All Chapters of Billionaire Contract Marriage: Her Quest : Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

120 Chapters

CHAPTER 101: PREGNANCY NOW VISIBLE

Sophia's POVSixteen weeks pregnant, and I couldn't hide it anymore.The bump was there. Small but undeniable. Clothes that had fit last week no longer cooperated."You're showing," Emma observed during lunch. "Like, actually showing.""I'm aware.""It's cute. You look pregnant instead of just bloated.""Thank you for that distinction.""You're welcome." She stabbed her salad. "Have you told work yet? Officially?""Board meeting next week. I'll tell them then.""They're going to have opinions.""They always have opinions. I stopped caring about board opinions around the time I fired three of them for incompetence.""Fair point."Isabella sat between us in her booster seat, eating french fries with intense concentration. She'd mastered the art of dipping them in ketchup—mostly."Mama belly big," she announced."Yes, baby's growing.""Baby come out soon?""Not for a while. Baby needs to grow more first."She seemed satisfied with this. Returned to her fries."She's very calm about the w

CHAPTER 102: COMPLICATIONS

Sophia's POVTwenty weeks, and everything was fine.Until it wasn't.I woke at 3 a.m. to cramping. Not Braxton Hicks. Not round ligament pain. Something different.Sharp. Consistent. Wrong."David." I shook his shoulder. "David, wake up."He was alert immediately. Four years of parenting had trained him well."What's wrong?""Cramping. Bad cramping."He turned on the light. "How bad?""Bad enough that I'm scared."That got him moving.---We called Dr. Patterson. She told us to come to the hospital immediately.David called Mrs. Kane to stay with Isabella. She arrived in fifteen minutes, still in pajamas, hair unbrushed."Go," she said. "I've got her. Just go."The hospital was too bright, too sterile, too familiar from Isabella's birth.They got me into an exam room quickly. Dr. Patterson arrived within thirty minutes—impressive for 4 a.m."Let's see what's happening," she said, setting up the ultrasound.The cramping had eased. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I'd panicked for no reason.

CHAPTER 103: BED REST

Sophia's POVWeek one of bed rest, and I was already losing my mind.Not slowly. Rapidly. Aggressively. Completely."You need to relax," David said for the fortieth time."I am relaxed.""You're answering work emails at 6 a.m. from the couch where you're supposed to be resting.""I'm resting AND working. Multitasking.""Dr. Patterson said no stress.""Work isn't stressful. Work is what I do.""Sophia—""David. I've been on this couch for seven days. Seven. I'm going to crawl out of my skin if I don't do something productive."He looked at me with that expression. The one that meant he understood but disagreed."One hour," he said finally. "One hour of work emails. Then you rest. Actually rest.""Two hours.""One and a half. Final offer.""Deal."He kissed my forehead. "You're impossible.""You married me anyway.""Worst decision I ever made.""Best decision.""That too."---Isabella adapted better than expected.She'd appointed herself my personal assistant. Brought me water without

CHAPTER 104: HALFWAY

Sophia's POVTwenty-four weeks.Halfway through bed rest. Halfway to viability. Halfway to safe."You're at the milestone," Dr. Patterson said during her home visit. "Twenty-four weeks means if something happens, we can intervene. The baby has a fighting chance.""What kind of chance?""Sixty to seventy percent survival with modern NICU care. Higher if we can delay even a few more weeks."Not great odds. But better than zero."Your cervix is holding steady," she continued. "No further shortening. Baby's measuring well. You're doing everything right.""I'm lying on a couch doing nothing.""Exactly. You're doing nothing perfectly. Keep it up."After she left, I sat with that milestone.Twenty-four weeks. Viability. A fighting chance.Not safe. But possible.Emma called as if she'd been waiting for the appointment to end."Well?" she asked."Twenty-four weeks. Stable. Baby has a fighting chance if something goes wrong.""But nothing's going wrong.""Not currently.""Then we celebrate cur

CHAPTER 105: EMMA'S BACHELORETTE

Sophia's POVTwenty-eight weeks pregnant, and Emma insisted on having her bachelorette party."You can't have a bachelorette party," I said from my couch prison. "I'm on bed rest. I'm your maid of honor. How's that supposed to work?""Simple. We bring the bachelorette party to you.""That defeats the entire purpose.""The purpose is celebrating me. That can happen anywhere. Including your living room.""Emma—""Non-negotiable. I've already invited everyone. They're coming here Saturday. You're the designated sober supervisor which you'd be anyway since you're pregnant. It's perfect."She hung up before I could argue.David, overhearing from the kitchen, laughed."What's funny?" I asked."You. Thinking you could win an argument with Emma about her wedding.""I'm her boss.""You're on bed rest. She's Acting CEO. Currently, she outranks you.""That's not how ranks work.""That's exactly how they work in Emma's mind."He had a point.---Saturday arrived.Emma showed up at noon with six f

CHAPTER 106: THIRTY WEEKS GONE

Sophia's POVThirty weeks, and Dr. Patterson was smiling.Actually smiling. Not her usual professional neutral expression. Genuine pleased."This is excellent," she said, reviewing the ultrasound. "Baby's measuring perfectly. Cervix is stable. You've made it to thirty weeks.""Is that significant?""Very. Thirty weeks means if something happens, we're looking at minimal NICU time. Maybe a week or two for observation. But babies born at thirty weeks generally do very well.""Generally.""Generally," she confirmed. "But Sophia, you're doing better than generally. You're doing exceptionally. Seven more weeks and we can relax completely."Seven weeks sounded both forever and nothing."Can I do anything different?" I asked. "Any activity I can add?""No. You stay exactly where you are. Bed rest continues until at least thirty-four weeks. Possibly longer if we're being cautious.""So four more weeks minimum of this couch.""Four more weeks minimum. But that's significantly better than seven

CHAPTER 107: EMMA'S DRESS FITTING

Sophia's POVThirty-two weeks, and the bridesmaid dress fitting was a disaster.Not because the dress was wrong. Emma had it perfectly altered for my enormous belly.The disaster was logistical."I can't believe I have to do this sitting down," I said as the seamstress fussed with the hem."You're doing it sitting because you're on bed rest," Emma said. "Also because if you stand for too long, you'll pass out. Dr. Patterson was very clear.""I hate this.""I know. But you look beautiful. Very pregnant and glowing and—""Like a whale in chiffon.""Like my stunning sister-in-law who's keeping my niece or nephew safe while attending my wedding. Stop fishing for compliments."The seamstress pinned the final adjustment. "All set. You can change back."Changing back required assistance. The dress was complicated. My belly was enormous. My balance was questionable.Emma helped me, chattering the entire time."So the final headcount is seventy-three people. Down from eighty. Mom's thrilled. S

CHAPTER 108: EMMA'S WEDDING DAY

Sophia's POVEmma's wedding day arrived bright and sunny.Perfect June weather. Perfect blue sky. Perfect everything, just like Emma had planned.I woke up at six, feeling the baby doing gymnastics."Not today," I told my stomach. "Today is Emmy's day. You stay put."The baby kicked harder, as if disagreeing."Sophia." David appeared with coffee—decaf, per doctor's orders. "How are you feeling?""Enormous. Uncomfortable. Ready to get this day over with.""You look beautiful.""I haven't even gotten dressed yet.""Still beautiful.""You're required to say that.""Doesn't make it less true."---Getting ready was a production.Maria came over to help with Isabella, who was already hyper about her flower girl duties."Bella wear princess dress!" she announced, spinning in circles."After breakfast," Maria said patiently. "Princess dress stays clean until wedding.""Bella wants to wear it NOW.""After breakfast."They negotiated while I attempted to shower, which had become an Olympic eve

CHAPTER 109: WAITING

David's POVThirty-four weeks, and I woke up every morning terrified.Not dramatically. Not obviously. Just quiet, constant fear that something would go wrong.Sophia was off bed rest. Finally. Dr. Patterson had cleared her at thirty-four weeks—baby was safe enough, cervix was stable enough, risk had passed enough.Enough. That word again.But enough didn't feel like enough when it was your wife and unborn child."Stop hovering," Sophia said from the kitchen where she was making breakfast. Actually standing. Actually cooking. After fourteen weeks horizontal."I'm not hovering.""You're standing three feet away watching me crack eggs like I might spontaneously combust.""I'm just... present.""You're hovering. Go check on Isabella."I went. Because she was right. I was hovering.Isabella was in her room, supposedly getting dressed. Actually playing with dolls in her underwear."Bella, you need clothes.""Bella picking outfit.""You've been picking for twenty minutes.""Outfit very impo

CHAPTER 110: SURPRISE

Sophia's POVThirty-seven weeks, and I woke up at 2 a.m. to contractions.Real ones. Not Braxton Hicks. Not false labor.The real thing."David." I shook his shoulder. "David, wake up."He was alert immediately. Parenthood had trained him well."What's wrong?""Contractions. Real ones. Five minutes apart."He was out of bed, turning on lights, moving with purpose."How long?""Started around one. I was timing them. They're consistent.""We're going to the hospital.""I need to call Maria. For Isabella.""I'll call her. You get dressed."Maria arrived in twenty minutes. Record time. Still in pajamas but completely alert."Go," she said. "I've got her. Just go."Isabella was still asleep. Completely oblivious. We kissed her forehead and left.---The hospital was familiar just like Isabella's birth.Same floor. Different room. Same nervous energy.They got me admitted quickly. Checked my cervix."You're at six centimeters," the nurse said. "Moving fast. This is your second?""Yes.""Sec

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