Semua Bab Gilded Hearts: Bab 101 - Bab 109

Damian POVThe engagement ceremony was smaller than the announcement that would follow it.That had been my decision.There was no reason to turn it into an elaborate spectacle before the families had even had time to enjoy the moment themselves.The Hayes and Hudson families had gathered at a private estate outside the city,.The gardens had been arranged carefully-, with soft lights illuminating the pathways and flowers placed around the terrace,. Nothing was excessive,. Nothing felt forced,.It was elegant.Exactly the way I preferred things.And it was important.Today, Claire would officially become my fiancée.I stood near the terrace with Edward while guests slowly gathered around us.Grandpa glanced at me."You're quiet-," he observed,."I'm thinking-," I replied,."About Claire?" he asked."About the decision," I said.Grandpa gave me a knowing look,."You've already made it-," he said,."I know-," I replied,."Then stop questioning it," He said.I glanced toward the garden.

Sophia POVThe Months That Changed MeThe two months that followed were nothing as I had imagined.Pregnancy had stopped being something I thought about only when I looked at the ultrasound photographs.It had become part of everything.Every morning.Every meal.Every meeting.Every night I would sleep. I ended up getting used to the nausea, although it would never be gone. There were some mornings that were easier than others. There would be times when I would wake up feeling almost normal, and there would be times when just standing made me feel sick. Mom was there through it all. There would be mornings when she would leave crackers next to my bed. There would even be times when I would find her preparing something simple because she learned what I could digest,. Mom always told me, "You need to eat something before you go,." "I'm not hungry,." Was always my reply,."You don't have to be hungry," she would tell me,. "You just have to eat,."I'd usually give her a tired smile."Y

Damian POVIt had been almost three months since Claire and I had become engaged.Three months.Long enough for our families to become comfortable with the idea of us.Long enough that the arrangement would stop resembling an engagement, and start beginning to resemble a happy ever after I knew I was expected to desire.Claire started to become a part of my existence.Dinners.Business events.Charity functions.Family lunches.We were learning each other slowly.She knew me better than a lot of people at this point. But there was still something between us I couldn't really breach with either of us. It wasn't like we didn't have chemistry. We do. Claire is pretty. I wanted her. I liked kissing her. I liked the feeling of her next to me. I felt my hand go for her more times than I was actually conscious and able to halt it. But when anything progresssed further than the kiss, something held me back. It wasn't faltering exactly.It was something deeper.A wall.A resistance I coul

Damian POVI stayed in the car for a few minutes after Claire walked away,.I just sat there, staring through the rain-covered window,.I could still hear her voice in my head,.You wait until you figure out your shit,.I looked down at myself.My shirt was still open at the top. My belt was undone.I fixed both before leaning back against the seat.I could still feel her hands on me.Her lips.The warmth of her body.And then the moment everything inside me had simply stopped.I closed my eyes.For a brief second, another face came to me.Sophia.I opened my eyes immediately.No.I wasn't going there.Not tonight.I had spent months trying to put the past where it belonged.Behind me.My phone vibrated.I pulled it out.Claire.I opened the message.I need some space.A second message appeared almost immediately.Please don't call me tonight.I stared at the screen.I started typing.I'm sorry.I deleted it.Then I typed:We need to talk.Deleted that too.There was nothing I could s