CHAPTER FOUR — THE FIRST HEARTBEAT

POV: Myra Carter

Four weeks went by fast in the guest wing, and on the morning of my second checkup appointment, Celeste was stuck at a charity planning committee meeting across town, so Aiden had to drive me to the medical clinic by himself.

The nurse guided me into the examination room, and after I lay down on the table, the doctor applied the clear gel to my stomach and moved the monitor probe around until a loud, rhythmic beating sound suddenly echoed through the small room.

I looked up at the screen with tears flooding my eyes, and I thought I would only feel relieved that the procedure had worked for the sake of the contract, but hearing that tiny life inside me made my throat tighten up completely.

Aiden was standing right next to the table, and the moment the sound filled the room, he froze completely, his eyes locked onto the black and white image on the screen while his usual stoic face broke into pure emotion.

Without saying a word, he reached down and took my hand into his, gripping my fingers tightly while we both listened to the sound, and for several minutes, neither of us said a single word while the doctor pointed out the baby's position.

Once the appointment was over and the doctor handed me a paper towel to wipe off my stomach, Aiden took my elbow to help me stand up, and he walked me out to his car without letting go of my arm until I was safely seated inside.

"Are you feeling alright, Myra?" he asked, turning the car onto the main street while he glanced over at me every few seconds. "You were crying back there in the room, so tell me if you are in any pain or if you need to go back."

"I'm not in pain, Aiden, I was just overwhelmed by hearing that sound for the first time," I said, looking out the side window while I smoothed my dress down over my knees.

"Are you afraid of what comes next?" he asked quietly, keeping his hands on the steering wheel while the traffic moved slowly around us. "Because the medical team will be with you every step of the way, and you don't have to worry about anything going wrong."

"I'm not afraid of the medical part or the pregnancy itself, Aiden," I replied, turning my head to look at his profile. "I'm just afraid of what happens afterward, when the nine months are up and I have to hand this child over."

"You will receive every single dollar promised in the contract, Myra, and your family will never have to worry about debt ever again," he said, his voice firm as he brought up the legal terms again.

"Money can't replace everything, Aiden," I said quietly, giving him a small, sad smile before turning back to look out the window, and he fell silent for the rest of the drive home.

When we got back to the estate, Aiden's behavior toward me began to shift in subtle ways, starting at the dinner table that very evening when he noticed I was barely touching the food on my plate.

"Sarah, please ask the chef to make a plain soup for Myra, because this food is clearly too heavy for her right now," Aiden told the housekeeper, standing up from his seat to pull my chair back slightly when my face went pale from a sudden wave of nausea.

"Aiden, the chef prepared this menu specifically for our evening meal," Celeste said, setting her fork down on her plate while she looked at him with an annoyed expression on her face. "She can just ask Sarah for something else later if she doesn't like what is served."

"She needs proper food that her stomach can handle, Celeste, and it's our responsibility to make sure she stays healthy," Aiden answered back, stepping over to my side and handing me a glass of water while he stayed right next to my chair until the nausea passed and Sarah brought out the light broth.

Celeste watched every single interaction between us with narrowed eyes, her arms crossed over her chest, and later that night, while Aiden was in his study making calls, she walked directly into my bedroom without knocking on the door.

"Myra, we need to have a quick talk about how things are going in this house," Celeste said, standing near the end of my bed while I was sitting down with a book in my hands. "I notice you are getting very comfortable around Aiden, and I want to know if you've forgotten your place here."

"I haven't forgotten anything, Celeste," I said, closing my book and looking her straight in the eyes without flinching. "I follow every single rule in the contract, I stay in my wing of the house, and I do not interfere with your life or your relationship."

"Just remember whose baby you are carrying inside you, Myra," Celeste said, her voice dropping into a harsh whisper as she stepped closer to me. "You are getting paid two million dollars to be a surrogate, so don't mistake Aiden's basic concern for something personal, because at the end of the day, you are just a temporary employee here."

Tears welled up in my eyes at her harsh words, but I bit my lip hard and refused to let a single tear drop in front of her while she turned around and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Feeling suffocated in the bedroom, I pulled on a light sweater and walked out through the side door onto the quiet balcony overlooking the garden, leaning my arms on the railing while I tried to calm my breathing down.

"Myra, what are you doing out here in the cold night?" Aiden's voice came from behind me, and I turned around to see him stepping out onto the balcony with his jacket in his hand. "Sarah told me you went outside, and you shouldn't be standing in the cold in your condition."

"I just needed some fresh air, Aiden, I'm fine," I said, turning my head away so he wouldn't see the redness around my eyes.

"Did something happen with Celeste earlier?" he asked softly, stepping closer until he was standing right next to me at the railing. "I saw her coming out of your room a few minutes ago, so you can talk to me if there is a problem."

I looked up at his face, seeing the genuine warmth and concern in his dark eyes, and for a second, I almost told him everything Celeste had said to me, wanting to rely on his protection.

Before I could open my mouth to speak, the sudden ring of his cell phone broke the quiet moment, and he pulled the device out of his pocket to see Celeste's name flashing across the screen.

"I have to take this, Myra, please go back inside so you don't catch a cold," Aiden said, stepping back toward the glass doors while he answered the call, his attention instantly shifting back to her.

I watched him walk away down the hallway, wrapping my sweater tighter around myself as I stood alone on the dark balcony, realizing how dangerous it was to start depending on the kindness of a man who belonged to someone else.

Later that night, as I lay in bed listening to the quiet house, Aiden walked down the guest corridor and stopped directly outside my bedroom door, standing completely still in the dark hallway for several minutes with his hand hovering over the doorknob, unable to explain to himself why he wanted to open it and step inside.