เข้าสู่ระบบThe last time we walked into the community center multipurpose room, we were imposters.We were two people sharing a secret, hiding behind masks, pretending to be a happy couple while the foundation of our relationship was built on quicksand. I remembered the guilt I felt back then, the heavy weight of lying to Marcus, and the terrifying pull I felt toward a woman I wasn't supposed to want.Tonight, we walked in as a team.I held the door open for Aria. She waddled past me—a word she hated, but one I found adorable—her hand resting on the high, tight curve of her stomach at thirty-four weeks."Ready to breathe?" I asked, placing my hand on the small of her back."Ready to get this over with," she corrected, though she smiled. "If Martha makes us chant 'om' again, I might go into labor out of spite.""I'll catch the baby," I promised. "I have great reflexes."We entered the room. The smell of lavender and gym mats was the same, but the atmosphere felt different. Or maybe we were differ
The pain woke me up at 2:17 AM.It wasn't the dull ache of a back spasm or the sharp kick of a foot in my ribs. It was a tightening, a vice grip around my entire midsection that squeezed the breath out of my lungs.I gasped, sitting up in the dark. My hand flew to my stomach.It happened again. Tight. Hard. Painful."Noah," I whispered.He didn't stir. He was deep asleep, his arm thrown over his eyes."Noah!" I said louder, shaking his shoulder.He woke up instantly. No grogginess, no confusion. He sat up, his eyes alert, scanning the room for a threat."What?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep but sharp with adrenaline. "What's wrong?""It hurts," I gasped as another wave hit me. "My stomach. It's... I think it's time."Noah was out of bed before I finished the sentence. He flicked on the bedside lamp, illuminating the room in soft gold light. He looked at me, his face pale but focused."Contractions?" he asked."I think so. They're... they're really strong."He grabbed his phone.
The baby shower was over. The guests were gone. The penthouse was quiet, save for the hum of the dishwasher and the distant city noise that never truly slept.I stood in the doorway of the master bathroom, a towel slung low around my hips, water still dripping from my hair. The steam from the shower billowed out behind me, a warm fog in the cool air conditioning.Aria was sitting on the edge of the bed—our bed, though she hadn't slept in it for weeks. She was wearing one of my t-shirts, her legs tucked under her, staring at the spot on the wall where we had hung the first ultrasound photo.She looked beautiful. She looked tired. She looked like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop."Noah," she said, not turning around. "We need to talk."My stomach tightened. It was the phrase that usually preceded a breakup or a lawsuit. But I knew this wasn't that. This was the reckoning we had been postponing with polite co-parenting and guest room boundaries."I know," I said, walking into t
Lily and Patricia didn't do "understated."I walked into the private conservatory of the Gramercy Park Hotel, and my breath caught. The room was a cloud of soft pink and shimmering gold. Balloons clustered in the corners like bubbles, and tables were laden with tiered cake stands, petit fours, and enough flowers to stock a botanical garden."It's... wow," I whispered, my hand resting on my bump."It's a celebration," Lily corrected, appearing at my elbow with a glass of sparkling pear juice. "You've been on bed rest for a week. You deserve a party."I was officially off strict bed rest as of this morning. Dr. Martinez had cleared me for "light activity," which apparently included being fawned over by fifty women in fascinators."It's beautiful, Lil," I said, squeezing her hand. "Thank you.""Don't thank me yet. Wait until you see the diaper cake. It's a structural marvel."Noah walked in behind me. He was carrying my purse and a bag of "emergency snacks" he refused to leave in the car
The week of strict bed rest was less of a prison sentence and more of a strange, suspended reality. The world outside the penthouse—the corporate espionage scandal, the wedding fallout, the implosion of the Stone family—felt miles away.Inside, our world had shrunk to the size of the apartment. To the rhythm of medication schedules, blood pressure checks, and the quiet hum of Noah working from the armchair beside the guest bed.I watched him now. He was on a video call, his voice low so as not to disturb me, but his eyes kept flickering to where I lay. Checking. Always checking.He had moved his entire operation home. The dining room table was covered in blueprints and tablets. Lewis, his head of security, stopped by every morning with encrypted drives. His assistant dropped off dry cleaning and groceries.Noah West wasn't just running a billion-dollar company. He was running us.He ended the call and closed his laptop. He stood up, stretching his back, and walked over to the bed."Lu
Thirty weeks felt less like a milestone and more like a sentence.My ankles had disappeared three days ago, replaced by swollen, fluid-filled stumps that throbbed in time with my heartbeat. My back felt like it was being slowly sawed in half by a dull blade. And the exhaustion... it wasn't just tired. It was a heavy, gray blanket that smothered me the moment I opened my eyes."Your blood pressure is 150 over 95, Aria," Dr. Martinez said, peeling the velcro cuff off my arm. Her voice lacked its usual warmth. It was professional. Concerned.I sat on the exam table, blinking at the spots dancing in my vision. "Is that bad? I mean, I ran here. Well, waddled quickly.""It's high," Dr. Martinez said, not smiling. "And there's protein in your urine sample."The air in the room seemed to thin."What does that mean?" I asked, my hand instinctively going to the high, hard curve of my stomach. Emma shifted under my palm, a slow, lazy roll."It means we're looking at the early stages of pre-eclam







