Alicia stood in front of the mirror, hands resting over her stomach. Her reflection looked the same—but something inside had shifted. She wasn't the naive girl who went to that party weeks ago. She wasn't even the same woman who had cried herself to sleep the night she took the test.
She was changing. She was growing—stronger, fiercer.
And she was done pretending.
Her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Contact: Family secrets don't stay buried forever. Ask your mother about Nathaniel.
She froze.
That name—Nathaniel—was a ghost.
A name whispered in childhood arguments and quickly buried in silence.
Her mother had always dodged the question. Her father acted like the name didn't exist. Even her older sister once told her, "Some things are better not remembered."
But now… the past was clawing its way out of the grave.
And it was tied to her baby.
Later that day, Alicia showed the message to Dominic.
"Nathaniel?" he asked, brow furrowed. "You know who that is?"
She shook her head. "I don't. But my family does."
He leaned against the window, arms crossed. "You think he's the one threatening you?"
"I think… someone wants me to find him. Or maybe they want me to uncover something I was never supposed to know."
Dominic stepped closer, voice low. "Then we'll find him. Together."
Alicia blinked, surprised. "You don't have to do this."
"I want to." He paused. "Not just because of the baby. Because of you."
Her heart twisted.
Why did he always say the right thing right before everything got worse?
Alicia went back to her parents' house the next morning.
It was awkward. Cold.
Her mother sat across from her in the sunroom, sipping tea like they weren't strangers.
"I'm not here to fight," Alicia began. "I'm here for the truth."
Her mother glanced up, indifferent. "Truth about what?"
"Nathaniel."
The cup clinked against the saucer.
Her mother's face drained of color.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do," Alicia snapped. "And I'm done playing nice."
Her mother stood slowly. "He was your uncle. My brother. He died before you were born."
Alicia blinked. "How?"
Her mother's hands tightened. "He was brilliant. But dangerous. He got involved with the wrong people. Made enemies in high places. When things went bad… we buried everything to protect the family name."
"Is that why someone is targeting me now?"
Her mother's silence was louder than any scream.
"I have a child to protect," Alicia said. "I need to know everything."
Her mother whispered, "He didn't just make enemies. He made promises. One of them was that his bloodline would never rise again in this family."
Alicia froze. "What does that mean?"
But her mother refused to say more.
Dominic was waiting outside, leaning against his car.
Alicia climbed in and shut the door, heart pounding.
"She knows more than she's saying."
"Of course she does," Dominic said. "We all have people we protect by lying."
She looked at him. "Are you lying to me?"
He turned to face her. "No. But I think I've been lying to myself."
Her breath caught.
"About what?"
"About what this is. What we are."
The air turned thick between them.
"Dominic…" she began, but he interrupted.
"I don't want to just be the guy who shows up when there's danger. I want to be the guy who stays after the storm ends."
Her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know if I'm ready."
He took her hand. "Then let me wait."
That night, Dominic invited her to a dinner at his penthouse—to talk, to reconnect.
But just as she stepped into the elevator, her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Contact: You're getting too close. If you won't stop, I'll make sure he does.
Suddenly, the elevator jerked.
The lights flickered.
Alicia gasped as it shuddered to a stop between floors.
Trapped.
Her hands flew to her stomach.
Was this a coincidence… or a warning?
She tried calling Dominic, but the signal was dead.
Her heart pounded as minutes stretched into long, breathless silence.
Then, from the speaker above, a voice crackled through.
Low. Male. Familiar.
"You should've left it alone, Alicia."
She backed into the corner, trembling. "Who are you?"
A pause. Then—
"Someone you share blood with."
Meanwhile, Dominic was pacing the rooftop when Liam ran up, breathless.
"She's in the elevator. But it's stuck."
Dominic didn't wait.
He sprinted to the emergency system and activated the override.
When the doors finally opened, he found her crouched in the corner, tears on her face but eyes full of fire.
"What happened?" he asked, helping her up.
She gripped his arm. "He spoke to me. Through the intercom."
"Who?"
She looked up at him.
"My cousin."
Dominic's eyes narrowed. "I thought your uncle didn't have kids."
Alicia's voice trembled.
"So did I."