Page 143 of Hidden

Because there, on the screen, its little heartbeat flickering strong and fast, was my baby.

And my whole world changed.

“Would you like to hear?” he asked and flicked a button without waiting for us to answer. The rhythmic thump of the heartbeat filled the silence of the room, and my own heart seemed to stop in response.

“Everything’s okay?” Gabby asked tearfully.

“More than okay, I’d say. That’s one strong baby. Just like his dad,” he said, winking at me.

He couldn’t be more wrong.

That baby was strong like its mother. She was the strongest woman I knew.

He went on to explain what we were seeing—the baby’s length, what tests they had run (all clear), what we could expect in the next few months, and then printed out a bunch of black and white pictures for us to take with us.

As he handed them over to me, I looked down at them, utterly entranced by what I was seeing.

How the fuck did something that small already own me?

How did it already feel like everything?

How could something so tiny have such a grip over me, such control?

I looked down at those pictures, my thumb brushing over the blurred outline like I could feel something through it.

Mine.

Ours.

And in that moment, there was no doubt left in me.

I’d burn the entire world down before I let anything touch them.

Chapter 37

Gabriella

Before

25 Years Old

Walking back into my home, I felt as though I were floating.

My fingers kept drifting back to my stomach, like I needed to check it was still real.

Like I hadn’t imagined it.

Like that sound hadn’t just filled an entire room and changed everything.

We’re going to be parents.

I smiled to myself, picturing his face when I’d told him I’d decided to go through with it tonight. No more hiding. No more sneaking around.

Tonight… I’d finally get to go home with him properly.

And because of that, I was looking at everything through a new, clear lens.

This would be the last time I came home.