LOGINISABELLE'S POV:The contractions came faster and harder. Each one was a wave of pain that crashed over me, leaving me breathless and shaking. Damon was beside me the entire time, holding my hand, wiping my forehead with a cool cloth, and whispering words of encouragement into my ear."You are doing amazing," he said, smoothing my hair back. "You are so strong. You are so brave.""I am not brave," I gasped out. "I am in pain.""You are brave and in pain. Those things are not mutually exclusive."I would have smiled if I had the energy left. But I did not. I just squeezed his hand tighter and rode out another wave of pain.The hours passed by slowly.I did not know how many hours had gone by. I lost track of time somewhere between the third and fourth hour. The world shrank down to just the room, to the hospital bed, to the intense pain, and to Damon's warm hand in mine.I thought about my mother. She had done this exact thing. She had brought me into the world, had endured this
ISABELLE'S POV:Some Months Later…The pain I started to feel started in the middle of the night.I woke up to a sharp, twisting sensation in my lower back, a pain that radiated through my entire body and left me gasping for air. I lay there for a moment, my hand pressed against my swollen belly, trying to figure out what was happening. I had been having practice contractions for weeks now which was the type that were uncomfortable but not painful, it was as if my body was getting ready for the real thing.But this was different and I reached over and shook Damon's shoulder hard that I nearly punched him."Damon," I whispered, my voice shaking. "Damon, wake up."He was awake in an instant. He had always been a light sleeper, a habit from his old military days that he had never been able to shake. He sat up, his dark eyes alert, his hand already reaching for the lamp on the nightstand."What is wrong?" he asked, his voice tight with sudden worry. "Are you okay?""I think... I
ISABELLE'S POV:I stared at it. I stared at it for a long time, blinking to make sure my eyes were not playing tricks on me. The entire world outside the bathroom door seemed to stop spinning. The air grew completely still. Everything faded away except for those two tiny lines.I was pregnant. I was really going to have a baby.I slid down to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest, and I started to cry. I cried because I felt a rush of pure happiness. I cried because a sudden wave of fear washed over me. I cried because I had never wanted anything this much in my entire life.I did not tell him that night.I did not tell him the next night either. I kept putting it off because I wanted to find the absolute perfect moment. I wanted to make the announcement special, something he would remember for the rest of his life.So I made a plan.I drove to a small children's boutique downtown and bought a tiny baby onesie. It was soft white cotton decorated with little gray elephants pla
ISABELLE'S POV:The first sign was the tiredness. It crept up on me slowly before hitting me like a wave.I had always been a morning person. I woke up with the sun, ready to face the day, ready to write, ready to conquer whatever challenges lay ahead. But lately, I could barely drag myself out of bed. My limbs felt weighed down, and my eyelids felt glued shut. I was exhausted all the time, no matter how much sleep I managed to get. I would wake up tired, spend the afternoon yawning at my desk, and fall fast asleep on the couch long before dinner time rolled around.Damon noticed. Of course he noticed because he always noticed everything. Nothing ever slipped past him."Are you okay?" he asked one morning, watching me struggle to keep my eyes open over a bowl of cereal."I am fine," I said, trying to flash a convincing smile while blinking rapidly. "Just tired.""You have been tired for weeks, Izzy.""I have been working hard on the manuscript.""You have been napping every s
ISABELLE'S POV:I felt my heart swell. I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him right there in the middle of the kitchen.The master bedroom was the biggest project of all.It was large and cold and impersonal, just like the rest of the house. The bed was huge, the sheets were stark white, and the curtains were black. It looked like a hotel room where people stayed for one night and left.I changed everything to make it softer.I bought new sheets, soft and cream-colored, with pillows that were actually comfortable to sleep on. I added a thick duvet that made you want to bury yourself in it on lazy Sunday mornings. I replaced the gloomy black curtains with light, airy white ones and I added photographs on the nightstands, pictures of us laughing, of our wedding day, of our quiet moments on our honeymoon.And I added a small wooden bookshelf in the corner, filling the shelves with paperback novels that I loved.Damon walked in while I was arranging the last few books. He stopped
ISABELLE'S POV:The mansion was cold when we returned from our honeymoon.I had not noticed it before. When I had first arrived, when I had been recoering from the attack, when I had been focused on Damon's injuries and my own fear, the mansion had just been a backdrop. A place to sleep. A place to hide. A place to wait for the next terrible thing to happen.Now that everything had settled and we were officially married, everything felt different. The air inside the grand foyer felt a bit stiff, carrying that slight chill that only a massive, empty house could hold. My suitcases sat by the door, looking small against the giant marble tiles.Damon stood right beside me, his hands tucked into his pockets, looking around the space as if seeing it through my eyes for the first time."It needs work," I said, crossing my arms against the sudden draft.He raised an eyebrow, a faint hint of amusement playing at the corner of his mouth. "It is a mansion and you know it is worth more tha
She watched from the window as her father walked out to greet him.August Valancourt shook Lysander's hand with both of his, the way he did with people he truly respected, and he said something that made Lysander nod solemnly. Then her mother appeared, and Isabelle kissed Lysander on both cheeks, t
Celestine started cooking at three in the afternoon, flour on her hands, music playing low from her phone and the smell of tomatoes and garlic filling the whole penthouse.She made the sauce from scratch, the way her grandmother taught her when she was maybe ten years old. She rolled out the pasta
The first time Kier met Sable Morwenna was at a charity gala about six months after his father died.He was standing by the bar, looking miserable, drinking too much and wishing he could leave. And then this woman just appeared next to him, like she had materialized out of thin air."You look like
Kier Thornwell looked like he belonged on a magazine cover even when he was just standing in an elevator. Thirty eight years old. Strong jaw and sharp cheekbones. Eyes so dark brown they looked black. A mouth that rarely smiled, but when it did, women forgot their own names. Six foot two. Carried h







