**Chapter One: I'm Pregnant?**

**Celine's POV**

The clinic lights buzzed overhead like they always did. I laid on the examination bed and stared at the ultrasound screen. My phone vibrated in my bag. I quickly pulled it out.

It was from the boutique.

“Mrs. Salvatore, your anniversary gown is ready for pickup,” the woman said cheerfully. “It turned out beautiful. Your husband will love it.”

I thanked her and hung up. A gown of shame. The same dress I would wear tonight pretending everything was fine, while everyone looked at me, knowing I still hadn’t given Diego a child after three years of marriage.

I put the phone away and looked back at the ultrasound screen. The gynecologist’s mouth moved as she spoke. It took a few seconds for her words to really reach me.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Salvatore. The baby looks healthy and is developing well. You’re five weeks pregnant.”

I blinked. My body jerked slightly on the bed.

“What?”

I must have heard her wrong. I stared at the flickering image on the screen. That tiny shape couldn’t be real.

The small exam room suddenly felt too tight, like the walls were closing in on me. I gripped the rails of the bed hard. My palms were sweaty.

I was pregnant.

Five weeks.

After three long years of negative tests that left me crying alone in the bathroom. Three years of appointments where doctors poked and prodded and shook their heads. Three years of sitting through family dinners while Diego’s mother stared at me like I was worthless. “She can’t even give us an heir,” she would say. Diego would just look down at his plate and stay silent.

I put a hand on my stomach. It still looked completely normal on the outside. But everything feels different now.

The gynecologist kept talking about vitamins and the next checkup, but I only caught half of it. My mind was spinning too fast. I was really going to be a mother.

Maybe this would fix things. Maybe Diego would finally look at me the way he’d used to. Maybe his mother would stop treating me like a problem.

I stood up on shaky legs. A staff member helped me with my bag. I mouthed a quick thank you. The gynecologist smiled and handed me a folder full of information.

—————

The hallway outside was too bright. White floors, white walls, the kind of clean that felt cold. My eyes started to water.

“Happy tears Celine, these are happy tears." This was supposed to be one of the best days of my life. I held the folder tight against my chest and started walking.

I kept thinking about how to tell Diego. Should I say it straight when he walked through the door? Or wait until we were alone and the house was quiet? Part of me was scared he wouldn’t be happy. Another part hoped this would bring him back to me.

Maybe I could make a big announcement at tonight's anniversary party. Surprise him in front of everyone with the news. That could be perfect.

I kept thinking about it as I turned the corner in the hallway.

I collided with a solid wall of a man holding a cup of coffee.

Hot liquid spilled across my shirt and his expensive black coat.

A strong hand closed around my arm and held me steady before I could fall.

I looked up. A tall man stood there. Dark eyes. Sharp jaw. Broad shoulders. His face was cold.

“I’m so sorry,” I said quickly, looking at the big stain on his coat. “I wasn’t looking. I’ll pay for the damage—”

He stepped closer, towering over me. His presence felt heavy and dangerous. He stared down at me for a long moment without saying anything. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out a clean white handkerchief, and pressed it into my hand.

“Clean yourself up,” he said in a low, cold voice. “And watch where you’re going next time.”

He let go of my arm and walked away without another word.

I stood there, heart pounding, clutching the handkerchief. I wasn’t sure if it was from almost falling or from the way that man had looked at me. There was something dangerous about him. The kind of danger I’d seen around Diego’s family too many times.

It didn’t matter right now. I had bigger things to focus on. I had a husband. I had news that could change our whole life. And I had a baby to announce.

The drive home felt longer than usual. When I finally got to the building, everything was quiet. Too quiet. This wasn’t some normal apartment complex. It was one of the Salvatore family’s properties — tall, guarded, with men who nodded at me but never really smiled. Today even the lobby felt empty.

I took the elevator up. The doors closed and I watched the numbers climb. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. A part of me was excited, the other part nervous. What if Diego was in a bad mood? What if his mother was there? She always made everything harder.

The elevator stopped on our floor. The hallway was dim. Curtains still drawn from morning. I walked past the other doors, my footsteps quiet on the thick carpet. Our bedroom was at the end of the hall.

The door was open just a few inches.

I stopped and listened.

Voices. Low and careful. A man’s voice. A woman’s voice. They were whispering, like they didn’t want anyone to hear.

That wasn’t the TV. Diego usually left it on loud even when he wasn’t watching. He said silence made him uneasy. In his line of work, quiet could mean someone was coming for you.

I stood there for a long moment, breathing slow, the folder crinkling in my tight grip. I wanted to turn around and leave. But I couldn’t. Not today. Not with this news burning inside me.

I took a few steps forward. My legs felt heavy.

I stopped right outside the bedroom door. I thought about the baby. About the three years it took to get here. About all the nights I spent alone wondering where Diego was and what he was doing.

Even if his mother was in there with him, he needed to know. This was important. This changed everything.

I pushed the door open.

And what I saw on the other side changed everything.