at Aaron's fashion brand. As a junior employee, the

ty, she accidentally ran straight into him... a

If he asked her to pay for it, there was no way her tiny p

n didn't

reach out later, he never mentioned compensation. Instead, he started asking her

d-looking man-five years older, charming and mature-was

art surgery, Aaron didn't hesitate. He had her transferred to the best suite

ped wondering if she was "good enough" for him. When a

letely swept

long-term care-which Aaron

herself become h

m? It shatter

e she could've kept lying to herself. May

me late way more than usual. He told her he was busy launc

elia probably came back a month ago. S

stu

med out. He didn't return to their room all night. The

tell me next time,"

ght off guard, b

he was starving-stomach practically eating itself-

.. keep it low-oil. And

you not fe

"Just some stomach issue

e noon. He had a grip on everything. Big or sm

eing attentive...

her body...he hadn

had brought over. The maid took her plate

f Aaron's habits of control too. He

er drink it. But ever since his schedule changed, the job fell to

it started tasting bitter. Maybe it was the pregnancy-

want to make thing

ke it up

ad personally instructed her to crush up a vitamin B tablet every m

ke sure his wife drank it. That rule had been

, there was no room to argue. She'd been doing it

a would go up to collect th

upstairs, poured it down the sin

ced her face looked a little sunken. She ran her fingers through her hai

pregnancy, it's best to avoid hair dye-hormones make th

ebruary, so she threw on a coat. After slipping into flat shoes

aid you can't leave the ho

ther to lift her eye

uards said, clearly uneasy, "

"What, I need approval now

ked awkward bu

I'll call him right now." She

y, the call con

at's go

sounded like he was in a meeting. Still, he picked up

ople to let me out." Emily wasn't in the mood

e heard the scrape of a chair, the s

you, but I'm tied

ally that hard to just let me leave the house? Yo

you." His voice was tight, like

I. So just one th

tod

rds left his mout

tely a

like some caged canary, l

They weren't even speaking like peop

stinctively to her belly. She couldn't just think abou

hone, she typed a

t. There's something impo

ron stepped in, draping his coat over his

seated on the couc

ing hung up on earlier, he honored her m

strides steady, and

want to tell

she felt

-the way they spoke to each other, the way they fought-

'd thought

her they stay together or not-he's still

he found out... he'd loose

f her dress, licked her dry

PREGN

watched his pupils widen-just a fraction-then shrink rig

enly, his

laugh

NOT po