AVA'S POV
But sitting side by side in a storm you didn't cause — and knowing your hearts were still tethered, still beating for each other.
After a while, I stood up to get ready for the rest of the day. My body felt heavier, not from pregnancy, but from the emotional bruising I hadn't let myself fully acknowledge.
As I walked into the bedroom, I glanced back at Ethan one more time.
He was still at the table, still working.
But his eyes held fire.
And I suddenly knew — deep in my bones — that whatever was coming, whoever had tried to break us…
They had no idea who they were up against.
Not with Ethan.
And certainly not with me.
The elevator ride to the rooftop of Hotel Belmont felt strangely cinematic. Every floor it passed hummed a low mechanical sigh, echoing in my bones like the weight of truths waiting to be unburdened. My reflection in the mirrored walls looked calm, composed. But inside, my nerves ran in sharp waves.
