Julia POV
I stared at my phone, my hands trembling as Cody’s string of messages glowed on the screen. Each word made my heart race with a cocktail of fear and anger. I scrolled through them one more time, feeling the weight of his obsession pressing in on my chest, and then, with a surge of determination, I deleted every message—one after another—until my inbox was empty. It was a small act of defiance, a refusal to let Cody’s words take up any more space in my life.
I set the phone aside, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I pressed a protective hand to my stomach, feeling the faintest flutter of movement from within. The baby was what mattered now—my future, my hope, the anchor that kept me from being swept away by fear. I whispered a silent promise: I would not let anyone, espe
