THE HEARTBEAT 💓
501 Words
*Chapter 8: The Heartbeat*
The next morning, Damian was already waiting by the car.
In jeans. And a black t-shirt.
No suit. No tie.
"You look..." I trailed off. "Different."
"Doctor's appointment," he said simply, opening the door for me. "No board meetings today."
My heart warmed. He remembered the note.
The hospital was private. No cameras. No reporters. Just us.
The nurse called my name. "Anovia Hart?"
Damian flinched at the last name. But he didn't correct her.
The room was cold. White. Sterile.
"First time hearing the heartbeat?" the doctor asked, smiling.
"Yes," I whispered.
Damian sat next to me. His hand found mine on the bed.
The doctor put the gel on my stomach. Then the monitor.
Static.
Then...
_thump thump. thump thump._
Fast. Strong. Perfect.
My breath caught. "Is that--"
"That's your baby's heartbeat," the doctor said. "Very healthy."
Damian's grip on my hand tightened. I looked at him.
His eyes were closed. His jaw was clenched.
"Damian?" I whispered.
He opened his eyes. And they were wet.
"This is real," he said quietly. So only I could hear. "We're really having a baby."
I squeezed his hand. "Yeah. We are."
The doctor printed a photo. A little blob. With a tiny flicker.
"First ultrasound picture," she said, handing it to me.
Damian took it from me gently. Like it was made of glass.
He stared at it for a long time.
In the car on the way home, neither of us spoke.
Until Damian pulled over.
"Anovia," he said.
"Yeah?"
"My mother called me this morning." His voice was hard. "She said if the baby isn't mine, you're out."
My stomach dropped.
Damian turned to me. His eyes were furious. "I told her if she ever disrespected you again, she wouldn't see her grandchild. Ever."
Tears filled my eyes. "You did that... for me?"
"I did that for us," he corrected. "For our family."
He reached into the glove box and pulled out the ultrasound photo.
He put it in his wallet. Right next to his credit cards.
"So I never forget what's important," he said.
We drove home in silence. But it wasn't awkward anymore.
It was comfortable.
That night, I knocked on his door.
"Can I come in?"
Damian opened it. He looked surprised. "Yeah."
I held up the ultrasound. "Wanna put this on the nursery wall?"
Damian stared at me. Then he smiled. That real smile again.
"Yeah," he said. "Let's do that."
We spent an hour in the nursery. Taping the photo to the wall. Picking names.
"Damian Jr?" I suggested.
He laughed. "Absolutely not."
"What about... Lily? If it's a girl."
"Lily Hart," he tested the name. "I like it."
When I left, he walked me to my door.
"Goodnight, Anovia," he said.
"Goodnight, Damian."
He hesitated. Then leaned down and kissed my forehead.
Soft. Sweet.
"Sleep well, Mrs. Hart."
And he closed the door.
I touched my forehead all the way to my room.
Contract?
I don't think so anymore.
- Writer
