Chapter 5

The pregnancy test sat between them.

Small.

White.

Harmless-looking.

Yet Dani had never seen anything more terrifying.

The ballroom had almost emptied.

Only a few employees remained in the distance, gathering decorations and packing equipment.

Far enough away.

Far enough not to hear.

Julian stood across from her.

Waiting.

Patient.

Dangerous.

His dark eyes never left her face.

"What exactly are you hiding from me?"

Dani's pulse pounded.

She forced herself to breathe.

Think.

She needed to think.

The truth wasn't an option.

Not now.

Not here.

Not when her entire future could be destroyed by a single mistake.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Julian glanced down at the test.

Then back at her.

The look he gave her made her stomach tighten.

It wasn't anger.

It was disbelief.

Like he couldn't decide whether she thought he was stupid or whether she was simply desperate.

"Dani."

His voice was quiet.

Controlled.

"You dropped this."

"I know."

"And?"

She swallowed.

"It isn't what you think."

One dark eyebrow lifted.

"What do I think it is?"

Damn.

She looked away immediately.

A mistake.

Julian noticed everything.

Especially when she was nervous.

His gaze sharpened.

"You won't even look at me."

"Because you're interrogating me."

"I'm asking a question."

"It feels like an interrogation."

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Not quite a smile.

Not even close.

But enough to catch her off guard.

The expression disappeared almost instantly.

"I'll ask again."

His voice dropped lower.

"What are you hiding?"

Dani gripped the edge of the table.

Nothing.

She needed to say nothing.

Every instinct screamed at her to protect the baby.

Protect herself.

Protect what little control she still had.

So she lied.

"It's not mine."

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Silence.

Julian stared at her.

Then slowly folded his arms.

The look on his face was devastating.

Not because he believed her.

Because he clearly didn't.

"That's your answer?"

"It belongs to a friend."

"A friend."

"Yes."

Julian nodded once.

As if considering it.

Then he asked calmly:

"What friend?"

Dani froze.

Her heart dropped.

Because she hadn't thought that far ahead.

Julian saw it immediately.

Of course he did.

A humorless laugh escaped him.

"You didn't even prepare a name."

Heat flooded her face.

"Why does this matter so much to you?"

The question came out sharper than intended.

Something shifted behind his eyes.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Julian answered.

Honestly.

"It matters because you've been avoiding me for two months."

Dani's chest tightened.

"It matters because every time I see you lately, you look like you're carrying the weight of the world."

His voice remained steady.

"It matters because you're lying to me."

The honesty hit harder than anger would have.

Because she could hear genuine concern beneath the frustration.

And that made everything worse.

"You shouldn't care."

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Julian's jaw tightened.

"And yet I do."

The admission hung between them.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Dani immediately looked away.

Because hearing it affected her far more than it should have.

Because part of her had spent two months wondering whether she had imagined everything.

The way he'd looked at her that night.

The way he'd touched her.

The softness she'd seen beneath all the ice.

Maybe she hadn't imagined it after all.

Which was somehow even more terrifying.

"Dani."

His voice softened.

The sound sent unwanted warmth through her chest.

"You don't have to handle everything alone."

The irony almost made her laugh.

If he knew the truth...

If he knew what she was handling...

Nothing would ever be simple again.

A phone rang somewhere behind them.

The moment shattered.

Julian glanced toward the sound.

One of the remaining employees approached cautiously.

"Mr. Vance?"

Julian's expression immediately changed.

Cold again.

Professional.

Untouchable.

The transformation happened so quickly it gave Dani chills.

The employee handed him a phone.

"Mrs. Vance is looking for you."

The temperature around Julian seemed to drop several degrees.

"Of course she is."

The employee hurried away.

Julian looked back at Dani.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then he picked up the pregnancy test.

His gaze lingered on it briefly before slipping it into his jacket pocket.

Dani's heart stopped.

"What are you doing?"

His eyes lifted.

Keeping it.

The realization hit instantly.

"No."

His expression remained unreadable.

"Yes."

"Julian—"

"You clearly don't want it."

"It's mine."

The second the words left her mouth, she regretted them.

Julian noticed immediately.

A flicker of something crossed his face.

Interest.

Suspicion.

Victory.

"You just said it belonged to a friend."

Dani closed her eyes.

Damn it.

Julian watched her carefully.

The silence stretched.

Then finally he sighed.

"You should go home."

The unexpected response made her blink.

"What?"

"You're exhausted."

His gaze moved briefly across her face.

"You look exhausted."

For a moment, the concern returned.

Subtle.

Real.

Dangerous.

Then it disappeared.

Julian stepped back.

Rebuilding the distance between them.

The walls.

The control.

The armor.

Everything that made him Julian Carter Vance.

"I'll see you Monday."

Dani stared at him.

He wasn't going to push?

Wasn't going to demand answers?

The realization should have relieved her.

Instead, it made her nervous.

Because Julian wasn't letting this go.

She knew it.

He knew it.

Neither of them needed to say it aloud.

Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Leaving Dani standing alone in the nearly empty ballroom.

---

The drive home felt endless.

Streetlights blurred past the windows.

Traffic crawled.

Her thoughts refused to slow down.

Julian had the test.

Not Stella.

Julian.

That should have been good news.

Instead it felt like another countdown had started.

Because Julian was intelligent.

Relentlessly intelligent.

He would keep asking questions.

Keep noticing things.

Keep pulling at loose threads.

And eventually...

He might find the truth.

The thought made her stomach twist.

By the time she reached her apartment, she was exhausted.

She barely remembered climbing the stairs.

Barely remembered unlocking the door.

The silence inside felt overwhelming.

For the first time all day, she was completely alone.

No Stella.

No Julian.

No donors.

No expectations.

Just herself.

And the secret growing inside her.

Dani set her purse down carefully.

Then walked toward the bathroom.

The bright light made her squint.

Slowly, she lifted her shirt.

Her stomach looked exactly the same.

Flat.

Normal.

Nothing had changed.

And yet everything had changed.

The doctor appointment email flashed through her mind.

Tomorrow.

Nine-thirty.

She needed answers.

Real answers.

Not assumptions.

Not fear.

Not panic.

Answers.

Her phone buzzed suddenly.

Dani nearly jumped.

She grabbed it from the counter.

An unknown number.

For a moment she considered ignoring it.

Then opened the message.

Her blood ran cold.

You and Mr. Vance looked very close tonight.

A second message appeared.

Be careful.

Dani stared at the screen.

Every muscle in her body tensed.

Who sent this?

How did they get her number?

Were they guessing?

Or had they actually seen something?

Her heart hammered.

Another message arrived.

Some secrets don't stay hidden forever.

The phone nearly slipped from her hand.

Fear crawled down her spine.

Someone was watching.

Maybe not the pregnancy.

Maybe not yet.

But someone had noticed her and Julian.

And if a stranger noticed...

How long before Stella did too?

Dani locked the phone immediately.

The apartment suddenly felt colder.

Smaller.

Less safe.

She moved to the window and looked down at the street below.

Empty.

Quiet.

Normal.

Yet unease refused to leave.

Because deep down, she knew one thing.

Her life wasn't getting simpler.

It was getting more complicated.

And tomorrow's appointment might change everything.