LOGINChapter HundredThe doorbell rang just after noon.John didn’t rush to answer it. He finished buttoning his shirt slowly, checked his reflection in the mirror, then walked down the hallway with calm steps. He had already planned this moment down to the smallest detail.When he opened the door, two men stood outside with black cases in their hands.“Good afternoon, sir,” one of them said, nodding politely. His accent was thick, unmistakably Indian. “We are the authentic gold buyers you contacted.”“Yes,” John replied, stepping aside. “Come in.”They entered the house carefully, eyes scanning the space with professional interest. They had seen wealth before, but this house spoke of old money and secrets. The kind that stayed hidden behind locked doors.John led them to the living room where the jewelry was already laid out on a long table. Gold bangles, thick chains, delicate necklaces, diamond-studded rings, silver pieces wrapped in velvet. Different grams. Different designs. Different
Chapter Ninety NineAria felt it before she saw it.A strange pull low in her stomach. Not sharp. Not sudden. Just wrong.She had been sitting on the edge of the bed, folding a light cardigan Richard had ordered for her. Her mind wasn’t on the clothes. It hadn’t been for days. It was on Damien’s voice. His hand across her face. The words he threw at her like stones. The way he had looked at her as if she was nothing.She stood up slowly, planning to go shower.That was when she felt the wetness.At first, she thought it was nothing. Stress, maybe. The doctor had warned her that stress could do strange things. She told herself not to panic. Panic was dangerous. Panic could hurt the baby.She walked into the bathroom and closed the door quietly, like someone else might hear her fear.When she looked down, her breath caught.Blood.Not a lot. Just enough to freeze her in place.“No,” she whispered, gripping the sink. “No, no, please…”Her hands started shaking. She wiped quickly, trying
Chapter Ninety-Eight“What did you do to Clara?”Damien’s voice sliced down the hallway the second Aria stepped out of the guest room.She froze mid-step. “What?”He came at her fast, face red, eyes wild in a way she’d never seen. “Don’t act like you don’t know,” he yelled. “What the hell did you do?”Aria’s pulse jumped into her throat. “Damien, slow down. What are you talking about?”“She’s sick,” he snapped. “Throwing up everywhere. Collapsed right in front of me. And you’re standing here playing innocent?”“I haven’t even talked to her since this afternoon,” Aria said. “What happened exactly?”He didn’t answer. Just stared at her like he could see straight through to whatever crime he’d already decided she’d committed. His fists opened and closed at his sides. Jaw locked so tight a muscle ticked under the skin.“You better hope she pulls through,” he said low. “Because if she doesn’t—”He didn’t finish. He just spun around and stormed off.“Damien!” she called. “Wait where are you
Chapter Ninety-SevenClara stood by herself in the kitchen while the late-afternoon sun poured through the tall windows. The house felt empty without Damien in it he’d left for his hospital checkup a couple of hours earlier. She liked these pockets of quiet. No voices, no footsteps, just space to think straight.She reached into the fruit bowl and took out two oranges. Rolled them under her palm for a second, then carried them to the sink. Ran water over them slowly. Dried them with a towel. Picked up the knife and sliced each one in half, careful and even. The citrus smell filled the air right away sharp, clean.She fed the halves into the juicer one by one. The machine hummed low while pulp and seeds spun away. When it finished she poured the juice into a tall clear glass. Bright. Fresh-looking.She stopped moving.Looked around the kitchen once even though she already knew the staff was busy elsewhere. From the pocket of her silk robe she took out a small glass vial. No label. Just
Chapter Ninety-SixAria was halfway through updating Damien’s chart when her phone buzzed on the side table.Richard Greyson.She set the tablet down, took one steadying breath, and answered.“Good afternoon, sir.”“Aria,” Richard said. His tone was even, the way it always was when he wanted answers without wasting time. “Am I catching you at a bad moment?”“No, sir. Just finishing notes.”“Good. How’s my son doing today?”“Stable,” she said. “Vitals are consistent. He’s sleeping more, which is what his body needs right now.”Richard made a small sound of approval. “And you? Still managing everything on your own?”“I have support here,” she answered. “I’m okay.”They moved through the usual polite exchanges next. How was the food in Greece. Was the hospital staff competent. Did she need anything shipped over. Aria kept her replies short and calm, giving him nothing to dig into.Then the shift came.“I need to ask you something straight,” Richard said.Aria’s grip on the phone tightene
Chapter Ninety-FiveClara made sure she was already in the bed when Damien started to come around.She had arranged herself just right his head tucked against her chest, her arm draped around his shoulders like she’d never once left his side. She’d even rubbed her eyes hard enough earlier to make them look puffy and red, the way they would if she’d spent hours crying. When his fingers moved against her side and his breathing shifted from deep to shallow, she slowed her own breaths, tilted her face down toward him, and waited.“Baby,” he said. The word came out cracked and dry.Clara responded right away.“Oh, Damien… thank God.” Her voice trembled the exact right amount. She pulled him closer and pressed her lips to the top of his head. “I was terrified. I stayed right here the whole time. Didn’t move an inch. I’m so glad you’re awake.”Damien blinked slowly. His head pounded. His arms and legs felt heavy, like someone had drained the strength out of them while he was out. Everything




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