All Chapters of BLOODLINE SWAP: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

The clock was loud. Too loud. Tick. Tick. Tick. Zara counted every second. 40 hours left. POV: ZARA She hadn’t slept. Not really. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw guns. Saw Damien bleeding. Saw Marcus’s hands shaking while he bandaged him. The penthouse was quiet. Too quiet. Damien was in his office. Door closed. Marcus was on the couch. Gun on the table. And she was in the kitchen. Staring at coffee she wouldn’t drink. Her phone buzzed. Unknown number. Midnight. St. Nicholas Hospital. Back entrance. Come alone if you want the truth. Zara deleted it. Again. Who was Dr. Amina? A knock on the counter. Marcus. "You didn’t sleep." "Neither did you." He shrugged. "Job description." He looked tired. Eyes red. Stubble on his jaw. "Are you scared?" he asked. Zara laughed. No sound. "Terrified." "Of the results?" "Of everything." Marcus leaned on the counter. "Whatever happens, I’v

The safe house smelled like coffee and fear. No windows. One door. Three people. And a lie that had to look real. POV: ZARA She hadn’t slept. Not with Damien on the floor. Not with Marcus outside. 35 hours left. Till the results. Till Obasi moved. Till her life stopped being hers. "Legal sent the papers," Damien said. Voice rough. "Courthouse. 9AM." Zara nodded. "Okay." "Are you sure?" "No. But I’m doing it anyway." Damien didn’t push. He just handed her a cup of coffee. Black. The way she drank it. POV: MARCUS He came in at 6AM. Wet. Tired. Gun still on him. He didn’t look at Zara. Didn’t look at Damien. Just went to the sink. Washed his face. "They’re backing off," he said. "For now." "Good," Damien said. Marcus finally looked up. At Zara. In a white blouse. Hair down. No makeup. She looked like she was going to a funeral. POV: ZARA The courthouse was small. Cold. 5 people i

It took three days to clean Kael’s brother’s room.Three days of dust, old toys, and memories Kael wouldn’t talk about.Lyra didn’t push. She just painted.White walls. Blue trim. She couldn’t stand for long. So Kael held the ladder and she sat on a stool.“You don’t have to do this,” he said. “I want to,” Lyra answered. “They deserve a room that’s loved.”On day 3, the last wall dried. Kael carried in the crib. Hand-carved. Virel oak.It was too big for one baby. Perfect for two.Lyra ran her hand over the wood. “Rowan and Lyra Virel.” Kael came up behind her. Arms around her waist. “Fits.”The babies kicked. Like agreement.THE SHOPPING TRIP“You can’t go,” Kael said. “I can walk,” Lyra argued. “To the market. In your condition.” “My condition is bored.”He sighed. “Fine. But I’m carrying everything. And you. If you get tired.”The market was loud. Too loud. People stared. Whispered. “That’s the new Lady Virel.” “She’s huge.”Lyra ignored them. She touched everything. Tiny

The crack was thin.Like a hairline.Running from the top of the crystal to the center.But it was glowing.Red. Not blue.Kael stared at it. “How long?”“Since dawn,” the Keeper said. “It grows when she feeds. When she sleeps. When she breathes.”Lyra was still in bed.Rowan and Baby Lyra on her chest.She didn’t know yet.Kael didn’t tell her.Not today.DAY 1The nursery was chaos and peace at the same time.Crying. Feeding. Diapers.Kael was terrible at all of it and kept doing it anyway.Mira showed him how to swaddle.He tied Rowan too tight.Untied him.Tried again.“Let me,” Lyra laughed.“I’ve got it,” Kael said. Determined.Rowan stopped crying.Kael looked like he’d won a war.Baby Lyra screamed instead.Kael handed her to Lyra. “Tag in.”They figured it out. Slowly.At night, Kael slept 2 hours.Sat in the chair the rest of the time. Watching.The crack in the crystal grew 1 inch.DAY 3Visitors.Servants. Guards. Even the cook.Everyone wanted to see the twins.Lyra was e