MasukCaleb pov The heavy door of the NICU suite clicked shut behind me, cutting off the soft, rhythmic hum of the incubator and the quiet murmurs of the kids.The hallway was sterile, lit by harsh fluorescent lights that made my eyes ache. I hadn't slept properly in days. The stubble on my jaw felt heavy, and the oversized hospital scrubs felt loose and foreign against my skin. But none of that mattered compared to the crushing weight in my chest.Diana didn't stop at the doorway. She walked a few paces down the corridor, stopping near a quiet alcove away from the nursing station. When she turned around to face me, her arms were crossed tight over her chest. Her grey eyes, so much like my own, were cold and completely unforgiving."What is your problem, Caleb?" Diana started, her voice a sharp, furious whisper that cut right through me. "Look at me. What is wrong with your head?"“Diana, please," I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face. "Not right now. I am going through so much right now
Bella pov The heavy glass door of the private room clicked open the next day.Tom walked in first, his small frame rigid under an oversized yellow hospital gown they had made him put on. His face was completely serious, his jaw set like he was a man on an important mission. Nadia followed quietly behind him, giving me a warm, reassuring nod as she closed the door.Tom didn't say a word at first. He walked straight to the center of the room, stopped, and stared at the plastic incubator."Mom?" Tom whispered, his grey eyes wide as he looked at the tiny baby inside the box. "Is that baby?""Yes, sweetie," I said, leaning forward in my bed. "Come closer. You can look at him through the glass."Tom took three very careful steps forward, keeping his hands tightly glued to his sides. He leaned his forehead near the plastic, his breath fogging up the surface. "It is so small, Mom. It looks like a little mouse.""He's a premie, Tom. He came a little early," I explained softly. "But he is ver
Bella pov "How long until I can see him?" I asked, my voice trembling as the adrenaline started to drain from my system."Give us about an hour to get him settled in the NICU and get your vitals stable," the nurse by my head replied, gently smoothing my hair back. "The anesthesia is going to make you feel very cold and shaky in a few minutes. That is completely normal. Just close your eyes and let us take care of you."I nodded weakly, my eyelids suddenly feeling like lead. The bright lights overhead blurred into long streaks of white as they moved me from the operating table to a rolling gurney.The transition was a fog of warm blankets, passing hallways, and the rhythmic beeping of a new monitor. True to the nurse's word, a deep, violent shivering took over my body the moment I hit the recovery room. My teeth chattered so hard my jaw ached, and my muscles clamped tight as the surgical drugs began to wear off.A nurse stayed by my side the entire time, checking my blood pressure ev
Bella POVIt was four in the morning when the blue light of my phone woke me. I rolled over on the narrow hospital bed, my hand reaching for the nightstand. The screen was flashing with a fresh notification from a celebrity gossip blog.The headline was loud, bold, and ugly.SPOTTED: BILLIONAIRE CALEB BLACK CAUGHT IN PARIS HOTEL ROOM WITH ACQUISITIONS DIRECTOR NADINA VOLKOVA.My fingers went cold as I tapped the link. The video loaded instantly. It was a close-up, shaky recording from inside a hotel suite. Nadina was there, her body pressed tight against his, wearing a thin, flimsy red silk dress. I watched as she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulled his neck down, and kissed him deeply. Caleb was right there, locked in the frame with her.A sharp, violent pain slammed into my lower stomach. I gasped, dropping the phone onto the hard linoleum floor. The device clattered against the ground, the video still looping in the dark room.I clutched my belly, my breath hitching as anothe
Nadina pov My nipples tightened against my blouse, aching. The scent of his arousal mixed with the cedarwood and leather of the room, making my head spin. My mouth watered at the sight of his powerful body bare chest glistening with a light sheen of sweat, thighs spread wide, that monstrous cock in his grip.Caleb’s head snapped toward the open door. His stormy grey eyes locked onto mine. For a heartbeat he froze, hand still wrapped around his thick, glistening length. His jaw twitched. Another low, dangerous moan slipped out as his grip tightened visibly around his cock, almost defiantly.I backed away on trembling legs, the carpet soft beneath my heels, my soaked panties clinging obscenely to me. “I—I’m sorry,” I whispered, voice hoarse, before pulling the door almost closed behind me. The latch clicked softly.The memory faded, leaving me standing in the present-day hotel corridor, thighs still pressed together, body burning with the same shameful heat.I had spent countless ni
Nadina pov I stumbled back to my seat, my knees shaking so badly I could barely keep my balance in my heels. I pulled at the low collar of my red silk dress, suddenly feeling cold, stripped bare under the harsh light of the room. Caleb did not even look at me. He just stood by the edge of the long table, clicking his pen, his face as hard as a stone wall.I reached for my glass, my fingers trembling so much the wine spilled over the rim and stained the white tablecloth. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced my breathing to slow down. My mind was spinning, trying to figure out where I had miscalculated.How did he know?The thought beat against my skull. Bella's hospitalization was supposed to be a tight, iron-clad secret. She had vanished from public view, and her medical situation was kept completely under wraps to avoid any eyes on her or her children.But I had my own ways of finding things out. I had spent months tracking every detail of Caleb's life from across the Atla
Bella POVThe morning after my breakdown, I woke up with swollen eyes and a pounding headache. Maya was already in the kitchen making coffee when I emerged, and she took one look at my face before sliding a mug across the counter."You look like hell," she said bluntly."I feel worse." I wrapped my
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 message came through my business contact line, which was why I almost didn't question it.Re: Singapore acquisition — potential whistleblower with documentation on Richard Hart's shell company activity. Can only meet in person. Time sensitive. Tonight, 8 PM, 14 Crane Yard (warehouse d
Bella POVThe problem with living with someone you were attracted to was that ordinary things stopped being ordinary.The way he handed me my coffee in the mornings — remembering before I did that I'd switched to one sugar — became a thing I was aware of. His habit of working at the dining table i







