh. I-” I paused to look from Sofie to Damien who had a smile curving his lips.

“I don’t know what to say.” I confessed.

“That is understandable.”She reassured me. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to show you this for the past couple of weeks but things between us haven’t exactly been rosy.”

She stood up and handed me a picture of a pregnancy ultrasound scan.

My chest felt ten times lighter than it had in days, as I stared at the black and white blob in the picture.

“So this is our baby, huh?” I asked, tenderly caressing the blob.

“Yes, this is our baby.” She whispered, tilting her neck sideways.

Our gaze met and at that moment, time seemed to stop, it felt as if Sofie and I were alone in our own world as we stared at each other.

I had no idea how I could be so smitten with a woman whose name I only knew, even though she was carrying my child.

I didn’t believe in God but at that moment, I desperately said an inward prayer to him;

I prayed to get my lost memories back, just so I could remember how in love I must have been with her.