Months had passed in a blur of careful routines, suppressed tensions, and Kai’s suffocating devotion. Elara was now thirty-eight weeks pregnant, her belly round and heavy with their son. The nursery was finally complete—soft navy and gold tones, every luxury item imaginable. Kai had barely left her side the entire pregnancy. No more long tours. No unnecessary business trips. He attended every appointment, rubbed her swollen feet, and made love to her almost nightly with a strange mix of tenderness and raw possession.
The rumours about Sophia and Victor had quieted into tabloid whispers, but they never fully died. Elara had kept her distance from her sister while maintaining a fragile peace. She had done only a handful of brand campaigns from home, including the successful ice diamond brac
