All Chapters of Loving Mr. Vance in Silence: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Emma did not want a bachelorette party. She had told Olivia this repeatedly. She had used words like "unnecessary" and "excessive" and "I'm not twenty-five anymore." Olivia had listened patiently, nodded sympathetically, and then ignored every word. "The party is Saturday," Olivia said. "Wear something cute. Don't argue." Emma argued anyway. She lost. --- Saturday arrived unseasonably warm. Emma stood in front of her closet, staring at her clothes. Nick was sitting on the bed, watching her. "You're nervous," Nick said. "I'm not nervous. I'm reluctant." "Same thing." Emma turned to face him. "What if no one comes?" "Everyone will come." "What if it's awkward?" "It won't be." "What if—" Nick stood up. He walked to her and took her hands. "Emma," he said. "You have spent your whole life taking care of other people. Tonight, let people take care of you." Emma's throat tightened. "I don't know how to do that." "Then learn." He kissed her forehead. "Go," he said. "Have f

The rehearsal dinner was supposed to be perfect.That was Eleanor's word. Perfect. She had repeated it so many times that Emma had started to believe her. The venue was a small garden restaurant on the edge of the city, with string lights and flowers and tables covered in white linen. The guest list had been trimmed, polished, approved. The food had been tasted, retasted, approved again. The seating chart had been rearranged seventeen times.Eleanor stood at the entrance, greeting guests, her silver hair swept up in an elegant twist, her black dress immaculate. She looked like a queen surveying her kingdom."Emma," Eleanor said, kissing her cheek. "You look beautiful."Emma smoothed the front of her dress — a simple white sheath, not her wedding gown, but something special for tonight. "Thank you. You look beautiful too.""I always look beautiful." Eleanor's eyes softened. "Are you nervous?""Terrified.""Good. That means you care."Emma smiled. Eleanor took her arm and led her into t

The reception was held in a glass-walled pavilion at the edge of the garden. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling like frozen waterfalls. Tables draped in white linen held centerpieces of pink peonies and ivory roses. The dance floor was polished oak, waiting for footsteps. A string quartet played softly in the corner — something classical, something romantic, something that made Emma's heart ache with happiness. She stood at the entrance, Nick's hand in hers, looking out at the sea of familiar faces. Olivia was already crying. Chloe was taking photographs of everything. Eleanor was directing the caterers with military precision. Daniel was holding a glass of champagne and smiling at nothing. "We did it," Emma whispered. "We did it," Nick said. She looked up at him. The scar on his jaw. The happiness in his eyes. The silver tie she had bought him years ago. "I love you, husband." Nick smiled — a real smile, bright and unguarded. "I love you too, wife." He kissed her. The string

The drive home was silent.Not the heavy silence of fear or anger — the full silence of wonder. Emma sat in the passenger seat, her hand on her stomach, staring out the window at the city lights. Nick drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on her knee. Neither of them spoke. There were no words for what they were feeling.A baby.Their baby.The girl from the basement and the boy who held her hand were going to be parents.Nick pulled into the garage. He turned off the engine. They sat in the darkness for a long moment."Emma," Nick said.She looked at him. The scar on his jaw. The tears in his eyes."We're having a baby," he said."We're having a baby.""I'm going to be a father.""You're going to be a father."Nick laughed — a wet, shaky laugh. "I don't know how to be a father."Emma reached across the console and took his hand. "Neither do I. But we'll figure it out. Together."Nick lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles."Together," he said.---The penth

The days that followed were a study in waiting.Emma tried to live normally. She went to her appointments at Healing Hearts. She had lunch with Olivia. She sat on the couch with Nick and watched movies and pretended that her life wasn't being watched through a stranger's lens. But the letters kept coming. Every few days, a new envelope would appear — slipped under the door, tucked into her bag, once even left on her pillow. The police couldn't find the source. The building's security cameras showed nothing. Whoever Mara was, she was good at hiding.The photographs changed. Emma at the grocery store. Nick leaving the office. Emma laughing with Rachel. Nick kissing Emma on the street. The messages grew darker."You're still here. I told you to leave.""He's mine. He's always been mine.""You're carrying his child. That should have been me."Emma stopped sleeping. She lay awake at night, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the city. Every creak of the building made her hea