ANMELDEN"There's blood."Leighton stared at the tissue. Pink. Faint. But definitely blood.Dr. Silva's face went serious. "How much?""Just spotting. Not a lot.""Any cramping?""Some. But I've had cramping since I found out I was pregnant.""This is different?"Leighton hesitated. "Maybe. Sharper. Lower."Dr. Silva moved fast. Called for an ultrasound machine. A nurse wheeled it in. The room suddenly felt crowded. Urgent.Noah burst through the door. Breathless. "What's happening?""Possible threatened miscarriage," Dr. Silva said. "We're checking now."The color drained from Noah's face. He grabbed Leighton's hand. Squeezed so hard it hurt.Cold gel on her stomach. The wand pressing. Dr. Silva's eyes on the screen. Seconds felt like hours."There." Dr. Silva pointed. "Baby A. Heartbeat strong."Leighton couldn't breathe."And Baby B. Also strong. Both measuring on track.""Then what's wrong?" Noah asked."Could be implantation spotting. Could be subchorionic hematoma. Small bleed between th
"You're acting weird."Chloe stood in the doorway. Emma on her hip. Her eyes narrowed at Leighton and Noah sitting on the couch. Too close. Too tense."We're not weird," Leighton said."You texted me to come over immediately. On a Thursday afternoon. You're definitely weird."Noah stood. "Come in. Sit down.""Now I'm really worried." But Chloe came inside. Set Emma in her carrier. The baby gurgled. Happy. Oblivious.Chloe sat across from them. Arms crossed. "What's going on? Is someone dying? Are you dying?""Nobody's dying," Leighton said."Then what?"Leighton looked at Noah. He nodded. She took a breath."I'm pregnant."Chloe's mouth fell open. "What?""Pregnant. Eight weeks.""Oh my God." Chloe's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my God. You're pregnant?""Yes."Chloe launched herself across the coffee table. Grabbed Leighton. Hugged her so tight it hurt. "I'm going to be an aunt. Emma's going to have a cousin. This is amazing. Why do you look terrified? You should be happy.""There's
"Your current brand identity is forgettable."Leighton stood at the head of the conference table. Meridian Global's CMO, Robert Chen, raised an eyebrow. Three other executives watched her. Waiting."Forgettable?" Robert repeated."Yes. You're a Fortune 100 company. Sixty billion in revenue. But your visual identity looks like every other tech company. Blue. Sans serif font. Generic."She clicked to the next slide. Showed their logo next to five competitors. They looked nearly identical."You blend in when you should stand out."Robert leaned back. Arms crossed. Testing her."And you think you can fix that?""I know I can."Her stomach rolled. She ignored it. Focused on the presentation. She'd worked eighteen hours a day for the past week. Building this pitch. Making it perfect.The nausea had started three days ago. Constant. Unrelenting. She'd thrown up twice this morning. Once in the hotel. Once in the Uber.She would not throw up in this meeting."Walk us through your vision," Robe
"Two?" Noah's voice cracked. He stared at the screen. At the two tiny shapes. Two heartbeats flickering. "Twins," Dr. Patterson confirmed. "Fraternal, from what I can see. Two separate sacs. Two placentas." Leighton couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. The room tilted sideways. "That's... that's not possible," she said. "It's actually more common than you'd think. Especially if there's a family history. Do either of you have twins in your family?" "My grandmother," Noah said quietly. "My dad's mom. She had twin boys." "There you go. Genetic predisposition." Dr. Patterson pointed at the screen. "See here? Baby A is measuring right on track. And Baby B is just slightly smaller, but that's normal. Both heartbeats are strong. Everything looks perfect." Perfect. The word sounded wrong. Nothing about this felt perfect. Leighton looked at Noah. His face was gray. His hand gripped hers too tight. Hurting her. She didn't tell him to stop. "I'll print you some pictures," Dr. Patterson sa
The plus sign appeared in thirty seconds. Leighton stared at the test. Her hand shaking. The bathroom tiles cold under her bare feet. She'd taken the test while Noah was at the gym. Couldn't wait. Couldn't not know. Two weeks late. She'd convinced herself it was stress. The new client contracts. The late nights building her design portfolio. Her body adjusting to married life. But her body knew. Had known for days. She was pregnant. The word felt too big for her mouth. Too real. Too terrifying. She sat on the edge of the bathtub. Stared at the test again. The plus sign didn't change. Didn't fade. Didn't turn into a mistake. Her phone buzzed. Noah's text. *Heading home. Want breakfast?* She couldn't text back. Her fingers wouldn't work. She just sat there. Holding a plastic stick that changed everything. The front door opened twenty minutes later. Noah's voice carried up the stairs. "Baby? You up?" She tried to answer. Nothing came out. His footsteps on the stairs. Getting cl
"You're cooking?"Leighton stood in the kitchen doorway. Noah was at the stove. Actually cooking. Chicken sizzling in a pan. Garlic smell filling the air."Attempting to cook," he corrected. "There's a difference.""When did this happen?""When I realized my wife shouldn't have to do everything." He looked over his shoulder. Smiled. "Plus Chloe's coming over. I want to prove I'm a functional adult.""By making dinner?""By not burning dinner. Lower bar. More achievable."She walked over. Looked in the pan. "That actually looks good.""Don't sound so surprised.""I am surprised. Last time you tried to cook, you set off the smoke alarm.""That was once. Six months ago. I've grown." He stirred the chicken. Added wine to the pan. It bubbled. Smelled amazing. "How do I know when it's done?""When it's not pink inside.""Helpful."She laughed. Grabbed plates from the cabinet. Started setting the table. The dining room table they'd eaten at maybe five times since she moved in. Usually they a







