Hailey's POV
For half a second, my heart stopped breathing.
Janet's words didn't echo. They didn't need to, they sat there in the grand foyer like a loaded weapon left on the marble floor, daring someone to pick it up.
I stared at her.
Then I laughed.
It wasn't hysterical. It wasn't cracked or wet with tears. It was short, sharp, and deliberate—the sound of a woman who refused, absolutely refused, to be reduced to a reaction.
"Pregnancy."
Of course she always has something under her sleeves.
I let the laugh fade and tilted my head slightly, studying her the way I might examine a poorly forged document.
Janet stood near the foot of the staircase, one manicured hand pressed to her abdomen, the other clutching a glossy sonogram printout like it was a holy relic. S
