The storm didn’t come with thunder.
It came with silence.
For two days, the mansion had been unusually calm. No open confrontations. No careless remarks at the table. No lingering touches in hidden corners.
But Zara knew better.
This wasn’t peace.
This was pressure.
Something was building.
She stood in the bathroom, staring at her reflection as her fingers tightened around the edge of the sink. The air felt too still, too heavy, like it was waiting for something to break.
Her thoughts had not been her own for days.
Liam.
Noah.
Ethan.
Truths she could not ignore.
Lines she had nearly crossed.
And now—
Her body was betraying her.
She exhaled sharply, closing her eyes for a moment.
No.
It couldn’t be.
But deep down—
She already knew.
Her hand moved slowly, almost hesitantly, toward the small object resting on the counter.
The test.
Minutes passed.
Or maybe seconds.
She couldn’t tell.
When she finally opened her eyes—
Her world shifted.
Two lines.
Zara’s breath left her slowly.
Not in shock.
Not in panic.
In realization.
She was pregnant.
The silence that followed was louder than anything she had ever heard.
Her fingers trembled slightly, though her face remained composed.
But inside—
Everything collided.
Time.
Memory.
Moments she had carefully controlled.
Moments she had almost lost control.
Her heart pounded harder now.
Faster.
Unsteady.
Because there was only one...