The hug she needed

The penthouse was quiet in a way Ivy was not used to.Not the heavy, tense silence of rooms where people waited to be hurt, but a softer stillness. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across the living space, revealing the city far below, blurred by height and distance. Up here, the noise could not reach her. The chaos stayed somewhere else.Ivy stood just inside the doorway, fingers curled tightly around the strap of her bag. She had taken off her shoes without realizing it, her bare feet pressing into the cool marble floor as if grounding herself. Her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure they could hear it from the other room.She did not know how to do this.She did not know how to walk toward a man who shared her blood but not her memories. A man whose face she had seen countless times in the background of Riley’s life, smiling, present, protective. A man who had been everything she never had.Richard stood near the window, his back to her. His shoulders were rigid, hands clas

Darkness

The penthouse felt quieter than it had any right to be.Not peaceful. Not calm. Just heavy.Ivy stood near the tall windows, her arms wrapped around herself, staring out at the darkening sky. The city lights were beginning to flicker on one by one, distant and detached, like a world that continued moving no matter how much hers had fractured. Behind her, Richard sat on the edge of the sofa, shoulders slumped, his hands clasped together so tightly his knuckles had gone white.He had not moved in a long time.Richard sat hunched forward, elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together so tightly that the tendons stood out beneath his skin. The room around him felt too large, too quiet, as if the walls themselves were waiting for him to say something he did not yet have the strength to admit.Riley, who had been standing near the doorway, turned immediately. The sharpness in her posture softened the moment she saw him like that. She walked back toward him, slow and careful, as if sudden

Alle Kapitel von Until The Baby Is Born: CEO's Temporary Fiancee : Kapitel 121 – Kapitel 122

The hug she needed

Darkness