All Chapters of LOVE AND LUST : Chapter 71 - Chapter 74

CHAPTER 71Morning came slowly for Mira.Not in the way mornings usually did—with sunlight stretching lazily across her room or birds chirping like nothing in the world had changed—but in a heavy, quiet way. The kind that pressed against her chest before her eyes even opened.She stared at the ceiling for a long time before moving.Her thoughts were tangled.The words from the night before echoed over and over again.She’s pregnant.Her dad’s voice had been proud. Miss Katie’s smile had been soft, almost nervous… hopeful.And Mira?Mira had smiled too.But it hadn’t reached her eyes.When she finally got out of bed, everything felt slightly off—as if she was walking through a version of her house that didn’t completely belong to her anymore.She pulled on a hoodie, not caring about how she looked, and stepped out of her room.Each step down the stairs felt heavier than the last.And then she saw her.Miss Katie sat on the couch, legs tucked neatly under her, a mug resting in her hands

Chapter 73: The hospital had a way of stretching time.Minutes didn’t feel like minutes. Hours didn’t feel real. Everything existed in a quiet, suspended space where hope and fear sat side by side, refusing to separate.Mira stood just outside the ward, her fingers curled tightly around the strap of her bag.She hadn’t moved much since they arrived.Even after the doctor had come out to say the surgery was over… that Ethan was stable… that he was alive—Alive.That word should have brought relief.And it did.But not enough.Because stable didn’t mean awake.And alive didn’t mean okay.Her chest still felt tight.Her heart still hadn’t slowed down.She swallowed hard and pushed the door open.The room was quiet.Too quiet.Ethan lay on the bed, still.Machines surrounded him, their soft beeping the only sign that time was still moving forward.For a second, Mira couldn’t take another step.This wasn’t how she had imagined seeing him.Not like this.Not quiet.Not motionless.Her eyes