Novels by Beth

ZOE’S POV I woke up with my heart full and a soft smile on my face. My entire body could feel how important today is. It still feels surreal. I lay there for a moment, listening to the hum of the AC, the birds outside and the calm breathing beside me. Owen stirred and turned slightly toward me. “She’s one,” I whispered, almost afraid to say it out loud. “I can’t believe Ava is one today.” His eyes opened slowly, still heavy with sleep but when he smiled, it was warm. He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “After everything, the fear of losing the pregnancy, her arriving too early, the moment the doctors were trying to get her to breathe, the weeks she had to stay in the NICU.” “Now she is here. Growing stronger every day.” I said softly. “She’ll keep growing,” Owen said quietly, “Healthier. Even more perfect. She’s our little miracle.” “Yes,” I said, smiling as my chest filled. “She is.” He pulled me closer and kissed me softly, then loud knocking broke the moment. “Mom! Dad!

CHLOE'S POV Zoe’s voice came through the phone,“How’s school?” she asked.I smiled and rested on the kitchen counter. “Good. It's a lot of work, but good. I’m surviving.”She laughed softly. “How's Jamie and Ava? I asked. “They're fine,” Zoe said. “Jamie is at Austin's. He kept asking if you’re coming for Ava's birthday next weekend. He said he hasn’t seen you in a long time.”I paused.“Chloe,” she said gently, “are you still planning to come? Or… you’re not comfortable coming back yet?”I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed in. “I haven’t even held her yet,” I said. “I wouldn’t miss Ava’s first birthday for anything. I’ll be there.”Zoe sounded relieved. “I'm happy to hear that. I’ll tell Jamie. We’ll be expecting you.”Just then, Liam entered the room, he started to ask about dinner and I quickly motioned for him to be quiet.Zoe heard it anyway.“Are you with someone?” she asked.My throat felt that. “Just… a course mate,” I said quietly.She hesitated. “Okay,” Zoe said,

OWEN'S POV Zoe stayed quiet through most of the flight.Now she brushed Ava’s back again and again.I closed my laptop and turned to her. “Hey,” I said softly. “You can breathe, you know.”She smiled weakly. “I am breathing.”“Barely.”She exhaled slowly and looked at Ava sleeping in her arms. “I’m just… worried.”I already knew about what. Still, I asked, “About my father?”She nodded. “Owen, what if he won't accept me?” Her voice dropped. “He refused to come to our wedding. What if nothing’s changed?”I squeezed her hand lightly. “A lot has changed,” I said. “Time has passed. And Ava’s here now.”“That doesn’t make it certain.”“He hasn’t met you,” I said firmly. “That’s the problem. He made his decision without knowing you. But once he meets you, gets to know you, he’ll love you.”Zoe looked at me, clearly uncertain. “Are you sure?”I smiled and spoke softly. “Of course I’m sure. You’re beautiful. You’re smart. And you’re holding the most beautiful girl in the world.” I leaned clo

OWEN'S POV It was late in the morning, I sat on the couch with my laptop open, finishing some work but my mind wasn’t on it. It was on Zoe. She sat beside me with a book resting on her belly. She turned the pages slowly. She looked peaceful. Strong. Like the past months had finally been kind to her. Things had been going well for months. That should’ve been enough to calm me. But I kept watching her. She shifted, then stood up slowly. She paused halfway up. She touched her belly and closed her eyes. I got up at once. “Zoe,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “Are you okay?” She looked at me and smiled softly, “I’m fine,” she said. “Braxton Hicks. This happens now.” I nodded but my chest still felt tight. “You sure? Or should we go to the hospital? Just to be safe.” She shook her head softly. “It’s still early. The doctor said this could happen. I promise, I’m okay.” I wanted to insist. But I let it go, since she sounded sure and I didn’t want every moment to be full of fear.

OWEN'S POVComing back to Sydney should have felt like relief.The island was beautiful. The rest of our honeymoon was smooth and peaceful. The kind of peace that makes you forget everything else.But that kind of peace doesn't last. I’d learned that already. It shatters the moment you start believing it will last.Zoe moved more easily now. She walked through the house with steady steps, her shoulders relaxed and her face brighter than before.We were unpacking. I paused and stared at her.She smiled when she noticed I was staring.“I’m fine,” she looked at me and said.She seemed fine, so I wanted to believe that. But I couldn’t fully relax. Not until the baby is born.“I know.” I said softly.*******************Austin brought Jamie later in the day.As soon as Jamie saw Zoe, he ran to her and hugged her tightly.“I missed you so much,” Zoe whispered into his hair.“I missed you too, Mommy.” Jamie said.“Are you okay now?” he asked and moved back to look at her face. “You're not s

OWEN’S POVI felt the bed shift beside me. I thought it was just Zoe turning in her sleep. Then I heard my name, very softly.“Owen…”There was something in her voice that woke me up instantly.I sat up and faced her. She stood at the edge of the bed, holding the sheets with one hand and the other on her stomach.Her face was pale and she looked scared.“What is it?” I asked as I climbed out of bed.She didn’t respond immediately. She looked down.That’s when I saw it.Blood.Running down her leg.My heart seemed to stop for a moment.Fear hit me hard, but I didn’t show it. I couldn’t. Zoe was already panicking, I had to stay calm.“I’m here,” I said quickly as I moved toward her. I put my arms around her to keep her standing. “Hey. Look at me. Breathe.”She started crying, holding onto my shirt.“I don’t want to lose the baby,” she cried. “I can’t lose our baby, Owen.”“You won't,” I said firmly, even though my heart ached. “You won't lose anything. You're both going to be fine.”I

NICHOLAS’S POV I stood there long after the doctor had left, staring at the hospital corridor that stretched out endlessly before me. Then I started to walk slowly to find out which room Maya was. I dragged my feet as they felt heavy underneath me. The fluorescent lights buzzed above me, casting everything in that sickly pale glow that made hospitals feel like a different world. I was directed to Maya's room at the nurses’ station. I hesitated outside the door when I got there, looking through the small window. She was awake, just lying in the bed and staring blankly at nothing in particular. Her face was pale, the kind that came from losing too much blood and too much hope all at once. I opened the door and walked in gently. She either didn't notice me walking in or just chose to ignore my presence cause she didn't turn her head to look at me. "Maya,” I said carefully, “are you okay?” She didn't respond. I sighed quietly, walked closer, and stopped just beside

LYNETTE'S POVI sat there moments after the door had closed behind Nicholas, staring at the space where he'd been standing near the counter, and the cup of coffee he couldn't finish.The whole house suddenly felt so quiet that it made every small sound feel louder than it should, including my own breathing.I sighed softly, rubbing the bridge of my nose with my finger.‘Why did Nicholas look like I told him something that was totally out of the ordinary?’I was expecting more of his usual nonchalant reaction, not…that.I'm pretty sure it wasn’t just about what I told him, cause he already seemed off the moment I walked into the kitchen.Something was definitely going on with him.I tilted my head slightly and murmured, “but what could that be?”I shrugged my shoulders. ‘Well, that's his business to deal with. At least now I can breathe normally since I've gotten it off my chest.’I stood up, walked to the sink, and poured the coffee down the drain. The dark liquid swirled and disappea

NICHOLAS’S POV “I'm pregnant,” Lynette whispered softly. Her voice was barely audible, yet it echoed in my head louder than anything. My heart literally stopped for a moment. I stared at her in shock and disbelief. And I saw the fear in her eyes, the way her fingers gripped the cup of coffee she hadn't taken any sip from, and my stomach sank. ‘Holy shit, she's not kidding.’ My mind began to spiral. ‘What the fuck is happening? Is the gods playing some kind of sick game with me? How on earth could she be pregnant at almost the same time as Maya?’ She chuckled nervously. "You're not…you're not saying anything.” I blinked repeatedly, just to be sure I wasn't having a terrible nightmare. My mouth opened in an attempt to say something, but I couldn’t get any words out. What the hell was I supposed to say? “Nicholas?” She tried again softly when I still remained quiet. "Sorry, I…" My throat felt tight. I paused and swallowed. “Are you…sure?” I asked, even though I knew she wou

LYNETTE'S POV We arrived in New York late in the evening. I walked in slowly into the house with my suitcases in hand. I paused in the middle of the living room, staring at it like it was my first time seeing it. Being back home was kinda different, even though everything in the house was still the same, not a single thing had changed. Maybe it was just me who felt different coming back to my reality after the fantasy and dream I've lived and experienced with Bradford in Santorini. No regrets, though. I sighed softly and dragged my suitcase down the hallway, heading to the bedroom. I hesitated in front of the door, wondering if Nicholas was home from work. Not that I cared if he was. He never called me once while I was away, and I wasn't expecting him to. I just thought it was about time I told him about the pregnancy. That's all I had been thinking about the whole ride from the airport. ‘I'm pregnant.’ I just had to say those three words to him. That's all.

GABRIELLE’S POV “Working on it together?” I mumbled Lynette's words to myself again as I paced back and forth in the suite, still finding it hard to believe. I'd been pacing for an hour, maybe even longer than that, I wasn’t sure anymore. My thumbnail was raw from biting it, but somehow, that didn't bother me. I was just seriously trying to wrap my head around it, make it make sense to me. Cause it just didn't. How could he not have fired her? I was sure he would. A man like him never tolerated incompetence, not from anyone, regardless of who it was. I would've bet my life that he'd cut Lynette loose the moment she admitted the designs were gone. But he didn’t. Instead, he offered to help and kept her in his suite all day. Working on it together? Together? I stopped pacing and stared at the wall. My brows pulled together in a frown. ‘What on earth is wrong with him?’ My phone buzzed on the glass table, as though it was the answer to my question. I crossed the room in thr

LYNETTE'S POV As I walked down to Bradford’s suite, I felt like I was doing a death march. My heart was pounding harder with each step I took. I kept rehearsing what I was going to say when I saw him, but my mind kept going blank right after I'd finished. I stopped in front of his door, and my hand hovered over the wood for a few moments. I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly to steady myself and maybe brace myself too. “You can do this,” I assured myself very quietly before I finally gathered the courage to knock. He answered the door almost immediately, like he'd been waiting on the other side of it. Bradford stood there, wearing a dark sweater and grey pants. His hair was still slightly damp, like he'd showered not too long. And his face didn't give away any emotions as usual. "Come in," he said softly and stepped aside. I walked inside carefully, taking in his really wide and beautiful suite very subtly, trying not to make it obvious. Mine was just as beautiful,