Novels by Ugonma

Jessica dressed carefully, not for Daniel, but simply because getting ready felt like the only thing keeping her hands from shaking.Christian stood in the doorway, watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite read.“Security’s already positioned near the restaurant,” he said. “Two cars, discreet, watching every angle.”“Thank you,” Jessica said quietly.“I still don’t like this,” Christian added.“I know,” she said. “But we need answers.”He crossed the room, gently taking her hands in his own. “Be careful. Please.”“I will,” Jessica said, softening slightly despite the tension between them.The restaurant Daniel had chosen sat quiet and elegant downtown, soft lighting and low music creating an atmosphere that felt intimate in a way Jessica hadn’t quite expected.Daniel stood as she approached the table, his smile warm and genuine.“You look wonderful,” he said.“Thank you,” Jessica said, sitting across from him carefully.They ordered quickly, easy conversation flowing at firs

Felix arrived within the hour, laptop already open before he even sat down.“Show me the messages,” he said.Christian handed over his phone. Felix scrolled through carefully, his expression tightening with each new text.“This number’s been routed through three different servers,” he said. “Whoever sent these knew exactly how to hide their tracks.”“Can you trace it at all?” Christian asked.“Give me time,” Felix said. “But this isn’t amateur work. Someone professional set this up.”Jessica sat on the couch, arms wrapped around herself despite the warm afternoon sun streaming through the window.“Could it be someone connected to Sarah?” she asked. “One of her old associates, still holding a grudge?”“Possible,” Felix said. “But Sarah’s entire network was dismantled. Every associate arrested or under surveillance.”“Then who?” Christian asked, frustration sharp in his voice.Felix continued typing, pulling up different search windows. “I need access to your phone too, Jessica. If some

“A stranger,” Jessica said quietly. “You sound like a complete stranger right now.”“I sound like someone protecting his family,” Christian said.“You sound like someone trying to control me,” Jessica shot back. “There’s a difference.”Christian’s phone buzzed again. Another message from the same unknown number.He read it silently, his face going tighter with every word.“What now?” Jessica asked.He turned the screen toward her, though this time his hand shook slightly.He’s already planning dinner for tomorrow night. Somewhere private. Ask her yourself if you don’t believe me.“I haven’t spoken to him since the coffee shop,” Jessica said firmly. “I don’t know who’s sending these, but they’re lying.”“Are they?” Christian asked, something raw and wounded cutting through his usual control. “Because you seemed pretty comfortable with him this afternoon.”“We talked for an hour,” Jessica said. “About old times. That’s it.”“That’s never it,” Christian said. “Not with someone who’s carr

“You’ve been distant for weeks,” Jessica said, setting down her coffee cup harder than she meant to.Christian didn’t look up from his laptop. “I’m handling the Singapore deal. It’s complicated.”“Everything’s complicated with you lately,” Jessica said. “Meetings running past midnight. Phone calls you take in another room.”“That’s called running a company, Jessica.”“That’s called avoiding me,” she snapped.Christian finally looked up, his jaw tight. “I don’t have time for this right now.”Jessica stood, grabbing her jacket off the chair. “Then I won’t take up any more of your precious time.”She walked out before he could respond, frustration burning hot in her chest as she climbed into her car.Grace was at Eleanor’s for the afternoon. Jessica had nowhere urgent to be, which somehow made the fight feel worse.She drove without a real destination, eventually parking outside a small coffee shop downtown, the kind of place she used to visit years ago before her entire life became boar

Grace’s laughter echoed through the garden as she chased a butterfly across the grass.Jessica watched from a bench, sunlight warm against her skin, peace settling comfortably over her chest in a way that still felt new sometimes, even after everything that had happened.“She’s getting fast,” Christian said, sitting beside her, his eyes never leaving their daughter.“Too fast,” Jessica said, laughing as Grace tumbled onto the grass, giggling instead of crying.Arnold sat nearby, his cane resting against his chair, watching his great granddaughter with a smile that never seemed to fade these days.“She reminds me so much of you,” he said to Jessica. “Stubborn, curious, completely unafraid.”“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Jessica said.“It absolutely is,” Arnold said warmly.Eleanor approached from the house, carrying a small plate of fruit for Grace, her steps steady and confident now, nothing like the fragile woman they had rescued two years earlier.“Snack time,” Eleanor called ou

Two months passed in something close to normal life.Jessica sat in the nursery, her hand resting on her round stomach, watching Christian carefully assemble a crib he insisted on building himself.“You could have just bought one already put together,” she said, smiling as he wrestled with a stubborn screw.“I wanted to build this myself,” Christian said. “Something simple, something that’s actually ours.”Jessica felt warmth spread through her chest, watching him work with focused determination despite his usual polish and control completely stripped away.A sharp pain suddenly cut through her stomach.She gasped, gripping the arm of her chair.Christian’s head shot up instantly. “Jessica?”“I think,” she said, breathing carefully through the pain, “I think that might have been a contraction.”Christian dropped the screwdriver immediately, rushing to her side. “It’s too early. You’re not due for another three weeks.”“Tell that to the baby,” Jessica said, gritting her teeth as anothe