로그인EVE'S POV I sat on Jessica’s balcony with a cup of herbal tea that had gone cold ages ago, staring out at the city lights while my hand rested on my belly. Twenty-seven weeks. The baby was getting stronger every day, pushing and rolling like he or she was trying to remind me that life was still moving forward whether I was ready or not. But my heart? My heart felt stuck between two worlds.. one where I still loved Damon with everything in me, and another where the fear of being hurt again was almost paralyzing. The nursery he had created kept playing in my mind, the timeline of his mistakes written out so honestly. The letter, the way his voice had cracked when he told me he understood exactly how deeply he had broken me. It was beautiful, painful. and real. For the first time since he asked me to leave, I felt like he truly saw what he had done. And yet… I was terrified. What if it was just another grand gesture? What if the guilt wore off and the old patterns came back? What
DAMON'S POV I couldn’t do this halfway, not anymore. After that coffee shop meeting with Eve, her words kept echoing in my head. She was still angry, still hurt, and she had every right to be. I had pushed her away when the memories hit hardest. I had gone silent for days while she was alone at Jessica’s, carrying our baby and wondering if I was ever going to fight for us. Words weren’t enough anymore... I needed to show her... really show her... that I understood the depth of what I had done. So I spent three full days planning this. I started with the nursery. The old one in our apartment had been half-finished before everything fell apart. I hired a small team and worked alongside them, refusing to sit back and just pay for it. I wanted my hands in it. I painted the walls a soft, warm gray that Eve had once shown me on her phone months ago... back when we were still hopeful. I put up the crib we had bought together, the one she had touched with tears in her eyes the first
EVE'S POV The coffee shop Marcus chose was quiet, tucked away in a corner of the city with soft lighting and private booths. I arrived first, heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. Twenty-eight weeks pregnant now, my belly made it impossible to hide how far along I was. I kept one hand on it protectively as I slid into the booth, nerves twisting tighter with every minute that passed. I was still angry, the kind of deep, simmering anger that had replaced the sadness after days of silence. But I had agreed to this one meeting. One conversation. After that, I would decide what came next. When Damon walked in, my breath caught. He looked… wrecked. His eyes were tired, shadowed with dark circles, shoulders tense like he was carrying the weight of the world. He spotted me immediately and for a second, something raw and painful flashed across his face. He approached slowly, like he was afraid I might disappear if he moved too fast. “Eve,” he said softly as he sat do
Marcus's POV I’d had enough. Eleven weeks of this bullshit. Eleven days of Damon hiding in that penthouse like a wounded animal, and Eve staying at Jessica’s place trying to act strong while her belly kept growing and her heart kept breaking. I was tired of watching two people I loved destroy themselves because one of them couldn’t stop punishing himself. I pulled up to Jessica’s building around four in the afternoon, carrying a bag of Eve’s favorite snacks and some decaf iced tea. Jessica let me in with a tired but grateful look. “She’s on the balcony,” she said quietly. “Been out there most of the day. She’s mad now, Marcus. Really mad, the sad phase is over.” “Good,” I muttered. “Angry is better than broken.” Eve was sitting in one of the balcony chairs, feet propped up on a stool, one hand resting on her round belly. She looked beautiful even with the exhaustion written all over her face. The pregnancy had rounded her out nicely... she was probably twenty-eight weeks now ...
DAMON'S POV I sat in the therapist’s office feeling like a damn fraud. The room was nice... soft beige walls, big comfortable chairs, one of those fake plants in the corner that looked too perfect to be real. Dr. Lang was a middle-aged guy with a calm voice and kind eyes that made me want to spill my guts and run at the same time. I’d been coming for three sessions now, ever since Marcus basically dragged me here after I sent Eve away. Today felt different, heavier. “So,” Dr. Lang said, leaning back in his chair, “you told Sophia to stay out of your life for good. How did that feel?” I rubbed my hands on my jeans. They were still a little shaky. “Felt good in the moment. Like I finally slammed the door on all her bullshit. But then I went back to that empty penthouse and it hit me again... I’m the one who let her in in the first place. I’m the reason any of this happened.” Dr. Lang nodded slowly. “Tell me more about that guilt. You’ve mentioned feeling like two different men. W
DAMON'S POV The penthouse was too damn quiet. I’d been pacing the living room for the last hour like a caged animal, phone in my hand, thumb hovering over Eve’s name for the hundredth time. Nine days. Nine fucking days since I asked her to leave, and I still couldn’t bring myself to call. Every time I tried, the memories slammed into me again... signing those papers, missing her birthday, letting Sophia crawl deeper into my life while Eve sat at home wondering if our marriage was already dead. I hated myself too much to face her. So I stayed silent, like a coward. A sharp knock on the door made me freeze. I wasn’t expecting anyone. Marcus had come by yesterday and basically told me to stop being a dumbass. My parents didn’t know I’d sent Eve away yet. So who the hell... I looked through the peephole and my stomach dropped. Sophia. She was standing there in a soft cream coat, hair perfectly done, looking like she’d stepped out of a magazine. Same old Sophia. Always timing her
The call came Tuesday morning."We're coming by this afternoon," Catherine Sterling said without preamble. "Your father and I need to see how Sophia is settling in."Damon's face went tight. "Mom, I don't think that's a good idea right now.""Nonsense, the poor girl is living with strangers and inj
I woke up to Damon watching me."Happy birthday," he said softly. Right, today I turned twenty-five. I'd forgotten somehow, lost track of days in the mess our life had become."Thanks," I said."I have something planned for tonight, dinner at eight. Just us.""Where?""Here, I
Day three of living with Sophia and I was already considering murder.She'd been perfect, of course. Sweet and apologetic and staying mostly in her wing like she'd promised.Which made it worse somehow, because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.It dropped on Wednesday morning.I came into t
The day Sophia moved in, I woke up with a knot in my stomach that wouldn't go away.Damon was already awake, staring at the ceiling."You don't have to be here when she arrives," he said quietly. "You could go to work, come back later...""No, this is my home. I'm not hiding.""I didn't mean...""I







