The words sank between them like stones dropped into a still pond.Of course, Raellyn had known this moment would come. Lita was sharp and painfully observant. Even without hearing the full story, she could sniff out history like smoke lingering on old fabric. But that history… wasn’t it supposed to be buried by now? Wasn’t it just another relic of a life she had already left behind?“Ah…”A hollow sound slipped from Raellyn’s lips as her fingers tightened unconsciously around the hem of her dress. What was she supposed to say? That Gilbert had once looked at her with the kind of longing that had felt suffocating rather than flattering? That she had turned away from him without ever giving him the closure he sought? Or that, in some strange, twisted way, a ghost of that memory still made her uneasy, even now?Her chest tightened.Finally, she forced herself to meet Lita’s eyes, dark pools of expectation that refused to let her slip away.“What exactly… do you want to hear from me?”“H
Lita and Raellyn were now happily chattering in the cozy living room of her uncle’s house. The moment Lita opened the door and saw Raellyn standing there with her round belly, she practically leapt with joy. According to Sharon, just minutes earlier Lita had been sprawled on the couch, scrolling through her phone without the slightest intention of moving.Raellyn couldn’t help but chuckle at her cousin’s antics, occasionally nodding or shaking her head as Lita’s lively voice filled the room. Sometimes Sharon would cut in to tease her younger sister, and Lita would instantly puff up in protest, making Raellyn laugh even harder. It was a small reunion after a long separation, and a soft wave of nostalgia wrapped around Raellyn’s heart.Now that Sharon had left them alone, the two women fell into a more intimate rhythm of conversation. As expected, Lita’s favorite subject was Raellyn’s pregnancy. Her bright eyes kept flicking to Raellyn’s belly as though she could already see the tiny li
The sound of his name carried softly through the quiet room, and Arsene lifted his head as if it weighed a hundred pounds. His face was a wreck, rumpled clothes still clinging to him from the night before, eyes bloodshot and swollen, the raw evidence of a man who had been swallowed whole by despair.“Arnav…” His voice cracked, hoarse with exhaustion. “I’m sorry for coming without notice… barging in like this. I really am a disgrace of a brother.”Arnav’s brow arched slightly, but he said nothing at first. He took a step closer, letting the heavy silence stretch between them before he finally spoke. “What happened to you? You look… like you haven’t slept.”“I didn’t,” Arsene muttered flatly, as though the very idea of rest had been a luxury he no longer deserved.Arnav’s mouth closed again. Words never came easily to him in moments like this; he had never been the man who could patch the cracks in someone else’s heart with a few well-placed sentences. Instead, he watched his brother wi
The sudden sound of Mrs. Maddy’s voice from beyond the door made Raellyn choke on her own saliva, coughing as her cheeks flamed a furious red. Her gaze snapped to the bedroom door that was wide open now revealing the head maid standing there, polite as ever.Arnav, meanwhile, ground his teeth in quiet frustration, his body coiled with the heat of unspent desire that he now had to bury deep. Mrs. Maddy’s timing could not have been more excruciatingly wrong.“Ah—y-yes, Mrs. Maddy, what is it?” Raellyn stammered, rushing toward the door in an awkward attempt to mask the palpable tension in the air, though her flustered demeanor betrayed her completely.“My apologies for disturbing your morning… activities,” Mrs. Maddy said with the faintest, knowing pause, “but, you have a visitor.”I’m doomed! Raellyn cursed inwardly before freezing, her wide eyes snapping to Mrs. Maddy in utter disbelief.“A visitor? This early in the morning?” she asked, her previous flustered embarrassment now replac
Raellyn stood before the tall mirror in her bedroom, gazing at the reflection of a woman who had just risen from the embrace of sleep. Her dark, curling hair tumbled loosely over her shoulders, framing a face that glowed with quiet contentment. A soft smile curved her lips as her eyes traced the lines of her body. Fuller now, softer in places, touched with a sensuality she had never truly noticed before.She reached out, her fingers brushing the hem of the oversized T-shirt she wore. That is Arnav’s shirt from the night before, its familiar scent still clinging to her skin. Slowly, delicately, she lifted the fabric to reveal the gentle curve of her growing belly. Her palm pressed to the warm skin, moving in tender circles. A sigh escaped her lips, and her voice came out soft, almost like a lullaby whispered to a dream.“Good morning, sweetheart,” she murmured to the little life nestled within her.Her eyes glimmered as a rush of warmth swelled in her chest. Each morning felt like a qu
Everyone fell silent, stunned into disbelief by Arsene’s words. It was as if the corridor itself had been robbed of air.Then, as if the weight of it all had finally broken through his armor, Arsene’s body slumped. He sank into the nearest chair, his hands covering his face. His shoulders trembled, and the silent sobs he had been holding back finally claimed him. Hot tears spilled through his fingers, unstoppable, betraying the strength he had tried so hard to maintain. He wept without a sound, as if even his grief was too heavy for his voice to carry.“Arsene,” his mother-in-law said sharply, her tone firm enough to slice through the oppressive quiet, “do not say something so reckless.” Her words were laced with warning, with fear, because she knew the weight that kind of statement carried.“Sylvia?” Her name slipped from Mrs. Chyntia’s lips, breaking the suffocating tension in the corridor. All heads turned toward the hospital room door.She was there.Sylvia stood in the doorway, p