The night hung heavy and sharp, the cold biting through Aria’s coat as she stood at the end of Xander’s long, stone driveway. One hand rested over her stomach, protective and unsure, while the other clutched a white envelope, thin in weight but heavy with truth. The house before her loomed tall and dark, its windows unlit, except for one: the study. A soft gold glow spilled out, quiet and still.
She felt like that house—grand on the outside, but silent inside.
The word had been stuck in her mind for days, circling her thoughts like a storm she couldn’t escape.
Pregnant.
At first, it had felt unreal. Then terrifying. Now, it just hurts. The kind of ache that sits behind your ribs and doesn’t let go.
She wasn’t here for pity or help. She was here because he deserved to know.
Drawing in
