Page 115 of Slayin Villain

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Thorn and Ember caught in the crossfire of Sweet Tea’s fury.

But none of that mattered in this moment.

Not with my woman beside me, my child inside her, and the storm ready to break around us.

Let it come.

I’d walk through hell to protect what’s mine.

Chapter 51

Rachel

I woke to an empty bed.

The sheets were still warm on Villain’s side, but the scent of his cologne was fading fast.The low hum of voices in the other room made my heart sink.

I didn’t have to ask where he was going.

Ember had gone into labor.

And he’d gone to her.

I turned onto my side slowly, rubbing the taut, aching stretch of my belly.I was due any day.Hell, my belly button had turned inside out, my ankles had disappeared, and my patience was hanging on by a thread.

But none of that hurt more than the quiet in this room.

Because I knew what this meant.

If Ember’s baby was born now…

If it looked like Rome…

If the timing lined up…

That baby might not be Villain’s.

And God help me… I wanted that.

I wanted it with the kind of guilt that made my heart race and my throat close.Because wishing that baby wasn’t his?That wasn’t just wrong, it was cruel.

But I was tired of being second.

I sat on the edge of the bed, bracing myself against the dresser as I pushed to my feet.Everything felt swollen, feet, fingers, pride.I waddled toward the window and peeked through the curtains.Villain’s bike was gone.

Of course it was.

A bit later, Royal Road was quieter than usual.Cece and Jassica were chatting over coffee while Sweet Tea ignored them from across the room.When I stepped into the kitchen, they both stopped talking.

“You okay?”Cece asked gently.

I nodded, even though I wasn’t.“Yeah.Just… tired.”

“Ember’s at the hospital,” Jassica offered, rubbing my shoulder.

“She’ll be fine,” Cece added.“And Villain… he just needs answers.”

“Yeah,” I said, eyes on the floor.“Don’t we all.”

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