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Chapter 98: The Shift in the Air

Author: Nuella King
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-03 03:04:29

Emma’s POV

There are moments in life that feel too perfect.

Too still.

Like standing in the eye of a hurricane—everything around you calm, but only because something bigger is circling, waiting to strike.

That was what this week felt like.

Quiet.

Too quiet.

And I didn’t trust it.

---

I stood by the nursery window, one hand resting on my belly as sunlight poured in through sheer white curtains. The room still smelled like fresh paint and new beginnings. Pale yellows, soft greens, stars on the ceiling. It was peaceful here.

A lullaby of a life I’d built with my bare hands.

And yet…

Something felt off.

Xander noticed it too.

He didn’t say it out loud, but I could feel it in the way he hovered just a little longer before leaving for work. In the way his eyes lingered on my face like he was memorizing every expression. In the way he tightened his grip whenever we held hands, like he was anchoring me—and himself—to this moment.

I wasn’t paranoid.

I was paying attention.

--
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