جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 30

Clair’s povI was leaving the hospital the next morning after another round of check-ups when it happened.I remember the brightness of the sun first — the sharp light after days indoors. I squinted, stepping into the parking lot with my discharge papers folded in one hand, the other clutching my bag against my chest. My mind was elsewhere — still replaying the news of the pregnancy, still trying to steady myself, still breathing through the unfamiliar weight of it.I didn’t notice him at first.Just a figure leaning against the side of a car. Not moving. Not calling out. Just watching me.And after months — no, years — of feeling eyes on me… the instinctive tension rose.I adjusted the strap on my bag and walked faster.Then a voice, low and hesitant, cut through the quiet:“Claire?”I stopped.Slowly turned.My pulse kicked.He wasn’t tall, wasn’t intimidating — just an average man with tired eyes and nervous hands shoved into the pockets of a faded jacket. Mid-forties maybe. A bit

POV: ClaireThe apartment was empty, silent except for the soft ticking of the clock on the wall. My hands shook as I prepared the tea, fingers gripping the handle tighter than necessary. I could feel it—every nerve in my body screaming, every thought colliding with itself.I wasn’t supposed to feel this way. I wasn’t supposed to want him, to think of him, to crave him. And yet… I couldn’t stop.Ryan’s message had arrived an hour ago: “Meet me tonight. I need to see you.”I stared at the text, heart racing. Desire, fear, guilt—all tangled together in a chaotic knot. I typed a single reply: “…okay.”POV: RyanThe drive was torturous. Every red light, every honk of a horn, every reflection in passing windows reminded me of her. I tried to tell myself I was being foolish, that I couldn’t let this happen again. But my body betrayed me. My hands clenched the steering wheel so hard it left impressions in my palms.When I arrived, the sight of Claire made my breath hitch. She leaned against

Clair’s POVI wanted to shrink into myself, to disappear, to erase the moment entirely. I could feel emotion welling up, but I wouldn’t allow the tears to fall.Not yet. Not in front of her.Sophie’s hands trembled as she lifted the DNA results, scanning them once more as if the paper itself had changed. “I trusted you… both of you. And this… this is what I get?”Margaret leaned back, satisfied, letting the room’s tension escalate naturally. “Truth has a way of surfacing, Claire. No matter how cleverly you hide it.”I finally found my voice, quivering but audible. “Sophie… I—”Sophie slammed her hand on the table. “No. Don’t you dare. Don’t even try to speak.”Ryan’s face twisted in guilt and desperation. “Sophie, listen—please. You have to understand—”“Understand?” Sophie barked, tears spilling freely now. “Do you realize that the man I married and believed in has been involved with my mother?”How am I supposed to understand that?”I felt my chest tighten, lungs burning. I wanted t

POV: ClaireWhen I woke again, the first thing I felt was the emptiness in my womb, a strange hollow that pulsed with both grief and relief. My body shivered, exhausted from the procedure, from the medications, from the emotional storm that had carried me here. A nurse handed me a blanket and a cup of water, but I barely acknowledged it. My mind was elsewhere, replaying every moment of the past week: the calls to the clinic, the sleepless nights worrying about Sophie.And then, the relief: Sophie was alive. That knowledge was a balm to my soul, even as the cost of that survival—the permanent damage to my body—pressed down on me like a lead weight. I had saved her, yes. But at what price?The drive home was almost worse than the procedure itself. My body was weak, my mind a whirl of thoughts and regrets. I didn’t call Ryan. I couldn’t. Not yet. His anger, his fear, his love—they were all intertwined, and I didn’t have the strength to face it. I needed time to recover, to breathe, to pr

POV: ClaireThe morning sunlight streamed through the wide windows of our new home, painting the walls in gentle hues of gold. It was the kind of light that didn’t merely illuminate—it softened, forgave, sanctified. I sat curled on the couch, my legs tucked beneath me, hands wrapped around a warm mug of tea. The steam rose in a lazy ribbon, brushing the underside of my chin. For the first time in months—no, years—I felt something foreign, almost fragile.Peace.The room smelled faintly of Earl Grey, clean cotton, and something sweet—maybe vanilla. I listened to the quiet hum of life around me. It was subtle—the shuffle of slippers on hardwood in the kitchen, the distant hum of the kettle being set back on its base, and beneath it all, the bubbling laughter of Sophie.Sophie’s laughter.Not broken. Not forced.Real.It echoed from the kitchen, mingling with the soft, rhythmic cooing of the baby cradled in her arms. I had to pause—let that sound sink into me—because there was a time whe