Chapter 418

Sophia Lowell's life moved with clockwork precision. She woke at seven each morning, left by eight, and stood before her lectern by nine. Returning to her apartment at six, dinner was always served at seven. This regimented routine brought her an unfamiliar sense of peace.

Thirty pages had flipped from the calendar. The gentle curve of her abdomen had begun to show beneath her clothes, like a small moon hiding in fabric. During her prenatal checkup, the doctor assured her the baby was developing perfectly, though her bump was smaller than typical for this stage.

That afternoon, Sophia hung laundry on her balcony. A breeze brushed against her rounded stomach, carrying a hint of coolness. Her fingers absently traced the swell as a smile tugged at her lips.

The apartment door burst open with a bang.

"Surprise!" Jason Roscente stood in the doorway, sunglasses dangling from his fingers. His grin froze when his gaze landed on Sophia's midsection.

Her fingers clenched the fabric of her shirt. She hadn't imagined her secret being exposed this way—least of all by Jason.

For a month, Ethan Roscente had vanished. No calls. No texts. No sudden appearances. Their tangled past might as well have been a dream, leaving only a faint ache upon waking.

"You...gained weight?" Jason tilted his head, circling her like she was some exotic creature. "Seattle's food must be amazing. Though you've got this artistic weight distribution—all concentrated in one spot."

Sophia exhaled. The clueless playboy hadn't even considered the obvious.

"Sophia!" Vivian Ashcroft charged in with a crate of coconut water. "The prenatal hydration haul is—" Her voice died when she spotted Jason.

The air turned to ice.

"Prenatal?!" Jason's voice jumped an octave, eyes widening. "You're pregnant?!"

Vivian lunged to clamp a hand over his mouth. "Shut your trap!"

Too late. Jason wrenched free, jabbing a finger at Sophia's stomach. "That's my uncle's baby, isn't it?!"

Sophia glared at her fitted tee—the convenient choice that had betrayed her. She instinctively cradled her belly, as if shielding the life within from the chaos.

Jason's expression cycled through shock, glee, then concern. He yanked out his phone. "I'm calling Uncle Ethan—"

"No!" Sophia and Vivian shouted in unison.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting tangled shadows across the trio. Sophia knew it then—the carefully constructed peace she'd guarded had shattered beyond repair.