Chapter 007

Hailey’s POV

The first time I heard the heartbeat, I cried so hard my chest hurt.

I had told myself I would be strong. That I would take everything quietly now. That tears belonged to the past version of me who had begged to be loved. But the moment the sound filled the small examination room, something broke loose inside me.

Thump. Thump.

Fast. Determined. Alive.

Then the doctor tilted the screen slightly, his brows knitting together as he adjusted the probe.

“…Interesting,” he murmured.

My breath caught instantly. Fear shot through me so fast it made me dizzy. “What is it,” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Is something wrong”

He smiled faintly. “Nothing wrong. Quite the opposite.”

He turned the screen toward me, pointing gently. “There are two.”

My mind went blank. “Two what”

“Two heartbeats,” he said calmly. “You are carrying twins.”

For a second, the world stopped.

Twins.

The word echoed in my head like it didn’t belong to me. Twins meant double the responsibility. Double the fear. Double the love. My hands trembled as they moved instinctively to my stomach, my throat tightening painfully.

“I… I don’t understand,” I whispered. “Are you sure”

He nodded. “Very sure. They are strong too. Especially after what your body went through. It’s remarkable.”

Remarkable.

If he only knew how close I had come to losing everything. How someone had tried to erase them before they even had a chance to exist.

Tears slid down my temples into my hair. I didn’t bother wiping them away this time. I let them fall, because for the first time in a long while, they weren’t born from pain alone.

They were here.

They had chosen to stay.

When I stepped out of the clinic later, the cold New York air hit my face, grounding me. Grant stood the moment he saw me, concern flashing across his features.

“How did it go,” he asked.

I opened my mouth, but the words tangled in my throat. Instead, I handed him the ultrasound photo with shaking fingers.

He stared at it.

Then slowly looked up at me.

“…Twins,” he said, almost breathless.

I nodded.

For a second, I thought he might panic. Or pull away. Or ask questions I wasn’t ready to answer. Instead, his lips curved into a soft smile and his eyes shone in a way that made my chest ache.

“That’s incredible,” he said quietly. “You’re incredible.”

Something warm settled deep in my ribs. I looked away quickly, afraid of what that warmth might turn into if I let it linger.

Life moved faster after that.

Classes began at the institute Grant had enrolled me in. Business management. Strategy. Corporate operations. The first day I walked into the building, I felt small again, surrounded by confident professionals and sharp minds, all speaking a language I hadn’t used in years.

But then I reminded myself of the woman I had been forced to become in silence. The patience. The observation. The restraint. Those were skills too.

I absorbed everything.

At night, exhaustion weighed heavily on my body. Pregnancy drained me in ways I hadn’t expected. There were moments I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall, wondering if I was strong enough to do this alone.

Each time, I pressed my hands to my stomach and whispered promises.

I would not fail them.

One evening, while Grant and I were reviewing some course materials at the dining table, his phone buzzed. His expression shifted as he glanced at the screen.

“Everything okay,” I asked.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second. “Yeah. Work.”

I nodded, but unease stirred faintly in my chest. Lately, his calls had become more frequent. More guarded. I brushed the feeling aside. I had no right to question him.

A few days later, during a networking session organized by the institute, I felt it.

That strange sensation of being watched.

I turned, scanning the room filled with suits and polite smiles, but nothing stood out. Still, my heart refused to settle.

When the guest speaker was announced, the air shifted.

“Today’s session is sponsored by Moore Global Holdings,” the coordinator said brightly.

My blood ran cold.

Moore.

The name slammed into me like a physical blow. My ears rang as memories surged uninvited. Dylan. His voice. His arrogance. His certainty that I was nothing without him.

I clenched my hands in my lap, forcing myself to breathe.

It was a coincidence, I told myself. A big company. A common surname.

Then the speaker continued.

“Our representative today is Mr Grant Lawson, regional director for strategic acquisitions.”

The room applauded.

My head snapped toward Grant instinctively.

He was already standing.

Shock rippled through me so violently I felt dizzy. Grant turned slightly, his eyes meeting mine across the room. There was apology in his gaze. And something else.

Truth.

He had never lied to me. He had simply not told me everything.

As he spoke confidently at the podium, explaining expansion strategies and partnerships, one phrase lodged itself into my mind and refused to leave.

“…in collaboration with our California branch…”

My fingers dug into my palms.

California.

After the session, I confronted him in the hallway, my voice shaking despite my efforts to keep it steady.

“You work with Moore Global,” I said.

“Yes,” he replied quietly.

“With Dylan,” I added.

His jaw tightened. “Indirectly. I never report to him.”

“But he’s there,” I whispered.

Grant stepped closer. “Hailey, listen to me. I did not bring you here to hurt you. I didn’t even realize you were connected to him until much later. And when I did, I chose to protect you.”

I searched his face, my heart pounding. “Does he know about me”

“No,” he said firmly. “Not yet.”

Yet.

The word echoed ominously in my mind.

That night, sleep refused to come. I lay awake staring at the ceiling, my hand resting protectively over my stomach. Fate felt like it was circling back around me, tightening its grip slowly.

Somewhere across the country, the man who had discarded me was unknowingly standing closer to my life again.

And deep down, I sensed it.

This was only the beginning.