Chapter 21

Lake POV

“And the child is absolutely adorable. They make such a beautiful family.”

The attention made my skin crawl, but I forced myself to smile and keep walking. This was the price of Ramon’s protection—public scrutiny, constant speculation about our relationship, the loss of anonymity.

Several parents approached us as we made our way back to Ollie’s classroom, their interest barely concealed behind polite conversation about school policies and playdate possibilities. They wanted to know about our family, about how long Ramon and I had been together, about whether we were planning more children.

I deflected as best I could, but each question felt like walking through a minefield. One wrong answer could expose our entire deception.

By the time I finally kissed Ollie goodbye and watched him disappear into his classroom with his new teacher, I was emotionally drained. The enthusiastic wave he gave me through the window, his face bright with excit