MasukVienna’s POVI was sitting on the edge of Oliver’s bed, smoothing his hair back as he stared up at me, wide awake and buzzing with leftover excitement."Mommy," he said, grinning, "today was the BEST day."I smiled softly. "Yeah? What made it so special?""Daddy came!" he said, as if that alone explained everything.My chest tightened just a little."He did," I said gently.Oliver rolled onto his stomach, propping his chin up on his hands."And he saw my room. And Luna. And the garden. And he said my treehouse idea is AWESOME."I chuckled. "That sounds like your dad.""And he said we can build it together one day!" Oliver added proudly."That’s really nice, honey."Oliver studied me for a moment."Are you sad, Mommy?" he asked suddenly.I blinked."Why would I be sad?"He shrugged. "I don’t know. You’re… quiet."God. Kids really did see everything.I forced a soft smile and leaned down to kiss his forehead."I’m okay," I said. "Just thinking about grown-up stuff."He yawned, his eyes
Vienna’s POVWarren stood in the middle of my living room, his hands shoved into his pockets like he didn’t quite trust himself with them."In fact, I owe you more than just an apology," he said quietly.I leaned back against the arm of the couch, folding my arms—not defensively, but protectively. There was a difference. At least, that’s what I told myself."I’m listening," I said.He nodded once, like he had been preparing for this moment."I’ve had a lot of time to think these past few days," he began. "About everything. About us. About the past. About where I went wrong."A humorless breath left him. "Which is… a lot, apparently."I didn’t smile."Go on."His gaze lifted to mine, steady but laced with something raw."I’m sorry for not believing you," he said. "Back then. With Desiree."My chest tightened.That name still carried weight. Still echoed with memories I had tried to bury."You told me something felt off," he continued. "You said she was crossing boundaries. That somethi
Vienna’s POVThree days.Three days without Edward.Three days without his warm presence filling the house, without his quiet strength grounding me, without his soft "good morning, gorgeous" whispered against my skin.I was standing in the kitchen, absentmindedly stirring Oliver’s oatmeal long after it was already done, when his little voice snapped me out of it."Mommy?"I blinked, turning toward him. "Yeah, honey?"He was sitting at the table, swinging his legs, watching me with a small frown."Why haven’t we seen Edward in so long?"My heart clenched so sharply it almost hurt.I forced myself to move, placing the bowl in front of him. "Here you go."He didn’t touch it. "Mommy…"I sighed softly and crouched down in front of him, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead."Edward and I…" I hesitated, searching for the right words. "We just… need a little bit of space right now."Oliver frowned deeper. "Why?"I gave a small, sad smile. "Because sometimes grown-ups have things they n
Warren’s POV"Oh, sure," Lauren said lightly, as if I had just asked her the time instead of questioning something as serious as a pregnancy.She reached into her designer purse and pulled out a folded document."Here you go." She handed it to me with a small, almost smug smile.I took it, my fingers brushing against the smooth paper. My eyes scanned the contents quickly.A hospital letterhead. A stamp. Medical jargon."Confirmation of pregnancy."My grip tightened slightly. On the surface, it looked legitimate.I looked up at her. "You came prepared."Her smile widened just a fraction. "Of course I did. I knew you wouldn’t believe me."I exhaled slowly, folding the paper again."No," I said calmly. "I don’t."Her expression faltered. "What?""I said, I don’t believe this."Her eyes flashed. "It’s right there in your hand, Warren."I placed the document on my desk."I don’t care what’s on paper," I said, my voice firm. "I want to hear it from a doctor. One I trust."Her composure crac
Warren’s POVI took another bite of the croissant. Despite the knot in my stomach, the buttery pastry practically melted in my mouth. Vienna had always been an incredible baker, but this… this was on another level.I shook my head in quiet appreciation. "Damn," I muttered to myself. "That’s good."For a moment, sitting there in the warm, cheerful little bakery corner, things felt almost normal. Then suddenly—"Daddy!" The tiny voice rang across the room.I blinked and turned around. "Olli!" I said in surprise. "You’re here!"Oliver came sprinting toward me like an excited puppy, his little sneakers squeaking against the floor. Before I could even stand up properly, he launched himself into my arms."Whoa!" I laughed, catching him. "Careful there, buddy!"He wrapped his arms tightly around my neck. "I missed you!"My chest tightened warmly. "I missed you too, champ."I pulled back slightly to look at him. "When did you get here?""This morning!" he said proudly. "Mommy picked me up fr
Warren’s POVAs Vienna turned around to face me, my heart sank. Her face was streaked with tears. Her eyes—usually so bright and lively—looked hollow, like she hadn’t slept in days.My chest tightened painfully."V…" I said softly, taking a step closer. "Are you okay?"Her reaction was instant. She swiped quickly at her cheeks and forced her posture straight, like someone trying to snap a mask back into place."Warren, hi," she said, her voice a little too bright. "What are you doing here?"She had completely dodged the question.I frowned slightly. "Well," I said slowly, "I realized I hadn’t actually seen the renovations I funded here in person." I gestured around the orphanage."Thought today would be a good day to stop by. See how everything turned out. And… check out your bakery."I studied her carefully. "But… if this is a bad time…"She shook her head quickly. "No. No, it’s fine," she said.The words came out too fast, too rehearsed. She was clearly lying.She turned toward the
Warren’s POVI didn’t think. I didn’t plan. On instinct, I just drove straight to Vienna’s house.When I reached the McAllister mansion, the gates loomed in front of me. Through the iron bars, I caught sight of them in the golden afternoon sun: Vienna, Fred, and Oliver.They were laughing. Playing o
Vienna’s POVI must’ve made a sound, because the nurse glanced over her shoulder and nearly jumped. She quickly cleared her throat and straightened, continuing with a little more haste.Warren followed her gaze, turning toward the door. His eyes lit up instantly when he saw me. "V," he said warmly.
Vienna’s POVI stood frozen, watching Warren walk away. His broad shoulders were stiff, his pace fast. Like he couldn’t get away from me quickly enough. My heart clenched so hard I thought it might split. The memory of our kiss this morning still burned on my lips. It had awakened something in me.
Vienna’s POVAs I tucked Oliver beneath his blanket, his lashes fluttered. He blinked up at me sleepily. His little voice was soft and slow."Mommy…""Yes, baby?" I smoothed his hair back from his forehead.He yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Big Man… he look like Olli."I froze, my hand still on his hea







