I struggled with the zipper of my deep blue silk gown, my fingers clumsy and slow. The dress used to slide on effortlessly. Tonight, it clung to a body still healing—skin tender, abdomen aching, four months removed from a surgery that had brought two lives into the world.
Behind me, the twins cried in uneven rhythms. One sharp and urgent. The other softer, relentless. A duet of need that filled the suite and pressed against my ribs until even breathing felt heavy.
Ryan stood near the window overlooking Boston’s skyline, adjusting the cuffs of his tuxedo. Immaculate. Confident. Practiced. He looked like a man accustomed to admiration.
He glanced at me through the mirror. His eyes didn’t linger on my face. They stopped at my waist.
“You’re really wearing that?” he said flatly.
“It’s the only formal dress that fits right now,” I replied, keeping my voice steady. “And barely.”
He turned fully toward me, gaze roaming without restraint—lingering where the fabric pulled, where softness remained, where motherhood refused to hide.
“It makes you look careless,” he said. “Tonight matters. Investors. Board members. Press. I need polished. Not… this.”
“I delivered twins,” I said quietly. “My body is healing.”
He sighed, annoyed. “Plenty of women bounce back. You could try harder. Presentation is everything.”
The words settled in my chest like cold stones.
He checked his watch—an absurdly expensive one he wore like a trophy. “Just stay out of sight tonight. Stand in the back. Don’t hover near me when I’m talking business. I can’t afford distractions.”
I watched him leave without another glance.
This was the man who obsessed over the unseen majority owner of his company. The one whose approval he chased. The one he feared.
He never once suspected that the person he revered was the woman rocking babies through sleepless nights while he slept undisturbed.
I lifted Aaron, pressed his warm cheek against my shoulder, and whispered the comfort I wished someone had offered me.
“You’re safe,” I murmured. “Both of you are.”
Ryan wasn’t confused. He was deliberate. Cruelty like that doesn’t happen by accident.
I sent a single message to the only executive who knew the truth of my ownership.
Is everything prepared if I move forward tonight?
The reply came instantly. Everything is ready whenever you choose.
