Romane von Ava Sterling

Ava’s POVThe words hung between us in the quiet morning light, heavier than I expected them to. Ethan’s hand had gone still on my belly, his thumb no longer tracing those gentle circles that always calmed me. His eyes searched mine, surprise flickering across them first, then something darker, something guarded. His jaw tightened just a fraction. I felt it in the way his body tensed against mine, the way his breathing changed for half a second, like the name had caught him completely off guard.“How do you know that name?” he asked, voice low and careful, almost too controlled.I swallowed hard. My fingers stayed pressed to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart that had suddenly picked up speed. I didn’t want to lie, but I couldn’t tell him the full truth either. Not yet. Not when everything between us felt so new and fragile, like one wrong word could crack it open. The memory of Clara’s broken voice in her old room still echoed in my head, but I pushed it down as far as I

**Ava’s POV**The bathroom was still filled with steam when Ethan turned off the water. He wrapped me in a thick towel first, then himself, before lifting me into his arms like I weighed nothing at all. My legs stayed wrapped around his waist out of habit, my head resting against his shoulder as he carried me back to the bedroom. Water droplets slid down our skin, cooling in the air. I could feel the steady beat of his heart against my chest and the way his breath brushed warm over my neck.He laid me down on the bed gently, like I was made of glass, and climbed in beside me. The sheets were still rumpled from earlier, carrying the faint scent of us. Ethan pulled the covers over both of us and drew me close again, my back to his front, his arm curling around my waist so his hand could rest on the curve of my belly. The baby gave a small, lazy kick right under his palm. He smiled against my hair.“You feel that?” he whispered. “Our little one is already saying good morning too.”I nodd

**Ava’s POV**Saturday mornings in the penthouse always felt slower, like the whole world outside the glass walls had decided to pause. I stood at the stove in nothing but one of Ethan’s oversized shirts, the hem brushing the tops of my thighs. My belly had rounded out more in the last week, the bump pushing against the fabric every time I moved. I rested one hand on it while I stirred the eggs, the sizzle and the smell of butter filling the kitchen. The baby gave a lazy kick under my palm, and I smiled to myself, whispering, “Good morning to you too, little one.”I didn’t hear Ethan until his arms slid around me from behind. His bare chest pressed warm and solid against my back, his hands settling low on my belly, fingers spreading wide like he needed to feel every inch of the life growing there.“Good morning,” he murmured against my ear, voice still husky from sleep. His lips brushed the side of my neck, sending a shiver straight down my spine.I leaned back into him, the spatula s

**Ethan’s POV**The door clicked shut behind Clara and the silence that followed pressed down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake. I stayed seated behind my desk, staring at the spot where she had stood only moments ago, her words still ringing in my ears. My hand remained curled around the edge of the mahogany, knuckles white, the wood creaking under the pressure. The anger sat hot and heavy in my chest, refusing to settle, refusing to let me breathe normally. I wanted to stand up, walk out, and make sure she never stepped foot in this building again. I wanted to call security and have her escorted out like the stranger she had become. But more than anything, I wanted to forget the way she had looked at me and said those words like they were simple facts.*You’re mine, Ethan. Whether you like it or not.*I pushed back from the desk and stood up slowly, the chair rolling away behind me. The city outside the windows looked the same as it always did — bright, busy, full of people rush

**Ethan’s POV**The office felt too still this afternoon. I sat behind my desk with the city sprawled out behind me through the wide windows, sunlight cutting across the papers I had spread everywhere. Numbers, contracts, projections for the next quarter. I had been staring at the same line for the last ten minutes, reading it over and over without really seeing it. My mind kept slipping away from the merger details and back to the penthouse. Back to Ava.I could still picture her from this morning, the way she had looked when I left. Hair a little messy from sleep, wearing one of my shirts that hung loose on her frame, smiling up at me when I kissed her forehead. The baby had kicked right then, strong enough that I felt it under my palm. That tiny movement always did something to me. Made the whole world narrow down to just the two of them. I caught myself smiling at the memory and rubbed a hand over my face. Get it together, I thought. One more hour and I could head home to her.The

**Ava’s POV**The car door shut behind me with a soft thud. I stepped into the penthouse and the familiar scent of home wrapped around me, but it didn’t settle the way it usually did. My legs felt heavy as I kicked off my shoes. The marble was cool against my feet. I stood there for a moment, breathing in the quiet, trying to push down the knot that had formed in my chest since I left my parents’ house.Ethan was already home. I could hear him moving around in the kitchen. A pan clinked against the stove. The low hum of something simmering reached me. He appeared in the doorway a second later, wiping his hands on a towel. When he saw me, his face softened.“You’re back,” he said, voice warm. He crossed the room in a few strides and pulled me into his arms without asking. His hand settled on the small of my back, the other resting gently over my belly like it always did now. “I missed you.”I leaned into him. His shirt smelled like the cologne he wore and the faint garlic from whatever