Evelyn’s words seemed to suck the air out of the room. For a moment, Derek just stared at her, his expression unreadable, as if trying to process what she had just said. The silence stretched between them, thick with tension.

Finally, after gathering her thoughts, Evelyn spoke again. "Earlier, you asked why I waited six years to return. It was because I found out I was pregnant."

"You found out you were pregnant!" His voice was a low rasp.

Evelyn nodded, her throat tight. "Yes. So I didn't want to return, considering how I left things," she said, watching him and waiting for his reaction.

He processed what she had just said. "Is this what you were going to tell me earlier?" he asked. When she nodded, he sighed.

It made sense that she had been resisting his advances because she had a child by Michael and probably didn’t know how to tell him about it. He also guessed she had kept it from him because she didn’t want Michael to know, fearing he would tell Michael if she told him. And she was telling him now because she believed she could trust him.

"I'm sorry, I know I should have told you," she said.

At the same time, Derek spoke. "That's why you've been turning me down this whole time, isn't it?" he asked, in a tone suggesting he understood. Evelyn stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean Michael's child. I would have been more understanding if you had told me from the start. And I can assure you that I don't care that you have a child by him. It doesn't change how I feel about you."

Evelyn cut in immediately. "Samantha is not Michael's daughter."

"But you said—"

"Yes. She is mine, but she is not Michael's," she said, pausing to let her words sink in.

Derek frowned. "If the child isn't Michael's, then whose—" He trailed off, remembering her earlier account of her relationship with Michael—her first love—and that Derek was the only other man she'd been with afterward.

No way. There was no way his daughter… Evelyn could have a child by him, Derek mused, unwilling to consider the possibility that Samantha was his. How was that possible? It didn't make sense that she had his child, yet they'd been seeing each other for three weeks without her mentioning it. It didn't make sense that she had his child and had been resisting all his advances.

As much as he didn't want to believe it, he could tell from her gaze that was precisely what she was saying. Not wanting to make assumptions, he held her gaze. "Is Samantha mine?" Even as he asked, his heart raced.

Evelyn swallowed and nodded, "Yes."

Derek staggered backward, as if the ground had been pulled from under him. He sank onto the couch, his face pale, his hands trembling slightly as he tried to process Evelyn's revelation.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath.

"I'm sorry, Derek. I know this may come as a surprise…"

"No kidding!" He rose to face her. "What exactly are you trying to tell me, Evelyn? You expect me to believe Samantha is my daughter, yet you deliberately kept her away from me this whole time? Wait, did you leave the hotel and change hotels because you didn't want me to find out about her? My own daughter?" he asked angrily.

Evelyn swallowed hard, feeling the sting of her guilt. "I'm sorry."

"No. I don't want you to be sorry. I need an explanation. A good one, damn it!" Derek snapped. "Why didn't you tell me this whole time? I had a right to know!"

"I was going to…" Evelyn’s voice was barely audible.

"When?" he asked, standing before her, staring her down.

"When I came back into the country, part of my plan was to see if I could find you and maybe check if you'd be interested in co-parenting. But then I saw you were Michael's cousin. What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to tell you that our reckless encounter—which I proposed—resulted in pregnancy!" she asked defensively.

"And so the best thing to do was keep it to yourself?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I was going to tell you. After all, the mess has been resolved. I didn't want to bring my child into it. I thought I'd tell you after I cleared my name."

"Your child? You thought you'd tell me after you cleared your name?" Derek echoed, incredulous. "Can you hear how selfish that sounds?" He stared at her as if he didn't know her.

"I was going to tell you everything earlier at the hotel before your mother came in. I was only trying to do what I thought was best for us all. What else could I have done?" she asked, frustrated and annoyed.

"Are you being serious?" Derek asked, hearing the annoyance in her tone. "What about simple honesty, Evelyn? I've been honest and straight with you from the beginning. Not once have I lied or kept secrets from you! That's what I expected from you. Plain honesty! Do you have any idea what this means?"

Reminding herself she had no right to be annoyed, Evelyn took a deep breath and blinked back the tears. "I'm sorry, Derek. I know I should have told you sooner, but I wasn't in the right space of mind to handle it. I was scared. And I wanted to protect Sam and myself. I don't care if you call that selfish or stupid, but I did what I believed was right for us," she said, tears finally falling.

Derek turned his back and rested his forehead against the wall. "I have a daughter. Sam is my daughter," he said, as if repeating the words aloud would make them real.

"You're telling me we have a daughter? You and me?" He turned to look at Evelyn again.

Evelyn bit her lip and nodded. "We can have a DNA test to confirm it."

Derek stood for several moments, staring at the floor, reeling. He didn't know what to say or how to react. The anger he’d felt was now tangled with shock, disbelief, and a deep ache at having missed the first six years of his child's life.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Eve?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "I would have been there for you, for both of you."

"I know," she said, wiping her eyes. "I know that now. But back then, I couldn't see it. I thought I was doing the right thing, hiding her away from the mess of my past. I didn't want her dragged into it. I thought I was protecting her."

Derek shook his head, disbelief etched on his face. "You should have trusted me. You should have let me protect you both instead of making that choice for us."

Evelyn walked toward him, her hands trembling as she reached out, stopping short of touching him. "You're right. I made the wrong choice, and I'm so sorry. I can't take back what I did, but I'm here now, telling you everything," she said, her eyes glistening.

"It's okay," he said, pulling her close and embracing her.

Evelyn sobbed into his arms, relieved to have finally told the truth.

"It's fine. As much as I don't like it, I understand. And now you don't have to worry anymore. I'm going to protect you and Sam now," he murmured, resting his chin on her head.

After she had cried, Derek pulled back, brushed away her tears. "Does anyone else know about her?"

"Just my mother and Rayna. I plan on telling my dad tomorrow," she said. He sighed.

"And they know I'm her father?"

"Only Rayna knows. She actually convinced me to tell you," Evelyn confessed.

"I see. And Sam? Have you said anything to her?"

Evelyn shook her head. "No. I haven't told her anything yet. I wanted to wait until I told you first," she said, and Derek nodded.

"I need to meet her, Evelyn. I need to know my daughter. I want you both in my life," he said, and she smiled.

"I was hoping you would," she said, her voice soft and vulnerable.

"And about tomorrow, can I be there when you talk to your parents?" he asked, remembering her father's treatment of her at the party.

"You want to?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes."

"Why?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Let's talk about that later. For now, I want you to introduce me to our daughter."