บททั้งหมดของ The Forgotten Vow (MM Romance): บทที่ 51 - บทที่ 60

Leander POVThe first six weeks disappear into work. That is the simplest way to describe it, not because they pass quickly but because I bury them. I hide everything beneath meetings, contracts, deadlines, and numbers. I arrive before sunrise and leave long after dark, sometimes not leaving at all. I sleep on the office sofa for an hour, wash my face in the private bathroom, change my shirt, and begin again. No one questions it; this is what they expect from me.Leander Voss returned from the dead, so naturally, I would come back sharper, harder, hungrier. I would reclaim every inch of the empire that slipped away while I was gone. I would punish weakness and restore order. And I do. Yet, I feel nothing. The first major acquisition meeting happens on a gray Tuesday afternoon. The conference room is full, lawyers, financial analysts, and assistants pretending not to listen too closely. Across from me sits the CEO of a manufacturing company I’ve sought for two years. Before my disapp

Avelin POVFour months have passed, and that is how far along I am now. I stand in front of the small mirror in my room with my hands resting on my stomach, acknowledging that it is no longer something I can hide. My body has changed; my belly curves outward now, soft but undeniable. My clothes fit differently, my movements are slower and more careful, and even breathing feels different sometimes, as if my body is adjusting around something precious. Because it is. Because he is.He is my child, our child. My throat tightens as I whisper softly, “Look at you.” My fingers trace the curve gently as I add, “You’re really here.”A sudden wave of nausea hits before I can finish the thought, and I barely make it to the basin in time. Everything comes up again. It has been like this for weeks; it is relentless. Morning, afternoon, or night, it doesn't matter. My body decides when it wants to rebel, and I simply have to endure it.“Avelin!” Auntie Liling rushes in, already knowing the routine

Avelin POVSix months have passed, and that is how far along I am now. Some mornings I still wake in a state of quiet surprise when I roll over and feel the heavy weight of my own body before I even manage to open my eyes. My stomach is round now and has become impossible to ignore, stretching the fabric of my linen shirts and fundamentally changing the way I move through every room of the inn. I am slower, heavier, and significantly more careful with each step I take. My feet swell by the time evening arrives, and my back aches with a dull persistence if I stand for too long. Sometimes even the simple act of breathing feels different, as if my body is struggling to learn how to make physical space for another life within me.Still, when I stand in front of the mirror with both hands resting protectively over the curve of my belly, all I can think is a single, staggering thought: You are real. My son is real, and more importantly, Shen’s son is real. That realization always fills me w

Avelin POVI wake at two in the morning because something feels wrong.For one confused second, I lie still in the dark, listening to the storm hammering the inn's roof, trying to understand what pulled me out of sleep. Then I feel it.Wet. Everywhere.My breath catches. I push myself up too quickly and look down. The sheets beneath me are soaked."No," I whisper.Then the first real pain hits , starting low in my back and rolling around to my stomach, sharp and crushing, stealing the air from my lungs so fast I can't even cry out properly."Oh, God." My hands fly to my belly. The baby shifts hard inside me, and terror slams through my chest.This is it. This is happening, now and alone.Another pain crashes through me, stronger than the first, and I gasp loud enough that the sound tears out of my throat."Auntie Liling!"I barely have to call twice. Her footsteps thunder down the hallway, and then she's in the room, hair loose, shawl thrown over her nightdress, eyes instantly sharp

Avelin POVThe first hour with my son does not feel real. It feels too large, too bright, and too overwhelming for one human heart to hold. And yet, somehow, my heart does.He is lying against my chest when Dr. Len finishes her first careful checks. My gown is open in front; his tiny body is wrapped in a soft blanket but remains warm against my skin. He smells new, sweet, soft, and alive, with milk, warmth, and something deeper underneath already. It is something sharp and clean that makes my breath catch.Alpha. Even now. Even this early.My son's scent is still mostly newborn softness, but beneath it, there is strength already, instinctive, certain, and quiet, but there. He is just like his father. The thought hits so hard that I have to close my eyes.Dr. Len writes something down, then smiles at me over the edge of the chart. "He's healthy. Very healthy."I look down at him, still half-afraid this is a dream and I'll wake to emptiness again. "Really?"She nods. "Seven pounds, four