FAZER LOGINOfelia’s POVI attended my first scan alone.The decision had seemed sensible when I made the appointment. Bringing someone would create questions, and I was not ready for questions. Not from Victoria, not from Adrian, and especially not from Damien.Still, when I entered the clinic and saw couples sitting together in the waiting room, the loneliness became harder to ignore.A man across from me held his wife’s hand while she rested her head against his shoulder. Another couple whispered over a baby-name application on a phone. Near the window, a woman laughed quietly while the man beside her touched her stomach as though he already knew the child inside.I looked down at my own hands.They were clasped tightly over my handbag.The appointment card inside carried the false name Olivia Brown, but the receptionist recognized me from the previous visit and quietly called me Ofelia when no one else was close enough to hear.“Dr. Harris will see you soon.”“Thank you.”I chose the chair fa
Victoria’s POVThe elevator remained still.For several seconds, all I could hear was the faint hum of the emergency lights and the sound of my own breathing.Jax’s arm was still around my waist.My hands rested against his shoulders.Neither of us moved.The sudden stop had thrown me into him, but the danger had already passed. I had regained my balance. There was no reason for him to keep holding me.There was no reason for me to remain against his chest.Still, his hand stayed firmly at my waist.Warm.Steady.Protective.“Are you alright?” he asked again.“Yes.”My answer came too softly.His face was close enough that I could see the faint shadow along his jaw and the seriousness in his eyes. The teasing man who had argued with me over flowers and coffee had disappeared.This version of Jax felt far more dangerous.The elevator lights flickered once.I tightened my fingers against his shoulders without meaning to.Jax noticed.“Afraid?” he asked.“No.”“You held on tighter.”“The
Victoria’s POV Jax arrived twelve minutes late to our meeting and placed a coffee beside my folder as though punctuality no longer mattered. I looked at the cup. Then at him. “You’re late.” “I brought peace offerings.” “One coffee does not erase twelve minutes.” “It usually erases at least fifteen.” He took the chair across from me and opened his laptop. I picked up the cup cautiously. There was no label on the side, but the moment I tasted it, I recognized the order. A flat white with one sugar and a small amount of cinnamon. Exactly how I liked it. I lowered the cup. “How did you know?” Jax glanced up from the screen. “Know what?” “My order.” “You drank it during our last meeting.” “That was days ago.” “I have a good memory.” “You remember everyone’s coffee?” “No.” The answer came easily. Too easily. Something warm moved through my chest. I ignored it. We were seated in one of Blackwood Enterprises’ smaller conference rooms with a long list of final decisio
Damien’s POV“Are you certain she isn’t pregnant?”The question stayed between us.For one second, I heard nothing beyond the quiet hum of the air conditioning and the distant movement of employees outside my office.Then I rejected it.“No.”Jax remained near the door.“No, you’re not certain?”“No, she is not pregnant.”“You answered quickly.”“Because the suggestion is ridiculous.”He glanced through the glass wall toward Ofelia.She sat at her desk eating another cracker, unaware that we were discussing the possibility of her carrying a child.My child.The thought entered my mind before I could stop it.I pushed it away.“She would have told me,” I said.Jax looked back at me.“Would she?”“Yes.”The certainty in my voice sounded stronger than I felt.Jax closed the office door again and leaned against it.“Why?”I frowned.“What do you mean?”“Why would she tell you?”“Because I would need to know.”“That is not the same as giving her a reason to trust you.”My patience tightene
Damien’s POVThe small bottle rolled beneath the edge of Ofelia’s desk and stopped beside my shoe.She was still searching inside her handbag when I bent down and picked it up.The label faced inward against my palm. A folded pharmacy receipt had become trapped beneath the plastic wrapping, covering most of the printed words. All I could see clearly was the word vitamins and a list of nutrients in smaller letters.Ofelia looked up.The moment she saw the bottle in my hand, every trace of color disappeared from her face.“What is this?” I asked.She moved so quickly that her chair struck the desk behind her.“Give it to me.”I barely had time to straighten before she snatched the bottle from my fingers and pushed it into her handbag.Several employees glanced in our direction.Ofelia noticed and forced herself to lower her voice.“They’re personal.”Her reaction was far too strong for ordinary supplements.I looked at the bag she had already zipped closed.“I gathered that.”She bent t
Ofelia’s POVPregnancy changed my routine before it changed my body.Every morning became a carefully planned performance.I began waking before my alarm so I could sit quietly on the edge of the bed and wait for the nausea to pass. Some mornings it came as a slow uneasiness. Other mornings, it arrived so suddenly that I barely reached the bathroom in time.I learned not to brush my teeth immediately after waking because the mint made everything worse.I learned that cold water was easier to tolerate than coffee.I learned that eating two plain crackers before standing could prevent the room from spinning.Most importantly, I learned how to hide.I kept a packet of crackers inside the top drawer of my desk at Blackwood Enterprises. I arrived earlier than everyone else, including Damien, so I could eat them slowly without anyone asking why.By the time the executive floor became busy, I had washed my face, applied makeup, and arranged my expression into something calm.No one needed to
Ofelia’s POV Just like cinderella, I went back reality. I was standing in the center of my apartment thinking about my life when there was a knock on the door. I already knew who it was before I opened it. Mr. Ramirez, the landlord, stood there with his arms crossed, looking tired but firm. “Mis
Ofelia’s POV It has been three days and that was all it took for my life to turn into a complete nightmare. I hadn’t eaten anything solid since the day Ethan left. Sleep came in short, broken pieces filled with dreams of empty closets and ringing phones. Every time my phone buzzed, it was another
Ofelia’s POV “What do you mean there is no money?” I asked, my voice shaking as I stared at the banker across the desk. My hands gripped the edge of the counter so tight my knuckles turned white. The man in the crisp suit didn’t even blink. He just slid a paper toward me. “I’m sorry, Miss Bennet
Ofelia’s POV It’s just a coincidence, I told myself as I followed Mom up the wide marble steps. Thousands of rich men own black luxury cars. They all look the same. Sleek, expensive, probably made in the same factory. My brain kept repeating it like a prayer. The car outside didn’t mean anything.







