ANMELDENADRIAN’S POV.I muttered a curse under my breath as Isabelle slammed the door in my face.Fuck.I stood there for a second, staring at it like it might open again if I just waited hard enough. Like she’d change her mind in the same breath she threw me out.Pregnant women and emotions. Yeah… I’ve seen that online somewhere. Mood swings, anger, crying, all of it. So maybe I should just… get used to it. Still, it didn’t make it any easier standing there like some idiot she just shut out.I dragged a hand through my hair and turned away, jaw tight as I crossed the road and got into my black Range Rover. The engine was already warm, but I didn’t move.I just sat there.Watching.Her house. The guards I placed. The street. Every damn angle.Because there was no way I was leaving her there with that man. Not after what I found. Not after what Daniel might be trying to pull. Assassin. Murderer. Whatever the hell Matthew really was—he wasn’t safe.My chest tightened when I thought about her st
ISABELLE’S POVI pressed my back hard against the door, clutching my chest as my heart pounded wildly against my ribs.My mind wouldn’t stay still—it kept spinning, dragging me through one thought after another.What if Adrian was telling the truth?I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, but it didn’t help. The thought stayed there, heavy and persistent.Because deep down, something in me believed him.Adrian could be cruel. He could be heartless when he wanted to be. But this… this felt different. Fabricating something this serious to get me back? It didn’t sit right, no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise.I shook my head quickly to clear it and forced my legs to move. Each step toward the couch felt heavier than the last, like my body was carrying more than just my weight.I needed to sit down.I dropped onto the couch, my hands resting on my lap as my fingers curled slightly. My forehead wrinkled as my thoughts kept circling the same question.Have I really been li
ISABELLE’S POVHis fingers continued their slow, careful massage of my feet even after he spoke, the silence settling between us again—heavy, stretched thin with everything neither of us was saying.His jaw tightened as I mentioned Matthew, like the name alone left a bad taste in his mouth.“Can I join?!” he suddenly said, breaking the silence.My brows pinched slightly. “Join what?!”“Can I come with you for the gender reveal?” His voice was lower now, almost careful, like he was stepping into something fragile.Guilt clung to his tone, but there was something else underneath it too—something stubborn, something that refused to fully back away.My fingers fidgeted against my bump.“I’ll ask Matthew if—”“He won’t be with you,” he cut in immediately.I frowned. “What do you mea—ah!”A sudden sharp push from inside my belly made me pause mid-sentence, my face tightening in pain and surprise.Adrian’s hands stopped instantly.His head snapped up. “Did I hurt you?” His voice came out fas
ISABELLE’S POV.“I’m sorry.”Adrian’s voice came out low and cracked, like the words were physically painful for him to say.I blinked quickly, my eyes darting around the house, checking if Matthew was nearby. My pulse thudded nervously beneath my skin.“You need to leave,” I said, trying to make my voice firm, cold even. But my stupid heart betrayed me, aching for him to come closer instead.His bluish eyes locked onto mine instantly, intense and desperate.“I can’t leave you, Isabelle.”“Why?!” I crossed my arms tightly against my chest, the lower part of my elbow brushing against my heavy bump. The babies shifted faintly inside me, making my stomach tighten.“I love you, Isabelle.” He exhaled shakily, frustration filling his voice. “I fucking love you.”My breath hitched.I shook my head quickly, pretending his words didn’t affect me, but my heart melted embarrassingly fast at the way he said it. Raw. Broken. Like he meant every single word.And that scared me.I hated that my body
ISABELLE’S POVMy chest tightened as I slammed the door in his face. My eyes burned, but I refused to cry.My fingers stayed wrapped around the door handle, frozen. I tried to pull them away, but something inside me screamed to open the door again… to let him in.I let go so suddenly it felt like the handle had burned my skin.When I turned, Matthew was staring at me, shaking his head slowly, his hands planted on his waist.“I’m so sorry that happened,” I said quietly, even though a part of me felt I didn’t need to apologize at all. Matthew had been violent toward me lately, and deep down… a small, bitter part of me hoped he had gotten a taste of his own medicine.He scoffed. “You’re sorry? Shit.”I shook my head and started walking toward my room. I was too exhausted—too stressed—to exchange another round of curse words with him.Before I could take two steps, his hand shot out and gripped my arm painfully.“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Isabelle,” he sneered, his jaw tightening.
ADRIAN’S POV“Give me both of them,” I told the storekeeper, my voice tight with a mix of urgency and anxiety. He nodded and added them to the cart. I glanced down, the cart already loaded, but it felt empty—way too little for my baby.I looked at the shelf again, picking up a tiny pacifier. The colors were soft, perfect, but I froze, my chest tightening. Which one the fuck should I pick?“The blue color is for a boy, and the pink is for a girl,” the storekeeper announced again. I swear, he’s said it three times already, and I got it, damn it.“I’ll take both,” I said again, my fingers trembling as I dropped the colors into the cart.I wandered to the shoe section and froze. My mind betrayed me, flashing memories of shopping for baby things for Helena—her bump, her laugh, and the cold, ugly truth that the child was never mine. My throat burned. My hands shook as I reached for a brown little shoe with soft fur inside.“Do you have another color of these shoes?” I asked the storekeeper.







