Page 36 of The Hotel Room

Her hand pressed unconsciously to her stomach, her mind a blur.

How could this be happening?

Of all the times—of all themoments—why now?

Her marriage was over. Shattered beyond repair. She’d told James there was nothing left between them, that they were done.She’d stood in front of him, spine straight, voice cold, and made it clear they could never go back.

And now?

Now she was tied to him for anothereighteen years.

Not as his wife.

Not as the partner she’d once been.

But as the mother of another child they had created together.

Another link binding her to him—whether she wanted it or not.

The tears welled before she could stop them.

What am I going to do?

James had been so quick to remind her how financially dependent she was, howhepaid for the house, the bills, the life they’d built together. And the truth of it sat heavy in her chest, colder than the tile beneath her bare feet.

He wasn’t wrong.

She didn’t have a career. She hadn’t worked since Noah was born. Her entire world had been built around their family, around supporting him while he climbed the corporate ladder.

How was she supposed to raisethreechildren alone? How could she afford to stay in the house? How could she even consider leaving if it meant uprooting everything her children knew?

She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready for the conversations. The custody battles. The inevitable, exhausting questions from Noah and Lily.

Her stomach twisted painfully, her hand pressing firmer against it.

It’s not the baby’s fault.

The thought pierced through all the noise.

The fear. The resentment. It wasn’t her baby’s fault.

And in the quiet, in the heartbeat of silence where everything else fell away, the fear was suddenly…softer.

This was her child, already loved, alreadywanted.

A tiny hand curled around her finger. Soft skin. That perfect scent of newborn hair. She imagined holding them for the first time, the weight of a perfect, precious life pressed against her chest.

Her heart ached with the wanting of it.

This baby was hers.

No matter what James had done.

No matter how broken things felt between them.

Tears slipped silently down her cheeks. Shewouldfigure this out. She had to.

But the ache lingered. The crushing weight of what this would mean.

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