Se connecterI started packing on Wednesday morning. Seventeen weeks pregnant now, the bump impossible to hide in anything fitted. I'd bought new clothes. Loose tunics and flowing dresses that skimmed over my stomach without revealing its shape. In three weeks, I'd be gone. Visa approved. Job confirmed. Apartment secured in Notting Hill. Everything arranged. Everything ready. I just had to survive three more weeks in New York without anyone figuring out what I was hiding. Jessica came over to help me sort through things. "You're really doing this," she said, looking at the half-packed boxes scattered around my small apartment. "I'm really doing this." "I'm going to miss you so much." "I'll miss you too. But Jess, I can't stay here. Every corner of this city reminds me of him. Of them. Of everything I lost." "I know." She helped me wrap dishes in newspaper, pack books into boxes, sort through clothes I'd keep versus donate. We worked in comfortable silence for a while. Then Jessica
The settlement closed on Tuesday. Sophia came home around four PM, looking exhausted. I was in the kitchen when she walked in, moving slowly, favoring her injured wrist. "How did it go?" I asked. "It's done. Eve signed everything. Paid the settlement. We never have to deal with her again." "Good." She set her purse down on the counter. "There's a no-contact order. Neither of us can reach out to the other. If we end up in the same place, we have to maintain distance." "That's probably for the best." "Yeah." She looked at me for a long moment, like she was waiting for something. "What?" I asked. "Nothing. I just thought you'd have more questions. About the meeting, about seeing her, about how it went." "I don't need details. It's over. That's all that matters." "Right." She walked past me toward her room and I caught a whiff of her perfume. The same scent she always wore. But something about it bothered me now. Made me think of the penthouse before Eve. Before the marr
EVE'S POV The settlement conference was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Lara Jean’s office. I had been dreading it all week. Originally the lawyers had planned for us to sign the documents separately. I would go in, sign my copies, and leave. Sophia would do the same later the same day. But two days ago, Sophia’s lawyer suddenly insisted that both of us had to attend the final meeting in person, together, with both lawyers present. They said it was non-negotiable. They wanted everything witnessed at the same time so there could be no future claims that anyone was pressured or didn’t fully understand the agreement. Lara Jean advised me to agree. She warned me that fighting them on this could drag everything out for months, and I couldn’t take any more delays. I just wanted this nightmare to end. So here I was. It wasn’t the money. One hundred thousand dollars was steep but manageable with the spousal support and my savings. What I really hated was the idea of sitting in the same
SOPHIA I'd been staying at the penthouse for four days. Four days of Damon hovering, checking on me constantly, asking if I needed anything. Four days of playing the grieving almost-mother. Four days of pretending the loss of a baby was destroying me. It was exhausting. But necessary. Because I'd miscalculated with the stairs. Badly. I'd thought the fall would be bad enough to make Eve look guilty but not bad enough to actually hurt me seriously. I'd thought I could control it, land in a way that looked dramatic but wouldn't cause real damage. I'd been wrong. The fractured ribs hurt every time I breathed. The broken wrist made everything difficult. And the concussion had left me dizzy and nauseous for days. But worse than the physical pain was the loss of my leverage. The pregnancy had been my insurance policy. My guarantee that Damon would keep choosing me, keep protecting me, keep believing whatever I said. Without it, I was just a woman recovering from a fall in his
EVE The call from Lara Jean came Wednesday morning. "The police have officially closed their investigation. No charges will be filed against you." I sat down slowly on my couch. "Why not?" "The security footage shows the incident wasn't a clear assault. The detective I spoke with said while it's obvious there was a confrontation, there's no definitive evidence of you making physical contact with Ms. Sterling before she fell." "So they're saying it was an accident?" "They're saying they can't prove it was assault. Which means they're not pursuing criminal charges." I should have felt relieved. Should have felt vindicated. But all I felt was numb. "What about Sophia? Is she going to try to press charges anyway?" "She can't press criminal charges if the DA won't take the case. But Eve, her lawyer called me this morning. They're preparing a civil lawsuit. Wrongful death of the fetus, emotional distress, medical expenses. They're asking for two million dollars." Th
DAMON I'd been staying at the hospital for three days. Sleeping in the chair next to Sophia's bed, leaving only to shower at the penthouse and change clothes. She needed me. That's what I kept telling myself. She'd lost the baby because of Eve, she was traumatized, she was in pain, she needed someone there. But really, I just couldn't face going home. Couldn't face the penthouse with its bloodstained marble and empty rooms. Couldn't face the silence. Couldn't face the security footage that Marcus kept insisting I watch. The footage I'd transferred to my phone but still hadn't opened. Tuesday afternoon, Sophia was discharged. The doctor gave her instructions about rest, about watching for signs of infection, about grief counseling for the loss. She nodded through all of it, her face pale and drawn. My mother was there to help us get home. Fussed over Sophia like she was fragile glass, helped her into the wheelchair even though Sophia could walk, made sure she had everyt
She could... she could stay just until the test happens and we know for sure. That way she has support but we're not...it wouldn't be..." He trailed off but the damage was done. "You want her to move in," I said, my voice hollow. "Just temporarily, just until..."
The call came from Damon's mother three days after Sophia sent the medical records.Catherine Sterling's voice was cold and clipped when Damon put her on speaker."We need to have a family meeting," she said. "This situation with Sophia and the baby needs to be addressed properly.""There's nothing
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
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







