/1/101428/coverbig.jpg?v=a6edc7fa863c44c8d677b68f6b8753a9)
air before a thunderstorm that refuses to break. Vivian sat on the edge of the examination table, her knuckles white as
hattan elite, and he knew when a situation required celebration and when it required caution. He held
owned. It was a small movement, a tightening of the skin
t, Mrs. Sterling
e had imagined this moment a thousand times. In her head, it was always accompanied by tears of joy, by Julian's hand over h
voice dropping an octave. "We
d for a fraction of a second was inst
our history of anemia and the stress markers in your blood work,
High risk. It sounded like a business
ears welled up in her eyes, hot and stinging, but she refused to let them fall. She wa
spered. Her voice sounded foreig
enemy right now, Vivian. I cannot emphasize this enough. You need absolute bed rest.
alking on the deck of a ship in rough waters. She took the prescr
sharp. "And I want this file sealed. No insurance claims.
t he nodded slowly. "Of course, Vivian
you," s
e prescription. She bought the vitamins and a bottle of generic antacids. In the privacy of the pharmacy bathroom, she dumped the antacids into the t
th a rudeness that felt personal. She stood on the sidewalk, surrounded by the noise of taxis an
to see, no bump, no sign of life, but she knew.
ed to te
d been distant, distracted, always on his phone, always traveling. But a baby changed things. A baby was a bridge. A
from her bag and call
ce trembling slightly. "Int
ate jet was scheduled to land in forty-five minutes. He was coming home a day early. She hadn't been suppo
f blood. Vivian checked her reflection in the compact mirror. She looked pale. She pinched her chee
inal, Vivian felt a wave of nausea. She told herself i
e was the only wife waiting. Usually, assistants or drivers waited here. Wives waited at
sinessmen she recognized nodded at her politely. A
ibs. She looked for his height, the sharp cut of his jaw, t
inned. Then
was not
ed the app a
ce. Then it went straight to voicemail. The me
ef of Staff. It rang and r
bucket. The silence was deafening. She felt a cold chill that had nothing to do w
hone
Google Alert she had se
from a paparazzi agency. The t
ack SUV at the private exit-the exit used for ultra-high-profile celebriti
l Vivian could see was a silhouette,
avoided the main exit. He had avoided the family car. He had taken a sep
hone, then at her face. He had tried to call Julian's security detail, but they had gone r
driver said softly.
her stomach again, a protective shield ov
hispered. "T
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