Jack's POV
The gala was a blur of meaningless chatter, sparkling wine, and hollow laughter. I wandered through the crowd, barely listening to the names and pleasantries thrown my way. My mind was a thousand miles away, stuck in a loop of questions I couldn't answer.
What was Samantha hiding? Why had she named Louis as the baby's father when we both knew it wasn't true? And why did I feel like every time I tried to get closer, she pushed me further away?
"You seem distracted," Anastasia said, her voice low and smooth as she slid into step beside me.
I glanced at her, not bothering to hide my irritation. "What do you want, Anastasia?"
"Only to help," she said, offering a small smile. "You've been pacing like a man waiting for bad news."
Her words hit closer to home than I liked, but I
