Chapter Five – Secrets Unearthed

The car ride to the hospital was painfully quiet. Maya stared out the tinted window, the city lights blurring into streaks of gold and gray. Her stomach churned—not from morning sickness, but from worry. Adrian hadn’t said a word since the call. Not one word.

Adrian drove with his usual precision, hands gripping the steering wheel, jaw tight. But this time, she caught the subtle tension in his shoulders, the rigid line of his back, the way his jaw clenched each time a car cut in front of them.

It wasn’t just a regular checkup. He was scared.

And for some reason, that scared her.

“I’m fine,” she muttered finally, though her voice trembled.

He didn’t glance at her. “You’re carrying twins, Maya. That’s not one child, not one heartbeat. That’s double the risk. You’re not ‘fine.’ You’re human.”

She looked away, biting her lip. He was right. She was scared. Scared for herself, scared for the babies, scared for the fragile thread holding her family together.

Adrian’s car pulled into the hospital valet, and she noticed his hand tighten over hers for just a fraction of a second. She didn’t pull away.

In the ultrasound room, Maya sat on the table, the gown crisp against her skin. The technician was cheerful, but her reassurances fell flat. Twins or not, complications were complications.

Adrian stood behind her, silent, arms crossed. The tension radiating off him made her tense too, though she didn’t want him to see it.

The technician applied gel to her stomach and began the scan. “Both babies are healthy for now,” she said, her voice professional. “But we’ll need to monitor you closely. Multiples increase the risk of anemia, preterm labor, and other complications.”

Maya’s chest tightened. “So… nothing alarming yet?”

“Nothing that requires immediate intervention,” the technician said carefully. “But we’ll be keeping a close eye on everything.”

Adrian leaned over her shoulder to see the screen. “Everything looks… fine,” he said, though his voice sounded strained even to his own ears.

Maya’s eyes flicked to him. “You sound worried.”

He looked down, jaw tight. “I am worried. You’re carrying my children. I won’t forgive myself if anything happens to you or them.”

Her stomach knotted at the sincerity in his words. For a brief moment, the anger, the hurt, the resentment—all of it—was overshadowed by the raw vulnerability in his gaze.

She wanted to tell him she felt it too, but words failed her.

The rest of the day was a haze of tests and instructions. By the time they left, it was dark, and the city felt colder than usual. Adrian drove them back in silence, his hand brushing hers on the armrest occasionally, but never lingering long enough to be comfortable—or intimate.

At the estate, Maya retreated to her suite, curling on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. She felt exhausted in ways that had nothing to do with pregnancy. The fear, the stress, the relentless tension with Adrian… it was like walking through a storm.

Footsteps echoed outside her door.

“Maya?”

She looked up. Adrian stood there, holding two cups of tea, his expression unreadable.

“I thought you could use this,” he said, offering one cup.

She hesitated, then took it. The warmth seeped into her fingers, comforting in a way that made her cheeks burn.

“Why are you being… nice?” she asked quietly, sipping the tea.

He raised a brow, trying to mask his emotions with his usual arrogance. “Because I’m concerned. Because… I don’t want you to get hurt. And because the babies don’t need their mother fainting every other day.”

Maya swallowed, staring down at the cup. “I don’t need you hovering over me. You’ve done enough.”

His jaw tightened. “And yet, here I am. Because I can’t do nothing. Not anymore.”

The words cut through her defenses, opening a fissure she didn’t want him to see.

For a long moment, they just sat there, the only sound the quiet ticking of the clock on the wall.

Then, slowly, Adrian leaned back, crossing his arms, his face shadowed. “Maya… there’s something else.”

Her stomach lurched. “What is it now?”

He hesitated, clearly weighing how much to reveal. “When I reviewed your previous medical records—before you signed with the agency… I found something.”

Her pulse spiked. “Found what?”

He took a breath. “You had a miscarriage.”

The world stopped.

Maya’s hands flew to her face, the memory stabbing her like ice. She had never told him, not once. How could she? She had been afraid he’d blame her. Afraid he’d think she had failed him.

“I… I didn’t want you to know,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It just… happened.”

Adrian stared at her, expression hardening first, then softening with something she hadn’t expected—guilt. Regret. Pain.

“You didn’t tell me because… you thought I’d blame you,” he said slowly. “And yet… I never stopped thinking about what we lost. About you. About us.”

Her chest tightened. She wanted to scream at him, push him away, but all she could do was stare.

“I was wrong,” he continued, his voice low, steady, but trembling slightly. “I blamed you. I accused you of betrayal… lies that weren’t yours. And I… I let it destroy us.”

Tears prickled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “Adrian… that was years ago. We’re here now. This… this is different.”

He shook his head, stepping closer. “It’s never different, Maya. Not when I’m standing in front of you, watching you carry our children. Not when I realize how much I’ve lost.”

Her heart hammered in her chest. Our children. The words felt unreal, impossible, terrifying. She wanted to hate him, to reject him—but the truth was, part of her wanted to lean into him, wanted to trust that he meant every word.

“Adrian,” she whispered.

“Yes?”

“You… can’t just say you’ll never leave me again and expect it to fix everything.”

“I know,” he said softly. “But I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.”

The raw honesty in his voice made her inhale sharply. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to.

And then—before she could even process it—a sudden sharp cramp shot through her abdomen. She gasped, clutching the edge of the couch, her vision blurring.

Adrian’s head snapped toward her immediately. “Maya?” His voice cracked with panic.

“I—I don’t know…” she stammered, fear curling in her chest.

He was at her side in an instant, hands gentle but firm on her arms. “We’re going to the hospital. Now.”

The next moments were a blur. He guided her to the car, spoke rapidly to the driver, and stayed by her side the entire ride.

At the hospital, nurses rushed them in, checking vitals, placing monitors, and ushering her to an ultrasound room. Adrian hovered over her, holding her hand, his thumb brushing circles over her knuckles.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

The ultrasound technician scanned her carefully, her face calm but professional. “Both babies are stable,” she said finally. “But… there’s something unusual with one of the placentas. We’ll need to run additional tests to make sure both babies are getting enough nutrients.”

Maya’s breath caught. Adrian’s jaw tightened. He didn’t speak immediately, just stood close, silent, protective.

“I told you,” he said finally, his voice low, almost dangerous. “This isn’t simple. But I’ll do whatever it takes.”

She glanced up at him. His expression was fierce, unyielding—but behind it, she saw something she hadn’t seen in years: fear. Real fear for her.

And it terrified her.

Because beneath that fear was something else. Something that made her pulse race faster than any anger, faster than any resentment: hope.

Hope that maybe, just maybe, this time they could survive the storm together.

But before either of them could process it, the technician handed Adrian a folder of new test results.

He scanned it quickly, then froze.

Maya’s heart skipped. “What? What is it?”

Adrian’s eyes darkened. “This… this isn’t just about the placenta. One of the babies… has a rare condition. Something we need to act on immediately.”

Maya’s stomach dropped, panic rising like a wave.

And in that instant, she realized: this pregnancy… was going to be far more complicated than anyone had imagined.