Mia's POVMy morning sickness had finally started to ease. But sleep was becoming my new enemy sometimes. my dreams were filled with storm-grey eyes that had once known every inch of me. I'd wake gasping, only to find myself in my new apartment with Gas snoring softly from his bed. This morning was no different. I lay in bed, watching dawn paint my ceiling in shades of pink and gold while my hands rested on my slightly rounded belly. Ten weeks. The babies were the size of small limes now, according to my pregnancy app.My phone buzzed with Scarlett's familiar tone:"Get dressed! We're going out tonight! 💃🏻"I texted back: "Can't drink, remember? Doctor's orders."Her response was immediate: "So? You can still have fun! Besides, I need my best friend. "I smiled despite myself. "Fine. But I'm leaving by 10.""Deal! Wear that green dress that makes your boobs look amazing! Love you! 😘"Speaking of boobs... I glanced down at my chest, which had definitely gotten fuller lately. Soon I
Mia's POV"Are you sure this dress hides everything?" I twisted in front of my bedroom mirror, studying my reflection critically. The loose navy silk skimmed over my small bump, but I swore it was more noticeable than yesterday.Mom appeared in the doorway, already dressed in her favorite cream blazer. Her taste seems didn't change. "You look beautiful. Stop fussing.""I'm not fussing. I'm being cautious." I smoothed the fabric again. "You know how observant Linda Morgan is.""Scarlett's mother has always been too nosy for her own good." Mom checked her watch. "Now come on, we're going to be late."The Morgan estate hadn't changed since I was a teenager. Same elegant fountain gurgling in the circular driveway. Memories of countless sleepovers with Scarlett flooded back as we pulled up to the entrance."There you are!" Scarlett bounced down the front steps, looking effortlessly glamorous in a red wrap dress. She hugged me carefully - she'd been treating me like I might break since lear
Mia's POV"Hold still, you big baby." I ran the brush through Gas's fur as he wiggled happily on the living room floor. "How are you this excited about grooming?"He just wagged his tail harder, rolling onto his back for belly rubs. Lately, he'd developed a new habit – pressing his head against my growing bump whenever possible. The vet said dogs could sometimes hear baby heartbeats before humans could feel them. "You're going to be the best big brother," I told him softly. He responded by army-crawling closer until his ears were pressed firmly against my stomach."He's been doing that a lot lately." Mom's voice made me look up. She stood in the doorway holding a large accordion file, her expression unreadable."Yeah, the babies have a new bodyguard." I scratched Gas's ears. "What's all that?"She moved to the couch, setting the file on our coffee table. "We need to talk about some things."Something in her tone made me sit up straighter. "Mom?""First," she pulled out a stack of pap
**Mia's POV**"This is ridiculous," I muttered, squinting at yet another spreadsheet. Gas lifted his head from his spot by my feet, giving me his signature head-tilt of concern. I lifted him up into my arms."Gas, look at these numbers. How does a project go thirty percent over budget without anyone noticing?"Gas woofed softly. "Yeah, that's what I thought too." I rubbed my eyes, trying to make sense of Williams Construction Group's financial reports. The screen blurred slightly as I'd been at this for hours, and the numbers were starting to swim. "Who knew saving a company would be this complicated, huh?"And the progress report from its biggest project, now six months behind schedule. I clicked through photos of the half-finished building, noting obvious issues even my limited construction experience could spot. Sloppy work, poor planning, zero oversight."If my great-grandmother could know, Great-grandma would have a fit," I told Gas, who had moved to press his head against my sli
**Mia's POV**Nate looked stunning. He was indeed one of the most handsome doctors I had ever seen. If I hadn't met Kyle and gone through those crazy infatuated times with him, I would have been happy to meet a man like Nate. But things didn't turn out that way. Everything was out of place.He opened the passenger door with exaggerated formality. The leather seat was butter-soft as I slid in, that new-car smell mixing with whatever expensive cologne he wore. I felt nauseous immediately. “Nate, can I open the windows?”"Sure." He closed my door before circling to the driver's side. “Are you not feeling well?”“No, I think I ate too much fried chicken for lunch.” I lied."Okay.If you need anything, let me know." I nodded and fastened my seat belt."So...are you going to tell me why you've been avoiding me these day?""I haven't—" But the words died at his raised eyebrow. "Okay, fine. Maybe a little."The engine purred to life as he pulled away from the curb. Neither of us spoke for a m
Mia's POVThe nausea hit again without warning. One moment I was hanging up Nate's jacket in my closet, thinking about the baklava that had tasted so perfect at Yiayia's, and the next I was sprinting to the bathroom. My knees crashed against the cold tile as everything I'd eaten came rushing back up.Gas's nails clicked frantically on the hardwood as he followed me, his concerned whines echoing off the bathroom walls. He pressed against my leg, warm and solid, as I clutched the toilet bowl."Not now, buddy," I gasped between heaves. "I'm okay, I promise."But he stayed, tail drooping, as I emptied what felt like everything I'd ever eaten. The grilled meats, the fresh bread, even that perfect baklava. It all tasted significantly less wonderful when coming back up."Mia?" Mom's soft knock preceded her entrance. "Oh, sweetheart."She moved with quiet efficiency, setting down a glass of water and dampening a washcloth at the sink. The familiar scent of her lavender hand cream mixed with t
Mia's POV"Could this fucking be true?" Scarlett desperately swiped her phone, and I remember that I took a picture of them that day. ”Gosh, this bitch is literally everywhere!”"Look!" She finally pulled up the photo she'd taken that day. Taylor wrapped around a man who was very definitely Morton's younger brother. "It's his brother!!!" Gas was startled by Scarlett's scream through the screen."Holy shit." Scarlett sat up so fast her wine nearly spilled. "Taylor's been sleeping with Morton's brother? While she's supposedly with Kyle?"I take back the thought I just had about “I've learned the truth about Taylor.” She can always do something that I can't understand. One second she's saying she's pregnant with Kyle's baby, and the next she's dating Alexander Morton. Has she ever told the truth?My hand drifted instinctively to my stomach, where my babies grew oblivious to all this drama. "I guess she's not as devoted to Kyle as she pretends.""Should we tell him?" Scarlett asked caref
Mia's POVThe gentle hum of hair dryers filled the air. I settled into the plush salon chair, letting myself relax for the first time in what felt like weeks. The stylist's fingers worked on my scalp, and I couldn't help but close my eyes."You look like you're about to fall asleep," Scarlett commented from the chair next to mine. "When's the last time you actually treated yourself?""Too long," I admitted, closing my eyes as the stylist worked the treatment through my hair. The warmth from the scalp massage was making me drowsy. "When did you even find time to book this place? It usually takes weeks to get an appointment.""Please." Scarlett snorted from the chair next to mine. "They always have space for me. Though I had to promise Clara I'd bring Morton to her cousin's gallery opening next month.""Using your fiancé's name already?" I teased, opening one eye to look at her."Using his family's connections," she corrected primly. "Besides, he owes me after what happened yesterday."
Mia's POVPain unlike anything I'd ever known tore through my body, a white-hot blade slicing from my spine to my abdomen. The contractions were relentless now, coming one after another without respite, each one stronger than the last. I could feel myself slipping, the edges of my consciousness growing dim."Her blood pressure is dropping again—80/40," a nurse called out, her voice tight with tension. "Heart rate 135.""She's hemorrhaging," Dr. Levine's voice cut through the haze. "Looks like a partial placental abruption. We need to get these babies out now."A mask was placed over my face, the rush of oxygen cool against my skin. The room swam before my eyes, faces blurring into indistinct shapes as blood loss pulled me closer to unconsciousness."Type and cross for four units of packed cells, two units of fresh frozen plasma, and one unit of platelets," Dr. Levine ordered. "And get me an OR. We're doing an emergency C-section."My body felt foreign to me now—heavy and light simulta
Kyle's POVPain. Unimaginable pain.My consciousness came in waves, each one bringing a fresh torrent of agony. The bullet had torn through me like fire, leaving devastation in its wake. I could hear voices around me, urgent and clinical, but they seemed to be coming from underwater, distorted and distant."BP dropping again!""More blood, now!""We're losing him!"I felt myself slipping. The pain began to recede, replaced by a strange weightlessness that should have alarmed me but instead felt oddly peaceful. Was this what dying felt like?The operating room faded around me. The harsh lights, the metallic clink of instruments, the desperate commands of the surgical team. All of it dissolved into a soft darkness.And then, unexpectedly, light.I was small again. Six years old, terrified, huddled in the corner of a damp warehouse. The ropes had cut into my wrists, leaving them raw and bleeding. I could still feel the ache of hunger, the desperate thirst that had made my tongue stick to
Mia's POV"KYLE!" My scream echoed through the hospital corridor as they wheeled him away, his blood leaving a horrifying trail on the white floor. The medical team moved with terrifying urgency, their faces grim."BP critical at 70/30!" "He's tachycardic, pulse 140!" "Blood loss approximately two liters!" "Move, people! We're losing him!"I lunged forward, desperate to reach him, my hands outstretched toward his motionless form. His face had turned an ashen gray, lips tinged blue, eyelids still. So still. Not like Kyle at all."Ma'am, STOP!" A nurse blocked my path as they rushed Kyle through swinging doors marked AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. "You can't go in there.""He's dying!" I sobbed, my voice breaking. "He took that bullet for me!""If you want him to live, you need to let the surgical team work," she said firmly, gripping my shoulders. "And you—" her eyes dropped to my blood-spattered belly, "—need immedia
Kyle's POVMia.She was alive.The maintenance door opened into a utility closet adjacent to the main room. Through a narrow ventilation grille, I could see part of the penthouse interior—plush furnishings, expensive artwork. A man's voice continued speaking, the tone cultured and cold."...the Branson bloodline ends today."I'd heard enough.The door burst open under my shoulder, splinters flying as the reinforced wood gave way. The scene unfolded before me with crystal clarity—Mia, bound and terrified. Charles Porter, gun raised. Nate Pierce, lunging forward too late.My first shot took Porter in the shoulder, spinning him away from Mia. The second caught him in the upper chest, not immediately fatal but debilitating.Our eyes locked across the room—his filled with shock and hatred, mine with the cold certainty of a man protecting what was his."Kyle," Mia gasped, her voice breaking through the ringing in my ears.Porter recovered with surprising speed, raising his weapon toward me
Kyle's POVTime became a physical entity, something I could feel slipping through my fingers as I raced across the Atlantic. Seven hours had never felt so eternal.As soon as the plane touched down in New York, I was already on my phone. "Status update," I demanded, not bothering with pleasantries."No response from Ms. Williams," Matthew replied, his usual professional detachment wavering slightly. "Her phone appears to be turned off. We've checked her apartment—she's not there. Her mother hasn't seen her since this morning.""And Nate Pierce?""Still tracking. His digital footprint is... unusual. Almost professionally scrubbed.""What about the surveillance feeds? I know you have access."Matthew hesitated. "We've been searching traffic cameras near her building, sir. Nothing conclusive yet.""Keep looking," I said, already striding toward the waiting car. "And tell the security team at her apartment to stay alert. I want to know the instant she returns."But she hadn't returned. Fo
Mia's POVThrough my tears, I recognized the man—it was Nate.I hadn't seen him in so long, and he seemed different from the Nate I remembered. Seemed thiner, taller. His usually compassionate features were hardened.My heart surged with relief and confusion. Had he come to save me?"Uncle Charles, don't kill her," Nate said, his voice steady but urgent.Uncle Charles? I blinked in confusion, my mind struggling to process this new information as it tried to fit the pieces together.The man named Charles turned to face me, sizing me up through the rim of his glass. "Wasn't that your decision? You lost Carol, and now you want Alexander Branson and Kyle Branson to lose their wives too. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."My head was about to explode. The fragments suddenly aligned, and I finally understood the truth.Diana's daughter was Carol.Carol was Nate's wife.Nate's expression was filled with sorrow. He looked at me, then back at Charles, his posture tense with indecision.C
Mia's POVI couldn't see a thing. The blindfold was tight. My wrists burned from the restraints, the plastic cutting into my skin whenever I shifted position. A gag filled my mouth, the taste of fabric making me want to retch.I tried to focus on my breathing. In through the nose, out through the nose. Slow and steady.The twins were still. Too still.This scared me.Stay calm for them, I told myself. They can feel your fear.The car made another turn—right, I thought, though it was hard to be certain. I'd been trying to keep track: left out of the restaurant district, straight for what felt like ten minutes, then right onto what must have been a highway from the sudden increase in speed. We'd been driving for at least forty minutes now.Each minute took me further from the city. Further from anyone who might help me.No one had noticed when the man approached me outside Yiayia's restaurant. No one saw the gun pressed against my back, or my expression as I was forced into the black se
Mia's POVI stared at the photograph, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing. The woman in the picture looked exactly like Diana Porter. But the timeline didn't make sense. If Diana Porter had only given birth to a daughter, how could she be the mother of Nate and his brother?"Yiayia," I began hesitantly, "did Thea ever use another name? Perhaps for work or... before she married?"Yiayia tilted her head, considering the question. "No, always Thea. Short for Dorothea." She smiled fondly at the photograph. "My beautiful Dorothea."Not Diana, then.I thought about how to say this." Yiayia, did Thea ever mention having a sister?Yiayia's eyes narrowed slightly. I added, "You may not believe it, but I've seen someone who looks exactly like Thea. Someone from many years ago. "Yiayia's weathered hands stilled on the table. She studied my face intently, and her shoulders relaxed slightly.She reached out and stroked my cheek gently, her palm warm against my skin. "You have honest e
Mia's POVI couldn't sleep. My mind raced with fragments that refused to connect.I kept thinking about what my dad had told me before he died, that Nate was involved in this whole thing. But Nate wouldn't tell me anything.Nate's grandmother. The thought appeared suddenly, bright and clear amid the chaos in my head. Yiayia. The warm-hearted Greek woman at that small Mediterranean restaurant Nate had taken me to months ago.If anyone might know something about Nate's past, it would be his grandmother. She had looked at me with such knowing eyes that day, commenting that "growing babies need food" before I'd told her I was pregnant.I made the decision in an instant.Mom was at another of her mysterious "appointments" that made her eyes sparkle. No one would miss me for a few hours.Gas watched me accusingly as I prepared to leave."I won't be long," I promised him.The taxi ride to the small restaurant i