All Chapters of Pregnant After The Contract Ended : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Abigail looked around the tiny room. She looked at my pregnant belly and her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Naomi. You’ve grown so much. The baby... it’s real.""Abby, tell me. Why are you here? Did Lucas send you?"Abigail sat on the edge of my bed. She looked tired. "No. Lucas is still in the hospital. He’s weak. He can't even walk yet.""Then who?""I had to come," Abigail said. "Naomi, the mansion is a mess. Valentina and her father have moved in. They are acting like they own the place. They are pushing Evelyn around. They are trying to force Lucas to sign papers while he’s still on heavy medicine."I felt a surge of anger. "And Evelyn? She’s letting them?""She’s scared, Naomi. She thinks Victor Rossi is the only one who can save the company. She feels sorry for Valentina because the girl is crying all the time. But I saw her, Naomi. I saw Valentina when she thought no one was looking. She was laughing. She was talking about how she was going to sell the Ashford jewelry once she g

Naomi’s POVThe sun was hot in Saint-Valery. The air was full of the smell of fresh bread and salt. I stood outside the hostel, my hand shaking as I held my phone. A message had just blinked onto the screen. It was from an unknown number. My heart felt like a hammer against my ribs."We know where you are, Naomi. We know about the baby. If you ever step foot near the Ashford mansion again, you won't be the only one who dies. Lucas is weak. A small push is all he needs to go back to the grave. Stay away, or you both die. This is your only warning."I felt the world spin. I leaned against the rough stone wall of the building, gasping for air. I had been so close to going back. I had been ready to face the monsters to save my child. But now, the choice was taken from me.If I go back, I kill him, I thought. If I try to find Lucas, I am signing his death warrant.I looked at my belly. The baby kicked, a soft, rhythmic movement. I felt a sob catch in my throat. I wanted to tell Lucas that

Naomi’s POVThe darkness was not black. It was a strange, heavy gray. I felt like I was underwater, trying to swim to the surface, but the water was made of lead. I could hear voices, but they sounded like they were coming from a long, metal tunnel."She’s waking up! Look, her eyes are moving!"I forced my eyelids to open. The light was blinding. It was that same hospital white that I had seen in my dreams about Lucas. For a terrifying second, I thought I was back in the city, and that the guards had finally caught me."Easy, dear. Don't try to sit up just yet."The voice was warm. It belonged to an older woman with silver hair and a face full of wrinkles that looked like a map of a long, happy life. She was sitting by my bed, holding a damp cloth to my forehead."Who... where am I?" my voice was a dry croak. My throat felt like it was filled with sand."You’re in the city hospital in Lyon," the woman said. "I found you on the street. You gave us quite a scare, falling down right in t

Lucas’s POVThe morning of the proposal arrived with a sky so blue it looked painted. It was the kind of day that should have made a man feel like he was on top of the world. I stood in front of my mirror, adjusting my silk tie. My suit was custom-made, crisp and dark, fitting my frame perfectly now that I had regained some of the weight I lost during the coma. I looked like the powerful CEO the world expected me to be. I looked like a man who had everything under control.But inside, my chest felt like it was filled with dry ash. Every time I looked at my reflection, I didn't see a happy groom. I saw a man who was building a wall around his own heart.I reached into my pocket and felt the velvet box. The diamond inside was cold. It was a famous stone, passed down through three generations of Ashford men. My father had given it to my mother. My grandfather had given it to my grandmother. It was a symbol of "forever," but as I held it, all I could think about was how heavy it felt. It

Lucas’s POVThe world did not wait for my heart to catch up. Within twenty-four hours of the proposal, the news was everywhere. Every television screen in the city, every newspaper, and every social media app carried the same headline: "THE BILLIONAIRE AND THE HEIRESS: THE ASHFORD-ROSSI WEDDING OF THE CENTURY."For the public, it was a fairy tale. They saw a powerful man who had survived a terrible plane crash and was now finding happiness with the loyal woman who had stayed by his side. They didn't see the coldness in my room or the way I stared at the wall for hours when the doors were closed.My mother was in a state of constant excitement. The mansion was no longer a home; it was a headquarters for wedding planners. Large books filled with samples of silk, lace, and silver sat on every table. The quiet halls were now filled with the sound of strangers measuring windows for new curtains and tasting expensive cakes.I tried to lose myself in work. I went to the office early and st