Chapter 5

The Walls Begin to Crack

The moment Amelia dropped the truth like a grenade, Lucas did what he did best—hide.

He didn’t run. He didn’t yell. He didn’t even flinch.

He simply walked past her like she hadn’t just flipped both their worlds upside down with three words:

“I’m pregnant, Lucas.”

She stood there long after he disappeared into his study, the positive test still clutched in her shaking hand, her chest heavy with a mixture of dread and disbelief.

He didn’t demand a DNA test.

He didn’t accuse her of tricking him.

He didn’t do anything.

And that, somehow, was worse.

⸻

Amelia barely slept that night.

Her thoughts spun into chaos. Every time she closed her eyes, she pictured the way he looked—calm, unreadable, untouchable.

How could he be so cold?

How could she have been so stupid?

⸻

Across the penthouse, Lucas stood in front of his liquor cabinet with a glass of whiskey he hadn’t touched. The amber liquid caught the moonlight like liquid fire, but he didn’t drink it.

He stared at it.

At nothing.

At everything.

A baby.

His baby.

The word echoed in his head like a warning. Or a prayer. He didn’t know which.

He’d spent years controlling everything—his business, his reputation, his life. He’d drafted every clause in his marriage contract to avoid this exact situation.

No entanglements. No expectations. No future.

And yet, there she was.

Amelia.

Carrying something so fragile, so innocent—so his.

⸻

The next morning, Amelia expected him to be gone. That was what Lucas Ash did, wasn’t it? Disappear. Retreat. Ice over.

But when she stepped into the kitchen, he was there.

Coffee. Scrambled eggs. Fresh fruit. All laid out on the counter like some surreal dream.

Her footsteps slowed.

“You made breakfast?” she asked cautiously.

Lucas didn’t look at her. “I didn’t poison it, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“I wasn’t—”

“You were.”

Amelia crossed her arms. “Are we going to talk about this, or pretend the biggest thing that’s ever happened to either of us didn’t just explode into our lives last night?”

Lucas finally looked at her—and for the first time, she saw something.

Not cold.

Not detached.

But terrified.

“I need time,” he said quietly.

She stared at him. “Time for what?”

“To process.”

“To run, you mean.”

His expression darkened. “I’m not running, Amelia. If I wanted to run, I would’ve walked out last night.”

“Then why won’t you talk to me?”

Lucas slammed the coffee cup down hard enough to make it crack. “Because everything about you… undoes me. You walk into a room, and suddenly my control disappears. You say you’re pregnant, and I can’t breathe. What do you want me to do? Smile? Dance?”

“No,” she said, her voice trembling. “I want you to feel. I want to know this means something to you.”

Silence.

Painful, suffocating silence.

And then, so softly she almost missed it, he said:

“It means everything.”

Amelia’s eyes widened. “What?”

Lucas exhaled a shaky breath and looked away, ashamed of his own vulnerability. “I never planned for this. Not with you. Not with anyone. But the idea that there’s a life growing inside you—a part of me—” He broke off, rubbing a hand across his face.

“I should be scared,” he continued. “I am scared. But beneath that…” He paused, struggling. “There’s a part of me that wants this. Desperately. And I hate myself for it.”

Amelia’s breath hitched. “Then don’t hate it. Don’t hate me.”

Lucas looked up slowly, his gaze locking with hers.

And for a heartbeat—they weren’t boss and maid. Billionaire and contract bride. They were just… two broken people, caught in the middle of something too big, too terrifying, and too beautiful to explain.

⸻

That night, Lucas didn’t touch her.

But he stayed.

He didn’t lock himself away in his office or leave the penthouse like usual.

He sat beside her in the quiet, watching some mindless late-night TV neither of them could follow.

His hand brushed hers once.

And didn’t move away.

⸻

The next morning, Amelia had a doctor’s appointment.

Lucas insisted on going with her.

When they entered the private clinic, the receptionist’s jaw nearly hit the floor at the sight of Lucas Ash himself holding his wife’s coat.

The doctor, equally stunned, led them into the exam room.

Amelia lay on the table, nerves coiled tight. Lucas stood beside her, silent.

Then came the moment.

The sound.

A flickering, fast-paced beat.

The baby’s heartbeat.

Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at the screen.

Lucas said nothing.

Did nothing.

But when the doctor excused herself, Amelia noticed his hand—shaking.

And when she looked up, Lucas had tears in his eyes. The first she’d ever seen.

“Lucas…” she whispered.

He didn’t speak.

Just leaned down and pressed his lips to her temple. “I didn’t think I could feel this,” he said hoarsely. “But I do. God help me, I do.”

*******************

The moment Lucas hung up the phone, the silence between them felt even heavier than before. He hadn’t even looked at her. His gaze had remained fixed on the phone’s screen as he took the call, as if nothing had happened—like he hadn’t just revealed the most vulnerable part of himself to her. Like he hadn’t just admitted that he felt something for her. That he, too, was terrified.

Amelia stood there, frozen, her heart still thundering in her chest. Her hand rested lightly on her stomach, as if the simple touch could calm the storm that was rising inside her.

What had just happened? She could barely process the conversation. Lucas, cold and calculating Lucas Stone, had spoken to her like… like a man who wasn’t afraid to show he cared. It was a side of him she’d never seen before. A side she wasn’t sure how to handle.

Her thoughts raced.

Had he meant what he said? Was it guilt? Was it pity for her and her situation? Or had she heard something in his voice that wasn’t just for show?

She swallowed thickly, trying to compose herself, but the whirlwind of emotions she was feeling right now was making it hard to focus. She was pregnant—carrying his child—and she hadn’t been able to tell him herself. How had she gotten here? How had everything spiraled out of control so quickly?

But it wasn’t just about the baby. It was about her. About them. The night they’d spent together… it had changed everything between them. For a brief, fleeting moment, they had been more than just boss and assistant. There had been something there. Something raw and undeniable. Something that neither of them could ignore.

She clenched her fists at her sides, her body trembling from the weight of the secret she’d been carrying alone for so long. It was too much to handle, too much to keep inside.

The sound of Lucas’s voice pulled her out of her spiraling thoughts.

“We need to talk.”

His tone was different now, quieter, softer, but there was still an edge to it that made her stomach tighten with unease.

Amelia hesitated for a moment before taking a step toward him. She had to confront this. There was no running from it anymore. “Talk about what?”

He turned to face her, his eyes locking onto hers. There was no avoiding this now. There was no way to pretend that things were still normal between them. The silence that had stretched between them earlier was now a chasm, and it seemed to swallow everything in its wake.

“About us,” Lucas said, his voice low, almost hesitant. “About what’s happening here. About what’s happened.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. The knot in her chest was too tight, her heart too full.

“I didn’t expect this,” he continued, taking a step closer. “I never thought—” He stopped himself, as if weighing his next words carefully. “I thought I could handle this. I thought I could keep everything under control. But now…”

He paused, the words hanging in the air between them.

Amelia’s pulse quickened. She had never seen him like this—so raw, so conflicted. It was unnerving. Was this the same Lucas Stone who had signed a contract with her, demanding that she marry him and follow his rules? The same man who had treated her like an employee, like a tool to get what he wanted?

“I don’t know what to do, Amelia,” he said quietly, his voice full of frustration. “I don’t know how to be… anything more than what I’ve been. I’m not good at this. At feelings. At relationships. Hell, I’m not even sure what this is between us.”

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest.

He was confused. He was scared, just like her.

“I didn’t ask for this either,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I didn’t ask for any of this. For you. For the baby. For the mess we’re in.”

There it was—the truth. The truth she had been hiding from him. The truth she had been too afraid to say aloud. But now that it was out there, everything felt… heavier. Like the burden she had been carrying was suddenly much more visible.

“Amelia…” Lucas’s voice softened, and before she could stop herself, she took a step back.

“I’m not ready for this,” she said quickly, her hands shaking. “I’m not ready for… for you, or for the baby. I didn’t expect any of this. I didn’t ask for it, and I don’t know how to handle it.”

Lucas’s eyes flashed with something—something close to pain—but he didn’t move. Didn’t reach for her. Instead, he stood there, his posture rigid, as though holding himself back from something he wasn’t ready to confront yet.

“We’ll figure it out,” he said, his voice softening even further. “We’ll figure it out together.”

His words, though comforting, only made the situation more complicated. Together? Could they really do this together? Could she trust him enough to let him in? To let him be a part of her life—and their baby’s life—when everything about their relationship had been based on a contract? A marriage built on terms and conditions, not love.

But maybe… maybe that was the only thing they could do. Figure it out. Together.

She looked at him then, really looked at him, and for the first time since the night everything had changed, she saw something different in his eyes. Something that wasn’t just cold calculation or controlled indifference. There was something there that she hadn’t expected.

Fear.

Vulnerability.

Could he be just as scared as she was?

“I never wanted to hurt you,” Lucas said quietly, breaking the silence. “I never wanted any of this to happen. But now that it has… I don’t know what to do. But I’m not going to walk away.”

Amelia swallowed hard, her chest tightening. She was torn between wanting to reach out to him and the fear that if she did, she would be setting herself up for more heartache. More disappointment.

“I don’t know how to trust you,” she said, the words coming out before she could stop them. “I don’t know if I can.”

The admission was like a weight lifting off her shoulders, even though it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Lucas didn’t flinch. Instead, he stepped closer to her, his eyes searching hers. “I’m not asking you to trust me right away. I’m not asking for anything more than your honesty. We have to start somewhere, Amelia.”

Start somewhere. The words lingered in the air between them, heavy with their meaning.

She didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t know if she could give him that honesty. But what other choice did she have? She couldn’t keep running from this—this baby, this contract, this man.

Lucas reached out then, not for her hand, but for her face. His fingers gently cupped her cheek, and for a brief, fleeting moment, she allowed herself to lean into his touch, to feel the warmth of his skin on hers. But then the fear crept back in, and she pulled away.

“I need time,” she whispered. “I need time to think.”

“Take all the time you need,” he said softly. “I’ll wait.”

And for the first time, she believed him.

But as she turned and walked out of the office, her mind racing with questions, with doubts, and with a fear she couldn’t quite shake, one thing was clear.

They were no longer just two people trapped in a marriage of convenience.

They were in this together. And no matter how hard they tried to avoid it, that connection—whatever it was—was real.

And it wasn’t going anywhere.