ログインSophia's POVThe bedroom door closed with a soft click that felt louder than it should have.Ethan stood in front of me in the thin light from the hallway, completely bare, the same way I was. The curve of my stomach sat between us like a quiet fact neither of us needed to name. His eyes moved over me slowly—shoulders, breasts, the rounded line of my belly, the soft place between my thighs—before rising again to meet mine. There was no hurry in the look. Only the same steady focus he had carried since the clinic, now turned entirely toward me.“Come here,” he said.I stepped into him. Skin met skin. The heat of his chest against my breasts, the solid press of his stomach against the lower curve of mine, the way his hands settled at my waist as if he were still reminding himself how carefully he needed to hold me. I felt the twins shift once, a soft roll, and his palm moved instinctively to cover the place where they moved.“They’re active tonight,” I whispered.“They know I’m here.” H
Sophia's POVThe house was quiet when we got back.Della had already left for the afternoon, the kitchen still smelling faintly of the citrus cleaner she always used, the counter wiped clean, the fruit bowl restocked like nothing in the world had shifted since morning. Ethan locked the door behind us with more force than necessary, then stood there for a second with his hand still on the knob, as if he needed the solid weight of it to keep himself from turning around and driving straight back to the clinic, or to Damian’s office, or wherever the text had come from.I dropped my bag by the stairs and walked into the living room without turning on any extra lights. The late-afternoon sun was already starting to soften, gold sliding across the floorboards in long, tired stripes. I sat on the edge of the couch and pressed both palms flat against my stomach, feeling for the familiar flutter that had become my private proof that everything was still real.Ethan followed a moment later. He d
Sophia's POV"An inconsistency," I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. "What does that mean?"Dr. Mathew held up a hand quickly, reading the panic already spreading across both our faces. "Before either of you spirals, let me explain properly. This is not a diagnosis. This is a data point that needs verification.""Explain it anyway," Ethan said, his voice tight, controlled in the way I recognized now as him holding something back by force."The genetic panel we ran includes several markers used to confirm compatibility and screen for certain inherited conditions," Dr. Mathew said, folding his hands over the folder. "One of those markers is typically used to help establish biological paternity, mostly for medical record purposes, tracking family history for the children's future care. In your results, that marker returned inconclusive. Not contradictory. Inconclusive.""What's the difference?" I asked."Contradictory would mean the data actively ruled Ethan out as the biologica
Sophia's POVTwo weeks had passed since the board meeting, and the house had settled into something close to normal again."You're glowing," Della said one morning, setting a plate of fruit in front of me at the counter. "Pregnancy suits you.""Everyone keeps saying that. I mostly just feel like I can't tie my own shoes anymore.""That's part of the glow."I laughed, and Della moved back toward the stove, humming under her breath, the easy rhythm of the house carrying on around us the way it had for the past two weeks, no reporters camped outside, no Penelope showing up uninvited, no calls from lawyers or board members disrupting the quiet.Ethan appeared a few minutes later, already dressed for the office, though he'd been keeping his hours shorter lately, something he credited to Della's cooking and something I suspected had more to do with wanting to be home in time for dinner."Morning," he said, pressing a kiss to my temple before reaching for his coffee. "How are my girls today?
Ethan's POVThe boardroom felt colder than usual that Monday morning, or maybe it was just my own nerves making it feel that way, every seat around the long table filled, my father conspicuously absent, still recovering under doctor's orders, Penelope seated near the head of the table in his place with the calm, satisfied posture of a woman who believed she'd already won.Damian sat beside her, arms crossed, the same calculating smile from the auction still lingering at the edges of his expression."Let's begin," the board chair said, glancing around the table. "Given Robert's continued absence, we're here to discuss interim leadership arrangements, as outlined in the bylaws.""I'd like to propose," Penelope said smoothly, before anyone else could speak, "that given recent... distractions, the board consider a temporary restructuring. Shared oversight, perhaps, between myself and Ethan, until Robert's fully recovered.""Shared oversight," I repeated flatly. "You want a seat at the tab
Sophia's POVDamian crossed the room before I'd even had the chance to set down my paddle, his expression carefully arranged into something pleasant, though nothing about his eyes matched the smile stretched across his face."Well played," he said, stopping in front of our table. "I didn't expect you to actually bid on your own house.""I didn't expect you to auction it off without our permission," I said evenly. "Funny how that works out."His smile widened slightly, though it didn't reach any warmer. "Consider it a gift. Now you get an official weekend there, receipts and all. Very generous of me, really.""Damian." Ethan's voice was low, controlled, though I could feel the tension radiating off him beside me. "You need to leave.""I'm allowed to attend a charity event, cousin. This isn't your board room." He glanced at me again, something calculating behind the pleasant mask. "Though I have to say, Sophia, I'm impressed. Most women in your position would have let their husband hand







