CHAPTER 20: First Ultrasound

The doctor's office was in a discreet medical building on the Upper East Side—the kind where celebrities and wealthy families went when they wanted privacy.

Alexander had arranged everything. Private entrance. Pseudonyms. An OB-GYN who'd signed an iron-clad NDA.

"Nervous?" he asked as we sat in the waiting room.

"Terrified," I admitted. "What if something's wrong? What if—"

"Hey." He took my hand. "Whatever happens, we'll handle it together."

Together. That word again.

"Ms. Monroe?" A nurse called the fake name Alexander had given. "Dr. Patel will see you now."

The exam room was pristine and calm. Soft music played. The lights were dimmed.

Dr. Patel was a woman in her fifties with kind eyes and a warm smile. "Good morning. I understand congratulations are in order?"

"Thank you," Alexander said, standing close to me.

"Let's take a look at this baby, shall we?" Dr. Patel gestured to the exam table. "Bella, if you'll lie back. This will be a transvaginal ultrasound since you're still quite early."

I changed into the gown, acutely aware of Alexander in the room. We'd made this baby together, but somehow this felt more intimate than that night.

"Based on your last period," Dr. Patel said, prepping the equipment, "you should be about nine weeks along. We should be able to hear a heartbeat today."

Nine weeks. Over two months since that night that changed everything.

The ultrasound wand was cold and uncomfortable, but I barely noticed. My eyes were locked on the screen.

At first, I couldn't make sense of what I was seeing. Just gray and black shapes.

Then Dr. Patel pointed. "There. See that flicker?"

A tiny flutter on the screen. Fast. Rhythmic.

"That's the heartbeat," she said softly.

I stopped breathing.

Alexander's hand tightened around mine. When I looked at him, his eyes were wet.

"Strong heartbeat," Dr. Patel continued, measuring. "About 170 beats per minute. Perfectly normal. And here—" she pointed to a small shape, "—is your baby. Measuring right on track for nine weeks."

Our baby.

Real. Alive. Growing inside me.

I started crying. I couldn't help it.

"Everything looks excellent," Dr. Patel smiled. "Due date is approximately August 15th. I'll print some pictures for you."

As she left us alone for a moment, Alexander leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"We made that," he whispered. "You and me."

"I know. It's crazy. It's—" My voice broke. "It's real."

"Very real." He touched my still-flat stomach gently. "Hey, little one. We're your parents. We're going to take very good care of you."

More tears. Damn hormones.

Dr. Patel returned with printouts—grainy black and white images of a tiny bean-shaped blob.

Our baby.

"I want you to take prenatal vitamins daily," Dr. Patel said, handing me a prescription. "Avoid alcohol, smoking, raw fish, soft cheeses. The usual. Any questions?"

"Is it safe to... um..." I glanced at Alexander, blushing.

"Sexual activity?" Dr. Patel smiled knowingly. "Perfectly safe. Unless you experience pain or bleeding."

Alexander coughed, his ears turning red.

"Next appointment in four weeks," Dr. Patel said. "We'll do another ultrasound and some blood work. Congratulations again."

---

In the car, Alexander kept glancing at the ultrasound photos.

"You're going to wear a hole in them with your staring," I teased.

"I can't believe it. I mean, I knew you were pregnant, but seeing it..." He shook his head. "I'm going to be a father again."

"How do you feel about that?"

He was quiet for a long moment. "Scared. Excited. Grateful." He looked at me. "James was two when his mother died. I raised him alone. I thought I'd never have this again—the pregnancy, the anticipation, the partnership."

"Was it awful? Raising James alone?"

"No. But it was hard. I didn't have anyone to share the milestones with. The first words. First steps. First day of school." His jaw tightened. "I did my best, but sometimes I wonder if I failed him somehow."

"You didn't fail him. James made his own choices."

"Did he? Or did I spoil him too much? Give him everything he wanted to compensate for not having a mother?"

I touched his arm. "You can't blame yourself for who James became."

"Can't I?" He sighed. "But this time... this time I'm doing it right. With you. As a team."

"As a team," I agreed.

My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.

"Cute ultrasound pic. Shame if it got leaked to the press. -J"

My blood ran cold.

Alexander saw my face. "What?"

I showed him the phone.

His expression turned murderous. "How the hell did he—" Then his eyes widened. "The medical building. He must have had someone watching."

"He's following us?"

"Or he has someone on his payroll doing it." Alexander's hands gripped the steering wheel. "That's it. I'm done playing nice."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm cutting him off. Completely. No more executive position. No more company credit card. No more apartment allowance."

"Alexander, that'll make him even angrier—"

"I don't care. He threatened you. He threatened our baby. There are lines you don't cross."

He pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Marcus? It's Alexander. I need you to draft termination papers for James. Effective immediately... Yes, I'm sure... Do it."

He hung up and looked at me. "It's done."

"He's going to retaliate."

"Let him try." Alexander's voice was steel. "I've built empires. I've destroyed competitors. I've faced hostile takeovers and corporate espionage. My son wants a war? He'll lose."

I should have been scared. Should have been worried.

Instead, watching Alexander defend me and our baby with such fierce determination, I felt something else entirely.

Safe.

For the first time in months, I felt truly safe.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For what?"

"For choosing us. For protecting us. For—" I touched the ultrasound photo. "For this."

He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. "Bella Martinez, you and that little bean-shaped blob are the best things that ever happened to me."

My heart did that complicated flutter again.

Falling for him was supposed to be a mistake.

But as he smiled at me—genuine, warm, unguarded—it felt like the most right thing in the world.