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WHEN THE LIGHT SETTLED

Author: Jason Keith
last update Last Updated: 2025-11-14 16:02:41

The light didn’t fade all at once. It thinned slowly, stretching into long strands that curled away from Adrian’s vision like threads unraveling from a tapestry. His breathing steadied before his eyes fully opened, but his body felt weightless, suspended somewhere between standing and falling. For a moment he couldn’t tell if he was still in the lower chamber or somewhere inside the Heart’s network, drifting in the afterglow of its awakening.

Then sound returned. A deep, steady pulse—no longer desperate or uneven—echoed through the metal walls. The Heart was no longer dying. It was awake. Alive. Rebuilding.

Adrian exhaled shakily and pushed himself up from the floor. His palms tingled, small sparks of residual energy dancing across his skin before flickering out. He looked down and saw faint lines of gold tracing along his arms like the remnants of circuitry. After a few seconds they faded, sinking back into his skin and disappearing completely.

“Lena?” he whispered into the quiet.

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  • MY EX IS PREGNANT FOR ME    THE FIRST KICKS

    The days that followed were a quiet chaos of appointments, preparations, and small, careful routines. Lena and Adrien moved through them together, tentative but determined, their new rhythm forming naturally as if their lives had been waiting for this moment to finally catch up.Lena sat cross-legged on the couch one evening, a blanket draped over her legs, the soft glow of a lamp casting warm light across the room. Adrien was at the table, laptop open, headphones around his neck, half-listening to the soft hum of music while he organized notes about their new arrangements for the baby—nursery ideas, schedules, and lists of supplies they would need. He glanced up every so often, checking on her, his eyes softening when she smiled faintly at something she was thinking about.Then it happened.A flutter. Subtle, almost like the brush of a bird’s wing against her belly. Lena froze mid-breath, staring down in disbelief. Another nudge, gentle but unmistakable.“Adrien,” she whispered, her

  • MY EX IS PREGNANT FOR ME    UNEXPECTED CONNECTIONS

    The day stretched ahead with a kind of calm that felt almost foreign. Lena and Adrien moved through the apartment in tandem, simple routines made significant by the quiet intimacy they shared. The small domesticity—making breakfast, tidying up, soft chatter about appointments and what groceries were needed—was a stark contrast to the chaos that had consumed them for so long. It was grounding, almost surreal, and both of them felt it acutely.Adrien leaned against the counter, sipping from a mug of coffee while Lena checked her phone. She paused on a notification that made her furrow her brows. “It’s from the clinic,” she said, voice neutral but curious. “They want to schedule a prenatal workshop next week… group sessions for expecting parents.”Adrien’s brow shot up. “A group?” He frowned slightly, unsure. “That’s… not really our style.”She glanced at him, amused by the twitch of discomfort in his expression. “I think it could be good. For both of us. To meet others going through the

  • MY EX IS PREGNANT FOR ME    A QUIET SHIFT

    The morning light filtered gently into the apartment, slipping past the curtains in thin golden stripes. Lena stirred first. She blinked slowly, feeling the faint stiffness in her neck from falling asleep on the couch. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but she didn’t regret it. Not when Adrien’s arm was still draped around her, protective even in sleep.For a moment, she simply watched him. His face relaxed, his breathing soft and steady, the faint warmth of him grounding her in a way she hadn’t expected. It was strange—comforting, unfamiliar, yet deeply familiar all at once. This was the man she had once loved fiercely, the man she had fought with, broken apart from, and somehow found herself beside again. Life had an odd way of circling back.She shifted slightly, and his eyes opened almost instantly. Alert, but softened when they landed on her.“Morning,” he murmured, voice still thick with sleep.“Morning,” she replied quietly.He stretched his arm a little, careful not to

  • MY EX IS PREGNANT FOR ME    PIECES OF US

    The evening settled over the city, soft orange light spilling through the apartment windows, painting the walls in muted warmth. Lena sat cross-legged on the couch, her fingers absently tracing patterns over her growing belly. Adrien leaned back in the armchair opposite her, one leg crossed over the other, a mug of coffee in his hands, eyes fixed on her in quiet observation.For a long moment, neither spoke. Words felt unnecessary, almost fragile, like they might shatter the peace they were both craving. Adrien watched the subtle movements of her fingers, the way her lips pressed together when she thought, and the soft rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He memorized her, not because he feared losing her this time, but because he wanted to—because the days were short and life unpredictable, and he wanted every detail etched into his mind.Finally, Lena broke the silence. “I keep thinking about the future,” she admitted softly, her eyes on the window. “And it scares me.”Adrien

  • MY EX IS PREGNANT FOR ME    THE THINGS WE HAVEN'T SAID

    The drive back from the clinic was quiet, but not the suffocating kind of quiet that used to weigh between them. This silence felt fuller, like the air was shifting around them, rearranging old wounds and making space for something new.Lena leaned her head lightly against the window, watching the blur of buildings drift by. Her hand rested protectively over her stomach, almost without her noticing. Adrien kept glancing at her from the corner of his eye—not to pressure, not to judge, but just to make sure she was okay.Every few minutes, she caught him staring.She didn’t tell him to stop.When they reached her apartment building, Adrien parked but didn’t turn off the engine. Neither of them moved to leave. The weight of everything that had happened that morning—fear, relief, shock, hope—sat between them like a living thing.Lena exhaled slowly. “I still can’t believe it.”Adrien’s voice was quiet. “The heartbeat?”She nodded. “I knew I was pregnant. But hearing it… it made it real. T

  • MY EX IS PREGNANT FOR ME    TEARS OF ACCEPTANCE

    The clinic waiting area was quiet, almost too quiet. Soft music played from a corner speaker, the kind meant to calm people but somehow only sharpened the tension instead. Lena sat beside Adrien, hands folded tightly in her lap. The clock on the wall ticked steadily, its rhythm loud in her ears.Adrien watched her fingers twitch occasionally, as if fighting the urge to fidget. He gently reached over and rested his hand over hers. She tensed at first—instinct, habit, fear—but after a heartbeat, she relaxed and let him hold it.When the nurse stepped out from the hallway and called her name, Lena inhaled sharply.Adrien stood with her. “I’m right here.”She nodded, and together they walked down the corridor. The walls were painted in soft pastel colors—calming, but somehow still cold. The nurse ushered them into a small exam room with dim lighting and shut the door behind them.“Doctor will be in shortly,” she said with a warm smile before leaving them alone.Lena climbed onto the exam

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