chapter 12

The following week, that was on Thursday, Judith had her prenatal checkup.

She hated hospitals and it wasn't because she was afraid of them but because they were boring, very boring and most things she didn't understand.

Unfortunately, nobody seemed to care about her opinion.

Especially not Julian.

"I can go by myself."

"No."

"Julian."

"No."

"I am twenty-eight years old."

"And pregnant."

Judith sighed.

There was no winning.

Across from her, Ava looked up from her phone.

"I support him."

"Of course you do."

"I enjoy annoying you."

At least she was honest.

An hour later, Judith sat in the doctor's office while Julian and Ava waited outside.

The doctor reviewed her latest results.

"Everything looks good."

The tension in Judith's shoulders immediately eased.

"Really?"

The doctor smiled.

"Your baby is healthy."

Every time she heard those words, something warm settled in her chest.

Healthy.

That was all she wanted.

The doctor handed over a new ultrasound image.

Judith stared at it.

The picture was still blurry to anyone else.

To her, it was perfect.

A small smile touched her lips.

Without realizing it, she placed a hand over her stomach.

The gesture was instinctive now.

She would say atural.

As if her body already understood she wasn't alone anymore, actually never alone.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hospital, Liam had just finished visiting an elderly business associate recovering from surgery.

He was heading toward the elevators when he heard a familiar voice.

"...if Liam finds out, he'll make things complicated."

Liam stopped.

The voice belonged to Ava.

He wasn't intentionally eavesdropping.

But hearing his own name made him pause.

Julian's voice followed.

"He has no right to know right now."

Liam frowned.

Know what?

Ava lowered her voice.

"We can't hide the pregnancy forever."

Everything around Liam seemed to disappear.

Pregnancy?

His mind latched onto the word immediately.

Pregnancy?

Julian exhaled.

"I know."

"Judith can't avoid him forever."

"I'll worry about that when the time comes."

Liam felt something cold move through him.

Judith?

Pregnant?

For a moment, he simply stood there.

Trying to process what he'd heard.

He was trying to convince himself he misunderstood.

Just then the office door opened.

Judith stepped out.

And the world seemed to stop.

She looked happier than he remembered.

Healthier and bigger too.

A soft glow colored her face.

The sight almost distracted him.

Almost or it did distracted him.

Then his gaze dropped.

And for the first time, he noticed it.

The slight curve beneath her loose dress.

Barely visible and easy to miss.

Impossible to ignore once seen.

Is that why she wore loose dresses more often? He asked himself

Judith looked up.

Their eyes met.

The smile on her face disappeared instantly.

"Liam."

His name sounded more like surprise than greeting.

Julian immediately stood.

His expression darkened.

"What are you doing here?"

Liam ignored him.

His gaze remained fixed on Judith.

On the folder in her hands.

On the ultrasound image partially visible between the papers.

His heartbeat became strangely loud.

"You're pregnant."

And there was silence.

Complete deafening silence.

Ava closed her eyes.

Julian looked ready to commit a crime.

Judith simply stood there.

Frozen.

───

Nobody spoke for several seconds.

Then Liam took a step forward.

The movement alone made Julian move between them.

"Don't."

Liam's jaw tightened.

"Move."

"No."

The two men stared at each other.

Years of dislike suddenly becoming impossible to hide.

"If you think—"

"Julian."

Judith's voice cut through the tension.

Her brother immediately stopped.

Reluctantly.

Very reluctantly.

Liam looked at her deeply with hurt eyes

Not away or around her.

At her like he didn't understand what was happening.

"How far along?"

The question came quietly.

Judith swallowed.

"Twelve weeks."

Liam did the math instantly.

The final night they had together

The stormy night they said nothing about after the divorce.

The realization hit him like a punch.

The baby was his.

His child.

His son.

His daughter.

His offspring

For the first time in years, Liam Smith found himself completely speechless.

The drive back to the Smith mansion was a blur.

He couldn't remember half of it.

His thoughts kept returning to the same thing.

A child.

He was going to be a father.

And Judith had been carrying that knowledge alone.

The realization bothered him far more than he expected.

By the time he arrived home, Victoria was in the sitting room.

One look at his face and she lowered her book.

"What happened?"

Liam sat down heavily.

For several moments, he said nothing.

Then finally spoke.

"Judith is pregnant."

The book slipped from Victoria's hands.

For the first time in years, Liam saw his mother genuinely stunned.

"Pregnant?"

He nodded.

Victoria stared at him.

Then realization dawned.

"Oh."

Another pause.

Then another.

And suddenly her eyes narrowed.

"When were you planning to tell me?"

Liam looked at her.

"I found out thirty minutes ago."

Victoria blinked.

Then blinked again like she wanted to register the information

And then, quite unexpectedly, she laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because life apparently enjoyed making things complicated and she loved the game life was playing

Back at the Lux estate, Judith sat quietly in her room.

The hospital encounter kept replaying in her mind.

She had always known Liam would find out eventually.

She just hadn't expected it to happen like that.

Not in a hospital hallway.

Not because of a careless conversation.

A knock sounded on her door.

"Come in."

Julian entered.

For once, he wasn't angry.

Just concerned.

He sat beside her.

"You okay?"

Judith nodded.

After a moment, she added,

"I think so."

Julian studied her carefully.

"Do you want him involved?"

The question hung in the air.

A month ago, she would have answered immediately.

Now she wasn't so sure.

Because this wasn't about her anymore.

It wasn't even about Liam.

It was about the baby.

And whether she liked it or not, Liam Smith had just become part of that future.

The only question was what he intended to do next.