chapter 46

The Worst Day to Go Into Labor...

Judith was thirty-six weeks pregnant when she decided she was perfectly capable of attending a board meeting.

Everyone else disagreed.

Especially Liam.

"You're not going."

Judith looked up from her breakfast.

"Watch me."

Liam sighed.

They were sitting in the dining room of the Lux estate, where he had somehow become a permanent fixture.

At this point, nobody questioned it anymore.

Even Julian had stopped complaining.

Mostly.

"You were in the hospital three weeks ago."

"I was fine."

"The doctor said rest."

"The doctor also said I could move around."

"Not for twelve-hour meetings."

Judith ignored him and continued eating.

Across the table, Eleanor quietly moved her chair farther away.

Richard did the same.

Years of marriage had taught them when an argument was about to happen.

And when survival required distance.

"I'll only be there for a few hours."

Liam gave her a look.

The kind that clearly said he didn't believe a word she was saying.

Unfortunately, neither did anyone else.

───

Three hours later, Judith was exactly where Liam expected her to be.

Still at the meeting.

Still working.

Still refusing to answer his messages.

The only reason Liam knew she was alive was because Ava had secretly been providing updates.

A service she enjoyed far too much.

His phone buzzed.

Ava: She's still in the meeting.

A minute later another message arrived.

Ava: She just asked for more reports.

Then:

Ava: I think she's forgotten she's pregnant.

Liam rubbed his forehead.

That sounded exactly like Judith.

At around two in the afternoon, Judith finally stood up from her chair.

The meeting had gone on longer than expected.

Her back hurt.

Her feet hurt.

Everything hurt.

She made a mental note to never admit Liam was right.

Then she froze.

A strange sensation ran through her body.

She frowned.

For a second, she wasn't sure what had happened.

Then she looked down.

And immediately knew.

"Oh."

The boardroom went silent.

Several executives noticed her expression.

"Miss Lux?"

Judith looked up calmly.

Far too calmly.

"My water just broke."

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody processed the sentence.

Then absolute chaos erupted.

Liam was halfway through another meeting when his phone rang.

Ava.

He answered immediately.

"What's wrong?"

Ava sounded excited.

Far too excited.

"Don't panic."

Liam immediately stood up.

"What happened?"

"Judith's in labor."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Then...

"What?"

"Labor."

Liam was already moving.

"Now?"

"Generally that's how labor works."

He hung up.

Ava continued talking to herself..

The drive to the hospital was one of the longest thirty minutes of Liam's life.

By the time he arrived, most of both families were already there.

Of course they were.

Judith going into labor apparently spread through the family faster than breaking news.

Eleanor was talking to nurses.

Richard was pacing.

Julian looked like he wanted to fight somebody.

And Ava was eating chips.

Nobody knew where she got them.

Nobody asked.

"Where's Judith?"

Julian pointed toward the maternity ward.

"Inside."

Liam immediately headed there.

───

When he entered the room, Judith was sitting upright on the bed.

Looking surprisingly calm.

Until she saw him.

"You're late."

Liam stared.

"You're having a baby."

"And you're late."

A contraction hit.

Her face tightened instantly.

She grabbed his arm.

Hard.

Very hard.

Liam felt his soul leave his body.

Several seconds later, the contraction passed.

Judith released him.

Liam looked down at his arm.

"I'm pretty sure you broke something."

"You'll survive."

The nurse laughed.

Liam looked betrayed.

"No one is taking my side."

"No."

The nurse smiled.

"That's not how this works."

The next several hours were an experience Liam never wanted to repeat.

Ever.

He had negotiated billion-dollar deals.

Handled corporate crises.

Faced hostile investors.

None of that prepared him for labor.

Nothing could.

Judith alternated between squeezing his hand and threatening his life.

Sometimes at the same time.

At one point she demanded ice chips.

Then immediately decided she hated them.

At another point she accused him of breathing too loudly.

Liam apologized.

The nurse laughed so hard she nearly had to leave the room.

Judith was not amused.

Around midnight, things became more serious.

The joking stopped.

The contractions became stronger.

More frequent.

More painful.

Liam stayed beside her the entire time.

Never leaving.

Never looking away.

For the first time all day, he was genuinely scared.

Not because something was wrong.

Because seeing someone you love in pain and being unable to fix it was awful.

Absolutely awful.

Then Judith reached for his hand.

"Hey."

Liam immediately looked at her.

"You okay?"

She actually laughed.

"I'm not the one who's turning pale."

The nurse nodded.

"She's right."

Liam ignored both of them.

Judith smiled despite the pain.

Then she squeezed his hand.

"I'm okay."

For some reason, hearing her say it helped.

A little.

Not much.

But a little.

A few hours later, the doctor entered the room.

Checked everything.

Then smiled.

"It won't be long now."

Suddenly everything became real.

Very real.

Liam felt his heart start racing.

Judith looked nervous.

Excited.

Terrified.

Happy.

All at once.

Honestly, he probably looked exactly the same.

The doctor gave final instructions.

The nurses prepared the room.

Activity increased around them.

And for a brief moment, everything felt overwhelming.

Then Liam looked at Judith.

She looked back.

And somehow the panic settled.

Because they were together.

Just like they should have been from the beginning.

Neither spoke.

They didn't need to.

Their child was about to arrive.

And both of them knew that by sunrise, their lives would never be the same again.