Page 132 of Baby Surprise for my Brother's Best Friend

“No. Looks like someone else had an axe to grind.”

A different kind of fear settles over me then.

Colder. Sharper.

Because monsters that hide behind the wordfamilyormafia,at least you know their rules.

Personal enemies? They’re far less predictable. Far more dangerous.

***

That evening, my phone rings again.

E.

I hesitate before answering, still a little raw from the yoga class, from the call with Nikolai, from everything.

“Just circling back. Wanted to see how things are going.”

The tone is light but probing in a way that makes my skin prickle.

I shift on the couch, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“He’s back in Tuscany. Taking care of some family things.”

I barely finish the sentence before I have to dart for the bathroom.

I make it just in time, dropping to my knees and heaving into the toilet.

“Damn morning sickness,” I whisper to myself, my forehead pressed against the cool porcelain.

The phone’s still clutched in my hand when E’s voice comes through the speaker.

“Well, I hope you feel better soon. The offer’s still on the table, by the way. Senior partner. After the merger is finalized, it’s yours if you want it.”

The call is disconnected.

I stay kneeling on the bathroom floor, phone limp in my hand.

This is what I’ve wanted for years. What I’ve fought for. Sacrificed for.

I should feel victorious. Instead, all I feel is hollow.

I set the phone down on the counter, forcing myself up from the bathroom floor. I rinse my mouth out with cold water, swishing until the sour taste is gone, then dab my face with a towel.

My breasts ache, a tender, throbbing reminder of everything changing inside me.

My emotions teeter on a tightrope, one minute steady, the next swinging wildly without warning.

I walk over to the window.

The city is alive, couples laughing, people racing to catch cabs, friends shouting over food trucks, the kind of energy that once made me feel great.

Now it just feels distant. Like I'm behind glass, watching a life I no longer recognize.

I press a hand to my stomach, no hint of a swell beneath my palm yet.

"I did it," I whisper to the baby growing inside me. "I got everything I wanted."

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