ログインEVE'S POV We left the hospital on a cloudy Thursday afternoon. Lily Grace was four days old, healthy, and loud enough to let the whole floor know when she was hungry. The nurses had given us a long list of instructions, and I kept rereading them in the car like they might disappear if I looked away too long. Damon drove carefully, both hands on the wheel, checking the rearview mirror every few seconds even though Lily was safely strapped in her car seat in the back. The penthouse looked the same when we walked in, but it felt different now. There was a baby carrier by the door, a stack of diapers on the coffee table, and the nursery door was open, showing the soft gray walls and the mobile with little stars that Damon had added. I carried Lily inside while Damon brought the bags. She was awake, blinking up at me with those dark eyes that still made my chest feel tight. “She’s really home,” I said, mostly to myself. Damon set the bags down and came over. He didn’t crowd me. He
EVE'S POV The hospital room felt calmer in the afternoon. The bright morning light had softened into a warmer glow coming through the window. I was sitting up in the bed now, propped against a few pillows, with our daughter sleeping peacefully on my chest. She was so small and warm, her tiny body rising and falling with each breath. Thirty-seven weeks and she was here, healthy, with a strong cry and a full head of dark hair that stuck up in every direction. I couldn’t stop looking at her. Every time she made a little sound or moved her hand, my heart did something funny in my chest. Damon was sitting in the chair right next to the bed. He hadn’t left the room much since she was born. His shirt was still wrinkled from sleeping in it, and he had dark circles under his eyes, but he looked calm. Focused. Like he was soaking in every second of this. He kept watching her with this soft, almost scared look on his face, like he couldn’t believe she was real. We hadn’t talked about her n
DAMON'S POV The delivery room felt both too bright and too small at the same time. Machines beeped steadily around us, nurses moved quickly but calmly, and the doctor kept giving quiet instructions. But all I could really focus on was Eve. She was exhausted, sweating, her face tight with pain and determination. Her hair was stuck to her forehead, and she gripped my hand so hard I could feel her nails digging into my skin. I didn’t mind. I would have let her break every bone in my hand if it helped her through this. “You’re almost there, Eve,” I whispered, wiping her forehead with a cool cloth again. “Just a few more pushes. I’m right here, I’ve got you.” She let out a raw, tired cry as another contraction hit. Her whole body tensed, and she pushed with everything she had left. I supported her back, talking her through it like we practiced. “That’s it, baby, you’re doing it. Our baby is coming, keep going. I love you so much.” The doctor’s voice cut through. “One more big push,
EVE'S POV I woke up slowly in the middle of the night, the kind of half-awake feeling where you’re not sure if you’re still dreaming or not. The guest room was dark and quiet, just the faint glow from the city lights outside the window cutting through the curtains. My hand went automatically to my belly like it always did these days. Thirty-seven weeks. The baby felt so low and heavy now, pressing down in a way that made every movement feel like work. I shifted a little in bed, trying to get comfortable, when the first real contraction hit. It wasn’t sharp at first. It started deep in my lower back, a slow, powerful tightening that spread around my middle like a wide belt pulling tighter and tighter. I sucked in a breath and pressed both hands against the firm, round curve of my belly. The baby moved inside me, kicking hard like it knew something was happening. I held my breath through the peak, then let it out slowly when the pressure finally started to ease. “Ow,” I whisper
EVE'S POV I stood in front of the mirror in the guest room, smoothing down the soft blue maternity dress I’d picked out. It was nothing fancy... just something comfortable that still made me feel pretty despite the huge belly that seemed to grow bigger every single day. Thirty-three weeks now, the baby was running out of room, and I was running out of patience with how heavy everything felt. But tonight wasn’t about the discomfort, tonight was about our first official “date.” Damon had asked me three days ago, all nervous and careful, like he was afraid I’d say no. Dinner at the penthouse. Nothing outside, nothing that would make me feel pressured. Just the two of us, trying to talk like normal people again, like we were getting to know each other for the first time. I was nervous. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I put on a little lip gloss and brushed my hair. Part of me remembered every time he chose Sophia’s side, every cold word, every moment I felt invisible in my own mar
DAMON'S POV The penthouse had started to feel like home again, but not in the way it used to. It was quieter now, more careful. Eve had been back for a little over two weeks, sleeping in the guest room while I stayed in the master. We moved around each other like two people learning a new dance... polite, respectful, but always aware of the invisible lines we weren’t supposed to cross. I made breakfast every morning and left it on the table with a short note. She thanked me. Sometimes we ate together. Sometimes she took it back to her room. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something, it was progress. Tonight we were out on the balcony after dinner. The city stretched out below us, lights twinkling like scattered stars. Eve had her feet propped up on the ottoman, one hand resting on her very round thirty-three-week belly. She looked tired but peaceful, the soft glow from the outdoor lights catching the curve of her cheek. My chest tightened just looking at her. God, I loved her. It w
I'd been at Jessica's for two days when Damon showed up.Jessica had gone to work, told me to make myself at home, help myself to anything. I was on the couch in her pajamas eating ice cream for breakfast when someone started pounding on the door.Not knocking, he was pounding."Eve, I know you're
Two weeks passed.Two weeks of me jumping every time the phone rang, checking over my shoulder when we left the apartment, waiting for the other shoe to drop.Damon kept telling me I was being paranoid.I kept telling him I wasn't.Then she showed up.We were having dinner when the doorbell rang. D
They'd been back from the wedding for three days when Damon's phone rang during breakfast.Unknown number.He almost didn't answer, then something made him pick up."Hello?"Eve watched his face change, watched him go still in that dangerous way he did when he was trying not to react."Sophia," he
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: THE TIMELINEDamon called Marcus at seven the next morning.I was awake, had been awake all night, staring at the ceiling while Damon pretended to sleep next to me."I need to ask you about something," Damon said into the phone, his voice rough from not sleeping. "That gallery







