MasukCaleb pov The car ride to the clinic was very quiet, and my hands gripped the steering wheel tight, as the morning sun hit the glass. Bella sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window, her fingers tapping a slow rhythm against her knee.I turned the car into the clinic parking lot, parked in a spot near the front door, and turned off the engine. The silence came back, heavy and thick."We are here," I said, my voice sounding deep in the small space.Bella turned to me, and she gave me a small, brave smile. "I know. Let's go see what the plan is."We walked inside the building together, the smell of clean floors and medicine hitting us right away. The nurse led us back into a small room first. She had Bella step onto the scale to check her weight, and then she wrapped a black cuff around Bella's arm to take her blood pressure.Once that was finished, The nurse led us down the bright hallway and pointed to a door at the very end. I stepped forward, lifted my hand, and knocked tw
Bella POVIt was a Tuesday at six in the morning. I stood in the bathroom and stared down at the little plastic stick on the counter.Two bright pink lines. They were clear and unmistakable.My heart hammered against my ribs. I reached over and picked up the white plastic pack of birth control pills. I counted the empty spaces. Every single pill was gone. I had taken every single one on time, every night, without missing a single day.I looked back at the two pink lines. My hands started to shake. I gripped the cold edge of the white sink with both hands, my knuckles turning white.This was my third pregnancy. It was completely unplanned. Grace had just turned two in the spring. She was barely walking steady on her feet, and she had just started sleeping through the night without crying. Now, I was looking at proof that we were about to do it all over again.Suddenly, my legs felt like jelly. I could not stand up anymore. I slid down the front of the cabinet and sat right down on the
Bella pov "He is actually right," I laughed, looking at Caleb. "I have been looking for that earring since March."Grace was sitting in her high chair, watching the bright headlights flash under the couch. She banged her little palms against her plastic tray and made a sharp, angry noise."She wants to drive it," Tom said, jumping up. He brought the controller over to her chair, holding it carefully so she could only touch one big button. The car spun in a fast circle on the floor, and Grace shrieked with pure joy, kicking her feet against the tray."Again!" Grace shouted."She is getting very good at that word," I told Caleb, smiling as he wiped a bit of fruit pureé from her chin.Suddenly, the loud ring of the door bell echoed through the hallway. Tom dropped his controller on the floor and sprinted toward the front door as fast as his legs could move."Grandpa!" Tom yelled.I quickly unbuckled the safety strap on the high chair and lifted Grace up, resting her heavy little body r
Bella POVTom turned six on a Saturday, and by ten in the morning, the house was already incredibly loud.The sharp ring of the doorbell cut through the noise, and Tom practically flew across the rug. I walked out of the kitchen right behind him and watched him pull the heavy front door open.Maya stood, holding a massive, brightly colored cake box very carefully with both hands. She didn’t even step inside before issuing a warning."Do not touch this box, birthday boy," Maya said, balancing it as she walked past him into the hallway. "It is completely unstable until it commits to the kitchen table.""Is it chocolate?" Tom asked, bouncing on his heels as he followed her straight to the counter."Of course it is chocolate," Maya laughed, setting it down with absolute care.My laptop on the counter let out a loud chime. A video call request popped up on the screen. I tapped the answer button, and Diana’s face instantly filled the monitor. She was sitting in the front seat of her car, t
Bella POV"I don't think either of us did anything wrong, Olivier. I think we both just got handed something complicated. He carries a tremendous amount of guilt for my mother, Elaine. He didn't know she died, and he didn't know I existed. His reaction to me isn't a rejection of you or your mother. It's years of unanswered questions finally hitting him at once."He was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was lower and rougher."Our father is not easy to love," he said. "He is distant and works too much. He never shows thanks. I have spent my whole life trying to get his attention, but I do not think he knows how to give it."I looked at him, and everything suddenly made sense."You just described my husband," I said.Olivier stared at me in shock. Then, he let out a short, surprised laugh. He looked embarrassed, like the laugh had escaped before he could stop it. It was the first real emotion I had ever seen from him."That is either very comforting or very scary,"
Bella POVI was sitting in the living room of our house, watching Tom play with his toy trains on the rug. The evening sun cast long shadows across the floor, and the house was finally quiet after a busy day.My phone vibrated on the coffee table beside me. I picked it up, expecting a work email from my assistant or a message from Caleb. Instead, an unknown number lit up the screen.I tapped the notification and opened the text message.Unknown Number: It's Olivier. I stole your private number from Enzo's phone because I really needed to talk to you. I know after our last encounter you must have barred me from your business line. Can we talk? Just us. No agenda this time.I stared at the short message for a full minute. Tom laughed as one of his toy trains fell over, but my focus stayed entirely on the screen. Olivier only had my office line before, and he had used that to walk into my room and start a bitter corporate interrogation. He was right—I had instructed my assistant to bl
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
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
Bella pov I tucked Tom into bed and sat beside him, smoothing his dark hair back from his forehead. "I love you, Tom. More than anything in the whole world.""Love you too, Mommy." His eyes opened slightly, that grey gaze so like his father's that it hurt. "Mommy? Why do I look different from you?
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







