Mag-log inCiara's POV Seraphine’s hand slipped from mine. I kept walking toward the lobby even though every step felt like stepping off a cliff. Simon waited in the middle of the chaos in his perfect suit, with his perfect smile. I shook my head. Oh, what a perfect liar.The second he saw me he held out his hand. “Come here,” he said.I didn’t take it.The cameras caught every second. Whispers rippled through the reporters. A few phones angled higher.Simon laughed softly, low enough that only I could hear the edge in it. “Nervous?”“No.”“You look nervous.”“You look desperate.” I spat back.His smile flickered. Then it snapped back into place. He moved behind me instead, pressing a hand against the small of my back, guiding me forward into the cluster of microphones. I hated how easily my body still registered the touch. My nipples tightened against my bra, still so sensitive from the pregnancy that even the fabric felt like too much.The reporters exploded the moment we stopped.“Mr. Hale!
Ciara's Pov I dialed the number again. Still no response, then a few seconds later, a follow-up text popped up. Alice: I'm okay. I would call later. I sighed and threw my phone back on bed. Her text didn't make me feel any better coupled with the stress from the hospital. I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes the doctor’s voice looped in my head. Six weeks. Six weeks. Six weeks. Cain’s baby growing inside me while the world outside the mansion kept trying to tear itself apart. I turned the alarm off before it could wake Simon, then stood in front of the mirror in the dressing room. The woman staring back looked like a stranger. Pale. Eyes too wide. Breasts fuller and heavier, nipples dark and tight against the thin robe. My hand drifted to my stomach, pressing lightly. Still flat. But I felt the change everywhere. The reporters were already screaming outside the windows. My name mixed with Cain’s, with Simon’s, with questions about the motel and the gun and the lies.
CIARA'S POV I didn’t drive straight back to the mansion. I couldn’t face those gates yet. Instead I pulled into the small café Seraphine and I used to hit years ago when everything felt simpler. I slid into a back booth, the doctor’s envelope burning a hole in my handbag. Coffee sounded good until the waitress brought it and the smell hit my stomach. I switched to tea. That wasn’t much better either. My phone buzzed on the table. Seraphine is calling again. I guessed I can't turn down my best friend for now. I picked up. “I’m outside.” Seraphine said. I looked up. She was already pushing through the door with a folder tucked under her arm. Her eyes scanned the cafe until they landed on me. She dropped into the seat across from me and took one long look. “You’ve been crying.” “I know.” “You look awful.” “Thanks,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes. “I mean it affectionately.” She reached over and squeezed my wrist. Her touch was warm and steady. The kind of steady I needed
CIARA'S POV The phone stayed glued to my ear while I stood on the sidewalk outside the pharmacy, the paper bag with the tests digging into my palm. My nipples rubbed painfully tight against my bra with every small shift of my body. “Sera?” I whispered. “Are you alone?” “…Yeah.” “Good.” Seraphine’s voice dropped low. “I found Natalia.” I glanced around, my pulse hammering. “You what?” Seraphine laid it all out. Days of digging through clinics, mismatched dates, doctors who didn’t exist on paper. One place swore they’d never treated Natalia. Another had paperwork that looked straight-up forged. The stories kept changing every time Seraphine pushed. “I think she’s lying,” she said. “…About what?” “The pregnancy.” A truck rumbled past and I pressed my back tighter to the wall. “You sure?” My voice came out hoarse. “Not a hundred, but I'm ninety percent sure.” “Ninety isn’t enough.” “I know.” She sighed. “I’ll dig deeper. You should get rest.” Natalia wasn’t
CIARA'S POV Morning light filtered through the heavy curtains of Simon’s mansion bedroom. For one stupid second, everything felt almost normal. Then I heard the reporters from outside shouting my name, and asking the same questions on loop about the motel, the twins, the scandal. I sat up too fast. The room spun violently. My stomach lurched and my breasts felt heavy, nipples scraping sensitively against the silk slip. I grabbed the bedside table, fighting the wave of dizziness. Simon was already in the doorway, shirt half-buttoned, watching me with those sharp, calculating eyes. “You don’t look well.” “I’m fine,” I muttered, my voice breathier than I wanted. My body was betraying me again. My skin was flushed, a low, warm throb building between my legs like it remembered exactly who had last been inside me. “You look pale.” He crossed the room slowly.For half a heartbeat, old muscle memory kicked in: the way he used to pull me close, the lazy chemistry that had kept this fake
Jess POV I scrolled through the comments until my eyes burned. The rumor had moved past gossip pages. It was on three different blogs now. Someone had screenshotted it and added their own spin. *Hyde family secrets finally spilling out.* Another post called it *the ultimate brotherly betrayal.* My stomach turned every time I refreshed. A knock sounded on my apartment door. Sharp. Confident. I knew who it was before I even looked through the peephole. Natalia stood there in a cream coat that probably cost more than my rent. Her lipstick was perfect. Her smile was not. I opened the door but didn’t step aside. “What do you want?” She tilted her head. “Aren’t you going to invite me in? Or are we doing this in the hallway?” I hesitated, then moved back. She walked past me like she owned the place. Her heels clicked on the cheap floor. She stopped in the middle of the living room and turned slowly, taking everything in. “Cozy,” she said. The word sounded like an insult. I closed th
Ciara's POV That touch meant nothing. So why do I still feel it? I rush out and lean against the wall in the hallway trying to steady my breathing. Cain’s follows me, striding forward and only stopping when he's very close to me. Standing in a tight hallway, we hold each other breath, neithe
Ciara's POV I shouldn’t have slept, not after what almost happened in that kitchen but I forced myself to sleep as soon as I made it back to bed without getting caught. And the next day,I woke up to an empty bed. Simon is already up. I sigh and rub my hands over my face. I hope he doesn't brin
Ciara's POV Simon pulls me upstairs, his fingers tightening around my wrist like he already knew I’d done something unforgivable. I whimper, struggling to free myself, but he doesn't let go until we are finally in the room with the door shut. He gently places me on a stool and kneels before me.
CIARA'S POV I totally forget what I came here for. All I can see is a tattoo, sweaty abs and a V-shaped that was lost somewhere beneath his waistband— "My face is up here." He snaps his fingers. Oh! I lift my head to meet his face. "Can you turn down the noise? I need to get work done ups







