LOGINBella POVOnce the decision was made, things moved with a terrifying speed. The room was filled with people who possessed the calm efficiency of a team that had done this a thousand times.I hadn’t done this—not like this. My first birth had been different, but this felt like being caught in a current moving faster than I could process. Through the pre-op, the cold theater, and the surgical drape, Caleb never let go of my hand. His grip wasn't a performance; it was just warm, steady, and there."Look at me," he said when I started to shake."Talk to me," I said, low enough that only he could hear it over the sounds of the room."What do you want me to say?""Anything, just keep talking."He was quiet for a beat, and then he said, "Tom asked me this morning if the baby would like dinosaurs."I exhaled — something between a laugh and a sob. "What did you tell him?""I told him she'd probably like whatever he taught her to like." He kept his eyes on mine. "He said he was going to start w
Caleb POVThe chair next to her bed wasn't meant for sleeping; by the second night, my back was certain of it but I refused to leave anyway.Around midnight, the first nurse offered a proper couch in the family room."I'm fine here," I said."Mr. Black, you really should get some proper rest," she replied gently. "You can't support her if you're running on empty.""I appreciate that. I’m fine here."She didn't push, just checked the monitors and left.The next morning, a younger nurse tried a more direct approach. "The chair isn't good for your back," he noted."My back is managing," I told him.Bella watched the exchange from over the top of her book, with the expression of someone who found it mildly entertaining."He won't move," she told the nurse. "I've tried.""You haven't tried," I countered."I told you the chair looked uncomfortable.""That's not the same as trying."The nurse made a quick note on his clipboard and gave up. From then on, they stopped asking, and I respected t
Bella POVDr. Okafor delivered the news with a calm, steady hand—not cold, just direct. I appreciated that, even as the weight of the words started to sink in."The placenta is sitting low," she said, turning the scan image toward me. "Not critically, not yet, but combined with your blood pressure readings and the spotting last week, I want to classify this as high risk and manage it accordingly."I looked at the image. Then at her. "What does that mean practically?""It means reduced activity significantly. I'd like you working from home, minimal stress, no long travel. If the placenta doesn't move as the pregnancy progresses" She paused, choosing her words. "We'll cross that when we get there. Right now we manage carefully and we monitor closely.”Caleb sat frozen beside me, hiding his reaction while I kept my focus on Dr. Okafor. "Could I lose the baby?" I asked.She didn't flinch at the directness. "There are risks. That's why we're having this conversation now rather than later.
Caleb POVI had dismantled hostile takeovers, survived my father Victor Black's cruelty, and faced Bella's powerful return after her absence. But nothing prepared me for this pregnancy.By week nine, I was scentless and exiled from my own kitchen to avoid triggering her. By week eleven, I accepted the biological logic of her sensitivities without complaint. However, I was completely baffled by the sheer specificity of her cravings. I had researched everything in secret to avoid appearing excessive, yet I was still caught off guard."James," I said on a Friday afternoon, standing in the kitchen while Bella sent him a text from the other room. "What's she asking for?"James checked his phone. His expression remained professionally neutral. "A specific brand of pickled ginger, sir. Available at one retailer in East London."I looked at him."I'll leave immediately," he said.James flew to London specifically because the brand of pickled ginger Bella wanted was only sold at one family-run
Bella pov He pulled back and thrust back in, setting a rhythm that was deep and steady but exactly what I needed. Every stroke dragged against that perfect spot inside me. My breasts bounced with each thrust, nipples tight and aching. Caleb leaned down and sucked one into his mouth, teeth grazing just enough to make me cry out.“Yes— like that— don’t stop”“You’re so fucking wet,” he groaned, hips snapping faster. “I can feel you dripping down my cock. This is what you needed, isn’t it? My cock filling you up while you’re carrying my baby.”The words sent a fresh wave of heat through me. “Yes. Yours. Only yours.”He reached between us and rubbed my clit in tight circles. “Come for me again, Bella. Let me feel you squeeze me.”I shattered, back arching, walls pulsing around him. Caleb cursed, thrusts turning erratic as he chased his own release. “I’m close— where do you want it?”“Inside,” I gasped. “Come inside me. Fill me up.”He buried himself deep and came with a low groan, hips j
Bella POVHe kissed me again, slower this time, his tongue stroking mine in a way that made my knees weak. “You’re carrying our baby,” he whispered hotly against my mouth, his free hand slipping under my blouse to caress the bare skin of my back. “You’re glowing, your body is changing in the most beautiful ways, and all I can think about is how much I want to worship every inch of you. Tell me exactly what you need tonight. I’ll give it to you. Slow and deep, or hard and fast—whatever your body is begging for.”His words sent another rush of heat through me. I pressed closer, feeling the hard line of his arousal against my hip. “Hard,” I breathed. “I want to feel you lose control a little. I want to feel wanted like this.”Caleb groaned, his forehead resting against mine. “You are wanted, every single day. I look at you across a room and remember how you taste, how you sound when you come for me. In that lunch meeting today? When I leaned over the table? I saw the way your eyes darken
Caleb POVThree cracked ribs and a laceration requiring eight stitches — that was what the doctor told me, and Bella had opened her eyes just long enough to tell the nurse she didn't need that much fuss before the sedative pulled her back under. They let me stay with her after. I dragged a chair t
Bella POVThe courtroom was smaller than I expected. I'd testified in arbitration rooms before — but this was a criminal preliminary hearing, wood-paneled and fluorescent-lit, with a court reporter in the corner and a prosecutor who looked like she hadn't slept since days. I sat in the witness box
Bella POVI didn't see Caleb for the rest of the gala. He'd disappeared after his devastating revelation, leaving me to navigate conversations and networking while my mind spun with humiliation and anger.He'd heard me, he heard everything. By the time I made it back to the penthouse, it was past m
Bella pov The song was ending, our dance almost over, and I knew I should step away. But his arms were strong and warm around me, his scent was drowning me, and for just a moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like to give in. To let him kiss me in front of everyone, claim me publicly, mak







