Lahat ng Kabanata ng Until The Baby Is Born: CEO's Temporary Fiancee : Kabanata 91 - Kabanata 100

The elevator ride to Christina and Christopher’s new apartment felt longer than it should have.Ivy stood still as the doors slid open, adjusting her grip on her bag before stepping into the quiet hallway. The place smelled faintly of coffee and something floral, familiar in a way that usually brought comfort. Christina opened the door before Ivy could knock, as if she had been waiting right behind it.“There you are,” Christina said immediately, pulling her into a hug before Ivy could protest. Her arms were warm, firm, grounding. “I was starting to think you’d been kidnapped again.” She said while she pulled her inside the apartment.Ivy let out a small breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and hugged her back, briefly. “I’m fine,” she said. “Mostly.”Christina pulled away just enough to study her face, eyes sharp and searching. “Mostly is not fine. How are you really? After everything last night. After…” She hesitated. “After Asher. I heard what happened after the party”Ivy d

The garden settled into a quieter rhythm once Riley disappeared inside. The faint hum of the mansion carried from a distance, but out here, it was just the night air, the trimmed hedges, and the space between them.Asher remained where he was, hands sliding into his pockets, posture guarded again. Ivy watched him for a long moment, eyes sharp, not missing the way his jaw stayed tight even now, the way his shoulders were held as if bracing for impact.“That wasn’t just habit,” she said calmly. “Something’s bothering you.”He didn’t look at her. “Nothing you need to worry about.”She scoffed softly. “You think I don’t know you well enough to hear a lie when you say one.”His gaze finally lifted to hers. “I said it’s nothing.”Her arms tightened across her chest. “And I’m saying you don’t get to shut me out whenever it’s inconvenient.”Silence stretched. A leaf rustled somewhere nearby.Asher looked away again, toward the darker edge of the garden. “Some storms don’t need spectators,” he

The car moved steadily through the morning traffic, the low hum of the engine filling the space between them. Asher sat behind the wheel, posture straight, one hand relaxed at the top of the steering wheel, the other resting firmly at the side. His eyes stayed on the road, but his awareness never left the woman beside him. Ivy sat in the passenger seat, shoulders drawn tight, fingers woven together in her lap as if holding herself in place. Her gaze was fixed on the window, but she wasn’t really seeing the city passing by. Her thoughts were elsewhere. Far away. Small breaths slipped in and out of her chest, shallow and controlled. Riley noticed first. She leaned forward slightly from the back seat, her voice soft but attentive. “Are you okay?” Ivy blinked, pulled back into the moment. She nodded quickly, a reflex more than an answer. “I’m fine.” Asher’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. He didn’t look at her, but his grip on the steering wheel shifted just enough to betray

Their foreheads were still touching.Not quite pressed together. Not quite apart.Close enough that she could feel the warmth of his skin. Close enough that every breath they took mingled between them. Close enough that it felt intimate in a way that made her chest ache.“You were standing too close to him this morning,” he murmured. His voice was low, roughened by emotion he did not fully control. It vibrated faintly through the small space between them, brushing against her more than reaching her ears. “And I hated it.”It was not an accusation.It was a confession.Her eyes lifted to his slowly.There was anger there first. Sharp, bright, protective. But beneath it something else stirred, something dangerous and unwanted, something that made her feel unsteady.“You don’t own me,” she whispered.The words were quiet but firm, a line drawn not just for him but for herself.“No,” he said immediately. “I don’t.” His hand twitched at his side, like it wanted to reach for her and was ref

The moment Ivy stepped fully into the living room, the air changed.It was not loud. It was not immediate chaos. It was the kind of shift that settled deep in the chest, heavy and wrong, like walking into a room where something had already gone terribly off course.Aurelia was crying.Not the dramatic kind of crying, but the quiet, frightened sobs that came from confusion and fear. Her small body trembled as she clutched Elijah’s arm with both hands, half hiding behind him. Elijah stood stiffly in front of her, jaw tight, fists clenched at his sides. He was trying to be brave. Trying to understand. Trying to protect her, even though his own eyes were shining.Across from them stood Velvet.And in her hand was a paper.Ivy’s breath caught.For a second, the room tilted. Her vision narrowed, locking onto that single white sheet, the way Velvet held it slightly raised, almost casually, as if it were nothing more than a receipt.“How dare you?” Ivy said.Her voice was low at first, trembl