CHAPTER 6: DEFENSIVE

“Do not mistake my silence for weakness. I am not keeping this secret for you. I am keeping it for the life growing inside me.”

Sofia stands at the kitchen counter early the next morning. She prepares toast and fruit. She does not make coffee anymore. She read somewhere that caffeine is something to limit now. She places her hand on her stomach lightly, almost unconsciously, before she sits down.

Daniel walks in a few minutes later. He is dressed in a sharp business suit. There is no sign that anything changed between them the night before.

“I have a breakfast meeting across town,” he says. He pours himself coffee without asking if she wants any. “I will not be back until late afternoon. Do not wait dinner for me.”

“Did you sleep at all?” Sofia asks. She notices the slight shadow under his eyes. She notices how he avoids looking directly at her.

“Enough,” he says. He takes a sip of coffee and checks his watch. “I have already told the staff you are not to be disturbed today. If you need anything, just ask. But try not to leave the penthouse unless it is necessary. People talk, and we do not want anyone noticing anything too soon.”

“I am not going to parade around announcing it,” she says. “But I am also not going to lock myself away like a prisoner. I need to go to the doctor. I need to make sure everything is okay.”

Daniel pauses with his cup halfway to his mouth. He sets it down slowly on the counter. He looks at her with a focused, serious expression.

“I will arrange a private appointment,” he says. “Not at your usual clinic. We will use a doctor who is not connected to the company or your family. It will be discrete. No one will file paperwork under your real name unless you want them to.”

“Why all the secrecy?” she asks. “Pregnancy is a normal thing. Why does this have to feel like we are hiding something illegal?”

“Because to some people, it is,” he says plainly. “If word gets out before we are ready, rivals will use it against us. They will say you trapped me. They will say the marriage was a scheme from the start. I cannot let that happen. Not while so much is at stake.”

Sofia stands up and picks up her plate. She carries it to the sink. She does not turn around to face him when she speaks.

“I did not trap you! And I did not scheme. If you truly believe that, then we have a much bigger problem than timing.”

“I did not say you did,” he says. “I said other people will say it. There is a difference. Do not make this into something it is not.”

“I am not making anything into anything,” she pointed. “I am just trying to have a normal pregnancy. Is that really too much to ask?”

Daniel does not answer right away. He picks up his briefcase from the table by the door. He adjusts his suit jacket once, twice, then looks at her one last time before leaving.

“I will text you the details for the appointment later today. Stay safe. And Sofia… do not discuss this with anyone. Not your father, not your closest friend. Not until I say it is time.”

He walks out. The front door closes. The lock clicks into place. She is alone again in the large, quiet apartment. She walks to the window and watches his car pull away from the building. She wonders if he is going straight to his meeting or if he is going somewhere else first.

The hours pass slowly. She reads. She rests. She checks her phone regularly for messages from him. There is nothing for a long time. She begins to wonder if he forgot or if he is just putting it off.

When the text finally comes, it is short and practical. Doctor’s name, address, time for tomorrow morning. No question about how she is feeling. No words of comfort or concern.

That evening, she hears the front door open around ten o’clock. She walks out of her suite to see if he needs anything. He walks in looking tired. He smells like expensive cologne and wine. There is a small smudge of lipstick on the collar of his shirt.

Sofia stops in the hallway. She points to the mark without saying a word. Daniel looks down at his collar. He does not seem embarrassed. He does not seem apologetic.

“I had dinner with clients,” he says. “Someone hugged me. It was an accident.”

“Clients do not usually wear that shade of red,” she says. “And they do not usually hug you close enough to leave a mark right on your collar bone.”

Daniel walks past her toward his suite. He stops halfway and looks back at her over his shoulder. His expression is firm, unyielding.

“Do not start picking fights, Sofia. Not now. We have enough to deal with. One mark on a shirt means nothing. Do not make it mean something it does not.”

“If it means nothing, then why are you defensive?” she asks. “Why do you act like I am unreasonable for noticing things that are right in front of my face?”

“Because you are looking for reasons to be angry,” he says. “And I do not have the energy to argue with you tonight. Goodnight. We will go to the doctor together tomorrow morning. Be ready by eight.”

He goes into his suite and closes the door. She stands there in the hallway for a long time after that. She thinks about the lipstick. She thinks about Chloe. She thinks about the baby growing inside her and the kind of world it is coming into.

The next morning, he is waiting by the door exactly at eight. He drives her himself.

The doctor’s office is in a quiet building away from the busy business district. No one recognizes them there. The appointment goes smoothly. The doctor answers her questions. She hears the heartbeat for the first time. Tears come to her eyes before she can stop them.

Daniel stands in the corner of the room with his hands in his pockets. He watches the screen. He listens to the sound. He does not come closer. He does not reach for her hand. But his eyes stay fixed on the monitor the entire time.

On the drive back, they do not speak for several minutes. Sofia holds the ultrasound photo gently in her lap. She runs her thumb over the faint shape captured on the glossy paper.

“Is it really real?” Daniel asks suddenly. His voice is very quiet. “Sometimes it feels like none of this is actually happening.”

“It is real,” she says. “And it will only get more real as time goes on. You need to decide how you are going to handle it. You need to decide if you are going to be a father or just a name on a birth certificate.”

Daniel does not answer immediately. He changes lanes smoothly. He keeps his eyes on the road ahead. His grip on the steering wheel tightens for a moment.

“I am going to do what is right,” he says. “But I need you to be patient with me. I have never done this before. I do not know how to be what you are asking me to be.”

“I am not asking you to be perfect, Daniel," she says, her brows furrowing. “I am just asking you to be present. That is not too much to give.”

They arrive back at the penthouse. He parks the car in the private garage. They walk inside together. As soon as the door closes, his phone rings. He looks at the screen. He does not answer it in front of her. He walks into the kitchen and steps out onto the balcony, closing the glass door behind him.

Sofia stands in the living room watching him through the glass. His posture changes as he speaks. He leans forward slightly. He nods. He listens intently. He does not look like a man taking a business call. He looks like a man speaking to someone very important to him.

When he comes back inside, he avoids her eyes. He picks up his suit jacket from the chair. He checks his watch.

“I have to go back out,” he says. “Something came up. I do not know when I will be home. Do not wait up for me.”

“Is it her?” Sofia asks. She does not say the name. She does not need to.

Daniel stops walking toward the door. He hesitates for a long moment. He looks like he wants to lie. He looks like he wants to tell the truth. In the end, he does neither. He just walks out without saying anything at all.

Sofia sits on the sofa alone. She places the ultrasound photo on the table in front of her. She traces the faint outline again with her finger. She thinks about the heartbeat she heard earlier that morning. She thinks about the promises he made and the ones he already seems ready to break.

Her phone buzzes once on the cushion beside her. She picks it up quickly, hoping it is him saying he is coming back. But it is another message from the unknown number. Her stomach drops as she reads the words on the screen.

“He is with her right now. He is telling her everything. Do not be surprised when she decides she does not want your baby to be part of their story.”

Sofia stares at the words. She checks the time stamp. She looks at the empty doorway where Daniel just stood. She thinks about how quickly he left and how nervous he looked when that call came through.

If the person sending these messages knows exactly where he is and exactly what he is saying, then how close are they watching her? And more importantly, how close are they standing to him right now?