LOGIN**Ava’s POV**The office had settled into a rhythm I was starting to get used to. The city skyline stretched out behind the glass walls, a constant backdrop of steel and light that never quite felt real when I was inside Ethan’s private space. I sat on the long leather couch he had arranged for me, my laptop open on my lap but the screen dark for the last twenty minutes. My hand rested on the curve of my belly, feeling the baby move in slow, lazy flutters that always made me pause and smile. The afternoon light filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the carpet, and I tried to focus on the quiet rhythm of Ethan typing at his desk instead of the unease that had been sitting in my chest since yesterday.Ethan had been like this all day, attentive in that quiet way of his, never letting me out of his sight for long. He had cancelled two meetings just to sit with me on the couch earlier, his hand on my thigh, his thumb stroking absentmindedly while he read reports. Every
**Ava’s POV**The office felt different when it was just the two of us. The city stretched out behind the glass walls like a painting no one had finished, all sharp lines and distant lights, while inside Ethan’s private space everything felt close and warm. I sat on the long leather couch he had set up for me against the far wall, my laptop open on my lap but the screen dark for the last twenty minutes. My hand rested on my belly, feeling the baby move in slow, lazy flutters that always made me pause and smile. The afternoon light filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the carpet, and I tried to focus on the quiet rhythm of Ethan typing at his desk instead of the unease that had been sitting in my chest since yesterday.Ethan had been like this all day, attentive in that quiet way of his, never letting me out of his sight for long. He had cancelled two meetings just to sit with me on the couch earlier, his hand on my thigh, his thumb stroking absentmindedly while he
**Ava’s POV**The office felt different when it was just the two of us. The city stretched out behind the glass walls like a painting no one had finished, all sharp lines and distant lights, while inside Ethan’s private space everything felt close and warm. I sat on the long leather couch he had set up for me against the far wall, my laptop open on my lap but the screen dark for the last twenty minutes. My hand rested on my belly, feeling the baby move in slow, lazy flutters that always made me pause and smile. The afternoon light filtered through the windows, casting long shadows across the carpet, and I tried to focus on the quiet rhythm of Ethan typing at his desk instead of the unease that had been sitting in my chest since yesterday.Ethan had been like this all day, attentive in that quiet way of his, never letting me out of his sight for long. He had cancelled two meetings just to sit with me on the couch earlier, his hand on my thigh, his thumb stroking absentmindedly while he
**Ava’s POV**The office felt different when it was just the two of us. The city stretched out behind the glass walls like a painting no one had finished, all sharp lines and distant lights, while inside Ethan’s private space everything felt close and warm. I sat on the long leather couch he had set up for me, my laptop open on my lap, but I hadn’t typed a single word in the last twenty minutes. My hand rested on my belly, feeling the baby move in slow, lazy flutters, and I tried to focus on that instead of the way my mind kept drifting back to yesterday’s visit from Clara and the half-naked woman in Ethan’s office.Ethan had been working at his desk, but I could feel his eyes on me every few seconds. He had been like this all day — attentive, protective, never letting me out of his sight for long. He had cancelled two meetings just to sit with me on the couch, his hand on my thigh, his thumb stroking absentmindedly while he read reports. Every time the baby kicked, he would pause and
**Ava’s POV**The office felt different when it was just the two of us. The city stretched out behind the glass walls like a painting no one had finished, all sharp lines and distant lights, while inside Ethan’s private space everything felt close and warm. I sat on the long leather couch he had set up for me, my laptop open on my lap, but I hadn’t typed a single word in the last twenty minutes. My hand rested on my belly, feeling the baby move in slow, lazy flutters, and I tried to focus on that instead of the way my mind kept drifting back to yesterday’s visit from Clara.Ethan had been working at his desk, but I could feel his eyes on me every few seconds. He had been like this all day — attentive, protective, never letting me out of his sight for long. He had cancelled two meetings just to sit with me on the couch, his hand on my thigh, his thumb stroking absentmindedly while he read reports. Every time the baby kicked, he would pause and smile, pressing his palm firmer against th
**Ava’s POV**The car pulled up in front of the towering glass building that housed Ethan’s main office. I sat in the back seat with my hand resting on my belly, feeling the baby move in slow, lazy flutters as if it could sense the nerves I was trying to hide. Ethan reached over and laced his fingers with mine, his thumb stroking the back of my hand in that steady way he had started doing whenever he wanted to reassure me without words.“You ready?” he asked, voice low and warm.I nodded, even though my stomach felt tight. “Ready.”He helped me out of the car, his hand never leaving the small of my back as we walked through the revolving doors. The lobby was all marble and polished steel, the kind of place that made you feel small just by walking in. People in sharp suits moved past us, some nodding respectfully at Ethan, others glancing at me with open curiosity. I kept my chin up and my steps even, but inside I felt exposed, like everyone could see the doubt I was still carrying fro
**Ava’s POV**The silence in Sandra’s living room stretched so thick I could almost taste it. I sat curled on the couch, knees drawn up, one hand pressed flat against my belly like I could shield the baby from everything that had just happened. Ethan was on his knees in front of me, his eyes locked
**Ethan’s POV**The penthouse felt too big, too empty, too wrong.I stood in the middle of the living room with my phone gripped tight in my hand, the screen still lit up with Ava’s name at the top of the call log. Twenty-seven missed calls. Twenty-seven times the phone had rung and gone straight t
**Ava’s POV**The door to Ethan’s office stood open, the handle still warm under my fingers. I had come to surprise him with lunch, the small paper bag swinging lightly from my hand, a smile already forming because I thought seeing me would make his day better.Instead, I froze.A woman stood inche
**Ava’s POV**The door to Ethan’s office stood open, the handle still warm under my fingers. I had come to surprise him with lunch, the small paper bag swinging lightly from my hand, a smile already forming because I thought seeing me would make his day better. Instead, I stopped dead in the doorwa







