MasukEVE’S POV I was supposed to be on strict bed rest. The doctor had been very clear after the ultrasound scare... no getting up except for the bathroom, no lifting anything heavier than a water glass, and definitely no stress. My body needed to focus on keeping the twins safe. But the nursery welcome project had taken on a life of its own, and there was no stopping Damon and Lily once they got an idea in their heads. I lay propped up in our big bed like a queen on her throne, surrounded by a mountain of pillows. My belly was massive now, round and heavy, stretching the soft maternity shirt I wore. The twins were active today, doing their usual evening gymnastics routine under my skin. Every kick and roll sent little waves across my stomach. I had my notebook balanced on my lap, directing the whole operation from headquarters. “Lily, sweetheart, hand Daddy the yellow strip,” I called across the room. Lily toddled over in her favorite yellow socks, clutching the bright construction p
EVE’S POV My hands wouldn’t stop shaking the whole drive to the doctor’s office. I kept pressing them flat against my belly like that could hold everything together. The scare from three days ago still sat heavy in my chest... that sharp pain, the spotting, the terrifying rush to the ER where they mentioned possible placental separation and put me on strict rest. Damon had barely slept since. I’d barely breathed. “You okay?” he asked for the tenth time, voice low and tight. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel. “Yeah,” I lied. Then I sighed. “No. I’m scared shitless, Damon. What if something’s wrong? What if the separation got worse and...” “Hey.” He reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it hard. “We’re gonna check. That’s why we’re doing this detailed scan. Doc said it was just to be safe. The babies are tough, just like their mama.” I tried to smile but it felt shaky. The twins had been kicking like crazy the last couple days, which the doctor said was a good sig
EVE'S POV The video call screen flickered to life at exactly ten in the morning. Damon had set up the laptop on the bed tray table so I could stay propped up with pillows the way Dr. Patel wanted. My belly felt heavier today, the twins shifting in that restless way that made me wonder if they could sense the tension in the room. Lily was with the nanny in the playroom down the hall, her giggles carrying faintly through the penthouse. I could hear her laughing at something on the TV, and it made my chest ache in the best and worst way. She deserved a normal morning. Not a mother who had to be careful with every breath because one slip could change everything. Damon sat beside me on the edge of the bed, his hand resting on my thigh. He had been like this since the scare... close, steady, never more than a few feet away unless he absolutely had to be. His thumb traced small circles on my leg, a quiet reminder that I was not alone in any of this. The lawyers appeared on screen one by
EVE'S POV The first full day of bed rest felt like being wrapped in cotton and glass at the same time. Dr. Patel had been very clear on the rules. No walking around the penthouse without help. No lifting anything heavier than a water glass. No stress. Lots of rest with my feet up. Weekly ultrasounds, daily kick counts, and a home monitoring machine that Damon had already set up on the nightstand like it was the most important piece of furniture in the apartment. I hated it. I hated lying here while life moved around me. I hated the way my body suddenly felt fragile after everything it had already survived. Most of all, I hated the quiet fear that lived under my ribs now, whispering that one wrong move could hurt the twins. Damon had taken the day off completely. He had not left my side except to get Lily from the nanny and bring her in for cuddles. Right now he was in the kitchen warming up the lunch the chef had prepared, but I could hear him moving around, checking on me every
EVE'S POV The penthouse bathroom tiles were cool under my bare feet as I stepped out of the shower. Lily had finally gone down for her nap after a morning of nonstop energy, toddling everywhere and demanding cuddles, and the twins were kicking up a storm like they were trying to outdo their big sister. At almost twenty weeks, my belly was definitely showing now, round and heavy, making every movement feel a little more deliberate than it used to. I reached for the towel, my foot slipping on a small puddle of water I had not noticed. One second I was reaching, the next the world tilted. My hand grabbed for the counter but missed. I went down hard, my hip hitting the edge of the tub and my shoulder slamming into the floor. The impact knocked the breath out of me. For a moment everything was just shock and the sharp sting of pain. Then the fear hit. "Damon!" I called, my voice shaky. "Damon!" He was there in seconds, bursting through the door still in his shirt from the home office,
The invitation came in a pretty pink envelope with sparkly stickers and a handwritten note from the mom. Lily’s first real birthday party invitation. Not just family gathered at the penthouse with balloons we blew up ourselves. A real kids’ party at one of those fancy indoor playground places in the city. The kind with soft foam floors, colorful slides, and a cake big enough for twenty toddlers to destroy. The mom who sent it was from a small playgroup Eve had started taking Lily to once security cleared every parent and staff member. Sweet woman. Normal life stuff. The kind of thing we were trying so hard to give our daughter after everything. Eve was excited when she showed me the invitation that morning. Her eyes lit up in that way they did when she talked about giving Lily pieces of childhood we’d both missed in different ways. “Look at this,” she said, waving the sparkly card. “She’s turning two and they invited Lily specially. There’s going to be bubbles an
They'd been back from the wedding for three days when Damon's phone rang during breakfast.Unknown number.He almost didn't answer, then something made him pick up."Hello?"Eve watched his face change, watched him go still in that dangerous way he did when he was trying not to react."Sophia," he
The two weeks flew by faster than Eve expected.Jessica took her dress shopping even though the dress was already made. Said they needed the experience, the tradition of it. They tried on ridiculous gowns they'd never buy and drank champagne and laughed until Eve's sides hurt."This is what it shou
Day three and I was getting used to thiswaking up slow, no alarms, no rushing, just existing Damon was already awake, I could hear him outside on the deckI found him with coffee, looking at the ocean, not his phone, not his laptop, just the ocean“Morning,” I said“Morning.” He handed me a cup. “
We drove back to the city Sunday afternoonNeither of us wanted to leave but we couldn’t hide forever. The week had been good, better than good, we’d talked and laughed and had sex on every surface in that house and figured out we actually liked each other outside of all the chaosBut now the chaos







