LOGINEVE'S POV I couldn't sit still while Damon was out. I kept moving around the living room, one hand resting on my belly like I could hold everything together that way. The baby had been restless all afternoon... kicking, turning and I couldn't tell anymore if I was feeding off her energy or she was feeding off mine. Sophia's visit a few days ago still hadn't left me. The way she'd walked in and made herself comfortable on our couch, pouring her version of our history into Damon's fractured memory like it was the truth. Now he was out there alone, and every minute without a message from him felt like a held breath I couldn't release. When his text finally came, it was short and simple, saying he'd run into Sophia and told her to stay away. The relief that hit me was immediately followed by something else. Something tight and careful. I unlocked the door and stood in the hallway waiting. The elevator dinged. He stepped out looking pale, his shoulders carrying something invisible
DAMON'S POV The apartment had started feeling too small after four full days at home. Eve and I had spent long hours talking through the painful pieces, but my head kept spinning with fragments that wouldn’t settle. The restlessness was getting to me. I needed fresh air. “I’m going for a short walk,” I told Eve that afternoon. She was resting on the couch, one hand gently on her belly. Eve looked up, concern clear in her eyes. “Damon… are you sure? Sophia came here just a few days ago. She walked in and sat right on that couch, feeding you her version of everything while you couldn’t remember properly. I don’t like the idea of you out there alone.” “I know what she did,” I said quietly. “I’ll be careful. Just around the block and maybe sit by the fountain for ten or fifteen minutes. Phone is on, and location shared. I promise I’ll turn back if anything feels off.” She watched me for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay. But text me when you’re on your way back. Please.” I kissed
DAMON T I couldn’t shake it. Even after the hospital warning and Eve begging me to wait, that security footage kept calling my name like a bad itch I had to scratch. The next afternoon, while Eve was taking a nap on the couch, I texted Marcus again. Bring the laptop, I need to see it today. He showed up twenty minutes later looking nervous as hell. “Doc’s gonna kill us if this triggers another episode, man.” “I’ll be fine,” I lied. “Eve’s resting, let’s do this quick before she wakes up.” We set the laptop on the kitchen island. Marcus typed in the password for the secure file and hit play. The black-and-white footage loaded, timestamp from that exact day. At first I didn’t understand what I was seeing. Sophia was standing at the top of the stairs… talking to Eve. Not me, Eve was there, one hand on the railing, looking tense but calm. I wasn’t even in the frame yet. Where the hell was I? “What the fuck…” I whispered. Sophia was gesturing wildly, her face all twisted up like s
DAMON'S POV I woke up slow, like my brain was swimming through thick mud. The first thing that hit me was the smell that sharp hospital mix of antiseptic, old coffee, and plastic sheets. Machines beeped steady beside my head. My skull felt like it had its own heartbeat, pounding right behind my eyes. For a second I didn’t know where I was or why everything hurt so damn much. Then it all came rushing back in ugly little flashes: the bedroom floor, my hands gripping my head, Eve’s scared voice, the ambulance sirens screaming through the city. “Eve?” I rasped, my throat dry as sandpaper. I turned my head and there she was. She was slumped in the stiff chair next to the bed, still wearing the same clothes from last night. Her hair was messy, pulled back in a loose ponytail, and dark circles sat under her eyes. One hand rested on her round belly, the other loosely holding mine even while she dozed. My chest tightened. She looked completely wiped out, but she hadn’t left me, not for a
EVE'S POV I couldn’t sleep worth a damn. The apartment was too quiet except for the fridge humming and the weird little creaks the building made every night. Jessica had left around eleven after hugging me tight and telling me to text her if anything felt off. I’d tried the guest room but ended up crashing on the couch in the living room instead, too wiped out to walk any farther.My mind wouldn’t shut off...Damon’s broken voice, the sound of things smashing in his study earlier, the way his eyes looked when he said he remembered signing the papers. I finally dozed off around midnight, one hand resting on my belly like that could keep the baby calm. Then the crash came. Loud, from the bedroom. Followed by another thud and this awful choking noise. “Damon?” I yelled, bolting upright so fast my head spun. Nothing, just more ragged breathing. I ran down the hall, heart slamming against my ribs. The bedroom door was cracked open. Damon was on the floor next to the bed, curled up
MARCUS POV I sat in my car outside Damon’s building for a solid ten minutes after I left, just gripping the steering wheel tight, staring at nothing through the windshield. My hands were still shaking a little. I’d just dumped the entire truth on him in one big conversation. The doctor had been crystal clear...let the memories return on their own, naturally, but what choice did I really have? He was already getting those random flashes, piecing together ugly fragments that made him look like some heartless monster without any real context. At least now he had the full story, even if it was ripping him apart inside. My phone rang. Jessica. “I assume you heard,” I said, not even bothering with hello. “Eve just texted me, she says Damon’s shut up in his study and she can hear things breaking in there. What the hell did you tell him, Marcus?” “Everything. Sophia showing up again, the fake pregnancy, the stairs, the divorce. The whole damn thing.” “Marcus! The doctor specifically s
It went missing on a Friday.Damon noticed before I even knew what it was.He'd gone to his study after dinner, something routine. I was in the bedroom reading when I heard him go in.Then I heard nothing for a long time.Then he appeared in the doorway looking like someone had rearranged the world
Three days after Sophia's friends invaded my home, I came back from work to find her in the kitchen again.Using my pans. Cooking my food. Humming like she belonged here.Something in me snapped."Get out."She turned, looking innocent. "I'm just making dinner, I thought it would
I woke up to an empty bed and silence.For a second I thought Damon had left, then I smelled coffee.I got up, followed the scent to the kitchen.He was standing at the stove making eggs, still in pajama pants and a t-shirt. The table was set for two with fresh flowers in a vase."Morning," he said
I woke up Sunday morning still feeling raw from the gala.Damon was already awake, on his phone."What are you doing?" I asked."Drafting a statement for the company's PR team. Clarifying that you're my wife and that any pregnancy claims are unverified pending paternity testing.""Your mother's goi







