LOGINThe flat, steady beeping kept drilling into Nathan’s ears, burning into his brain like the echo of the moment the world stopped. Tessa. His Tessa. Lying there, motionless. Pale. Eyes closed.He wanted her to open them, to look at him again with that green that always anchored him to reality.“Please do something.” His voice came out rough and cracked, so wrecked it barely sounded like his own.They tried to move him back. Blue-gloved hands grabbed his arm and pulled, but he fought them with the blind desperation of a cornered animal.“Mr. Hale, you need to step out. We need space to work.” The doctor’s voice was firm, but all Nathan saw were the eyes above the mask, and in them he read the same panic that was frying him from the inside.“No.” Nathan growled, still struggling. “I’m not leaving her. She doesn’t want to be alone.”He knew they were right. He knew he should go. His body refused. He had to stay. Protocol meant nothing. Nothing meant anything. If Tessa left, if he lost her,
Tessa lay on the operating table. The bright, cold lights of the OR were blinding, the sharp smell of antiseptic so strong it felt like she could taste it. Her skin was as pale as the sheet covering her. Her breathing was short and rushed.Nathan Hale was already in a sterile gown, cap, and mask. Inside his chest there was a strange feeling, like an outsider had stepped into a sacred, terrifying ritual.“Mr. Hale, you can wait outside if that’s more comfortable,” the nurse said softly, her tone almost pitying. They normally didn’t allow anyone in except the medical team, but if Nathan Hale asked, they knew there wasn’t much they could do about it.For a split second, fear showed clearly in Tessa’s eyes. Her cold fingers clamped around Nathan’s hand, gripping so tightly it felt like she refused to let go.“Don’t,” Tessa panted. “Don’t leave.”Nathan didn’t think twice. His decision locked in. “I’m staying. I’m not going anywhere.”Inside him there was only one simple certainty. Nothing
The pain was alive. It was like a monster wrapped around the lower part of Tessa’s abdomen, digging in with steel claws. Each contraction crashed over her in waves, pulling her under, stealing her breath, wiping out any ability to think clearly. She tried to take slow deep breaths like she had once read in a book, but reality was far crueler and more terrifying than any printed words.Her body, as if betraying her, had decided to start this on its own, ignoring every plan and every medical warning she had ever heard.Nathan held her up with a steady grip that kept her anchored to reality. He guided her toward the elevator, his arm the only support she had while her legs trembled and nearly gave out beneath her. Up ahead, Julian rushed forward, slamming the button and yanking the doors open in a panic.“I’m driving,” Julian said flatly once they reached the car.Even with the heat of anger from Julian’s confession still hanging in the air, Nathan only gave a brief nod. His focus was lo
Tessa felt like she was floating on cotton clouds, the kind of light dream people said was common late in pregnancy. Then something yanked her out of it. A heavy thud, a hard hit, then chaotic, angry voices cut through the fog of sleep.Tsunami? Earthquake?She pushed herself up from the sofa, still dazed, heart pounding. Nathan’s jacket that had been draped over her slipped into her lap. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the office lights while rubbing her eyes.Then she saw it.The scene in front of her didn’t feel real. Nathan and Julian. Nathan had Julian by the collar of his suit and slammed him back against the bookshelf with brutal force. The books rattled from the impact. Nathan’s face was twisted with raw fury Tessa hadn’t seen in a long time. Julian, cornered but not yielding, looked tense as he shoved back.“You think you have the right to touch her, huh?” Nathan growled. His voice cracked like thunder that made the office windows tremble.“I already told you it
The past few months had turned Tessa into something she once thought impossible. At eight months pregnant, she moved with soft new curves and a warmth that seemed to radiate from her. She often felt insecure, muttering about her weight and size. To Nathan, it was like watching a Greek goddess carry life. Every curve, every inch of skin he kissed every night was living proof of the miracle inside her, their child. To him, without question, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.At the office, the late afternoon slipped by in reports and phone calls. But Nathan’s main focus, and his simplest pleasure, was sitting in his lap. Tessa, in a soft cotton maternity dress, rested her head on his shoulder, breathing slowly in a light sleep.The weight of her, the heat of her body pressed to his, had become Nathan’s new center of gravity. He could sit like that for hours, letting Tessa sleep in his arms while he kept working.Since the incident at court and the attack with the thrown
In the car, Tessa glanced at Nathan from the corner of her eye. The words were right there on her tongue but refused to come out. She was terrified of him finding out what had happened, something she herself still couldn’t fully accept. She wasn’t afraid Nathan would hurt her. She knew he would never take his anger out on her. But Julian… Nathan might actually kill him, even if they seemed to be getting along now.Nathan started the engine and the car rolled forward.Should she tell him now? Before they got to the restaurant where they were supposed to celebrate today’s win. Tyler and Jack were probably already there and… Julian too. It would be awful if everything blew up in the middle of dinner, with knives on the table. That would be genuinely dangerous.Their car pulled out through the courthouse gates. At that exact moment, a sharp, shattering sound exploded in front of her. Something dark and heavy slammed into the windshield on the passenger side, right in front of her face. Th







