All Chapters of The Billionaire's Rebel Fiancée: Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

Adriana's POVThree weeks postpartum, I was sitting at the dining table trying to finish the hospital bias analysis while Lily nursed and my coffee went cold for the third time.My client had been patient about the extensions but I'd promised them the final review this week. The presentation to the hospital board was in seven days and they needed my sign-off.I read the same paragraph for the sixth time and still couldn't tell you what it said.Lily pulled off my breast and started fussing. I adjusted her, tried to get her to latch again, and managed to type one-handed while she ate. The words on the screen blurred together and I realized I had no idea what I was reading anymore.I closed the laptop harder than necessary."Come on, Lily, please just nurse so I can think for five minutes." My voice came out sharp and I immediately felt guilty.She started crying in earnest and I tried everything possible. Changed her diaper, burped her, rocked her, and walked in circles around the apa

Adriana's POVTaking the first pill had felt like admitting I'd failed at something women were supposed to just know how to do.I remembered standing in the bathroom holding the small white tablet and staring at my reflection. The woman looking back had dark circles under her eyes."You okay?" Zayn appeared in the doorway with Lily in his arms."Yeah, just taking it now." I swallowed the pill with water from the tap and tried not to think about how I needed medication just to feel like a normal person.He set up reminders on both our phones so I wouldn't forget doses, which felt embarrassing until I realized I absolutely would have forgotten. My brain was still mush most days.The first week nothing changed. I still felt numb, exhausted and disconnected. The second week I noticed small things, like how the constant anxiety in my chest felt slightly less suffocating.By week three I was sitting on the couch feeding Lily and actually looking at her face instead of just going through t

Adriana's POVLily was ten months old when Sage got married at the botanical garden, and I was standing in a bridesmaid dress that fit perfectly, holding my daughter on my hip while my best friend prepared to walk down the aisle. “You looked beautiful," I told Sage in the bridal suite, adjusting her veil with my free hand while Lily grabbed at the tulle."I'm so nervous." Sage's hands were shaking. "Is that normal?""Completely normal, I threw up twice before my ceremony." I shifted Lily to my other hip. "But once you're up there with Connor, everything else disappears."The ceremony was outside under an arbor covered in white roses. Connor was already crying before Sage even appeared, and when the music changed and she started walking, he completely broke down. His best man handed him tissues and I watched my best friend

Adriana's POVFinally this place is becoming more like home. I joined a mothers' group that met at a community center three blocks from our house, and I stood outside the door for five full minutes before forcing myself to walk in.Inside, eight women sat in a circle with babies and toddlers playing on foam mats in the center. Everyone looked up when I entered and I immediately wanted to leave."Hi, you must be new!" A woman with curly red hair waved me over. "I'm Melissa, that's my daughter Emma destroying the block tower.""Adriana, and this is Lily." I set Lily down and she immediately crawled toward the toys."How long have you been in the area?" Another woman asked."Three weeks ago, we moved from New York for my husband's company.""Oh, I'm from New York too!" Melissa's face lit up. "Brooklyn originally. What part?""Manhattan."We ended up talking through most of the session while our daughters played together. Emma was a month older than Lily and already walking confidently wh

Adriana's POVEighteen months into living in California, I was on the floor building a block tower with Lily when my phone rang with a number I didn't recognize."This is Adriana." I said."Adriana, this is Rebecca Martinez from Apex Intelligence. We spoke a few years ago about a director position."My hands stopped mid-block placement. "Dr. Martinez, yes, I remember."“We’ve been following your work closely,” Rebecca continued. “Your healthcare bias report and the panel you spoke on last quarter made a strong impression on our board.”"Now, I'm calling because we have a new opportunity that might interest you. Do you have a few minutes to talk?"I looked at Lily who was now knocking over the tower we'd just built. "Sure, let me just move somewhere quieter."I went to the home office and closed the door, my heart already racing."We're creating a VP of Ethics position to lead our entire ethics division," Rebecca continued. "You'd be shaping AI policy at the executive level, managing a