Kelsey’s POV“Please. I beg you.”“No. My son needs to know immediately what kind of deception has been poisoning his household.”“Please,” I begged, reaching for her arm. “Let me explain everything first—”“Explain how you’ve lied about my grandchild’s parentage?” Sophia jerked her arm away from my grasp. “There’s nothing to explain.”“Luna, wait—”“I’ve waited long enough. Watched you manipulate my son’s emotions, watched you play the helpless victim while scheming behind our backs.” Her voice turned vicious. “Did you really think I wouldn’t discover the truth eventually? I never should have defended you after you tried to kill my real grandchild!”Before she could leave, the doors opened. Penelope stepped onto the balcony, concern creasing her features.“Luna Sophia, it’s getting late. I came to say goodbye. Debbie and I should head home now,” she announced, then noticed the tension between us. “Is everything alright?”Sophia immediately blocked Penelope’s path. “Actually, Penelope,
Kelsey’s POVI stepped onto the balcony and answered Nick’s call, my whole body shaking as his furious voice exploded through the speaker before I could even say hello.“You tried to kill me, you crazy bitch!” he roared, his words slurred with pain medication. “Left me bleeding in the dirt like garbage!”“Nick, please, let me explain—”“Explain what? How you nearly cracked my skull open with a rock? How you ran away and left me to die?” His rage made the phone speaker crackle. “Maintenance crew found me four hours later. Four hours lying unconscious in my own blood!”“I panicked. I wasn’t thinking clearly—”“Panicked? You planned this! Drove me out there specifically to murder me!”“That’s not true—”“Bullshit! You suggested going somewhere private. You seduced me to get close. Then you tried to bash my brains out!” Nick’s voice rose to a shout. “I’m in the hospital with a fractured skull and a concussion, you psychotic cow!”Tears streamed down my face. “I’m sorry. I was desperate—”“
Penelope’s POVI climbed the stone steps to Darkwood Pack house, my stomach fluttering. Last night’s kiss with Dominic kept playing in my mind—the warmth of his hands, the way he’d looked at me like I was precious. Everything between us was shifting, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with it.Sophia opened the front door before I could knock. Her usually flawless appearance seemed disheveled—hair slightly mussed, pale eyes darting around anxiously.“Penelope, thank goodness,” she said, pulling me inside quickly. “I’ve been beside myself all afternoon.”“What’s wrong?”“Several things that disturb me greatly.” Sophia paced across the marble foyer. “There are irregularities in our household. Strange behavior from people I trusted completely.”“What kind of strange behavior?”“Secretive phone calls. Lies about whereabouts. And this afternoon at the hospital—” Sophia stopped pacing and fixed me with her intense stare. “I detected a male scent in Kelsey’s car. She claimed to be alone, but someo
Kelsey’s POVI walked across the hospital parking lot after my prenatal appointment, relief washing over me. The doctor confirmed the baby was developing perfectly.A figure moved inside the vehicle. My steps faltered.Nick sat in my passenger seat, arms crossed casually over his chest. He’d somehow gotten into my locked car and made himself comfortable, like he belonged there.“Hello, beautiful,” he said through the window, flashing that cocky grin I’d grown to hate.I climbed into the driver’s seat, my hands shaking as I started the engine. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”“Amazing what you can learn on YouTube these days,” Nick replied, running his fingers along the dashboard. “Lock picking, hot-wiring cars, all sorts of useful skills.”“You can’t just break into my car. What if someone saw you?”“Relax, sweetheart. Nobody’s paying attention to a pregnant lady and her boyfriend having a chat.”“We’re not—”“Course we are. Been thinking about you all week.” His eyes roa
Dominic’s POVPenelope walked me to the front door, her movements unhurried. Neither of us wanted the evening to end.“She really was amazing tonight,” I said, pausing in the doorway.“She wanted so badly for you to be proud of her.”“I am proud of her. More than I know how to express.”Penelope leaned against the doorframe, her hair flying a bit. “Thank you for making tonight special for her. For making her feel like she has a complete family.”“She does have a complete family.”“Does she?”I moved closer, close enough to see the uncertainty in her green eyes.“Yes,” I said firmly. “She has two parents who love her more than anything in the world.”“Sometimes love isn’t enough.”“What else is there?”“Trust. Forgiveness. The ability to move past old mistakes.”“We’re already doing that. Tonight proved it.”Penelope’s hand rested on the doorframe near my shoulder. “Did it?”“Didn’t it? The three of us together, laughing, celebrating—it felt right.”“It felt dangerous.”“Why dangerous?”
Penelope’s POV“Can Daddy come to my school show?” Debbie asked for the third time that morning, bouncing on her toes while I braided her hair. “Please, Mommy? All the other kids have both parents there.”“Sweetheart, not all families—”“But we do have both parents now. And I want Daddy to see my dance.” She turned to face me, her green eyes pleading. “I’ve been practicing so hard.”The dance recital. I’d forgotten Dominic didn’t know about it yet. The thought of sitting next to him in a crowded auditorium, fielding questions from other parents about our “reconciliation,” made my stomach clench.“I’ll call him,” I said.“Really? You promise?”“I promise.”Debbie threw her arms around my waist. “Thank you, thank you! This is going to be the best show ever!”Two hours later, I sat in my car outside the elementary school, watching parents stream into the building. Couples holding hands, families clustered together, the kind of normal domestic scene I’d never imagined being part of.“Mommy