<b>Chapter </b><b>141 </b>


    -CELINE POV


    The silence in the penthouse was suffocating after Hunter left. I sat on the couch where he had trapped me with his words, his threats still echoing in my mind like a death sentence.


    “You’ve just given me another reason to never let you go.”


    Caesar appeared from the bedroom, his little face scrunched with confusion. “Mama, why did Papa leave? He looked angry.”


    I pulled him onto myp, trying to keep my voice steady. “Papa had to go to work, baby.”


    “But he didn’t say goodbye to me.” Caesar’s bottom lip trembled. “Did I do something wrong?”


    “No, sweetheart. You didn’t do anything wrong.” I kissed the top of his head, breathing in his innocent scent<b>. </b>“Papa loves you very much.”


    ‘Even if he sees me as nothing more than a breeding mare.’


    The next morning, I woke to the sound of the doorbell. My heart leaped….Hunter?-but when I opened the door, I found a woman in scrubs holding a medical bag.


    “Miss Brown? I’m Nurse Patricia Williams. Mr. Reid has arranged for me to provide your daily prenatal care.”


    “Daily?” I stepped back, suddenly aware I was still in my pajamas. “That’s not necessary. I’m perfectly capable of….”


    “I’m afraid Mr. Reid was quite specific about the level of care you’re to receive.” Her smile was professional but firm.


    “May Ie in?”


    I wanted to refuse, to m the door in her face, but Hunter’s words came back to me: ‘Try me.‘ <fnf39d> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? findnovel</fnf39d>


    Twenty minutester, Nurse Williams had taken my blood pressure, temperature, and drawn blood for “routine monitoring.” She left behind a bag of prenatal vitamins and a folder thick with dietary guidelines.


    “I’ll see you tomorrow at the same time,” she said cheerfully. “Mr. Reid wants daily reports on your progress.”


    The door closed behind her, leaving me staring at the medical supplies like they were prison bars.


    By the third day, I was ready <i>to </i>scream. The deliveries had started–flowers, gourmet meals, toys for Caesar. Each one came with a note in Hunter’s precise handwriting:


    “Pregnant women need proper nutrition. – H”


    “Ensure you’re eating enough protein. – H”


    “The salmon is rich in omega–3s. Good for the baby. – H”


    1 threw thest note in the trash, my hands shaking with fury. Caesar watched from the kitchen table, picking at his borate meal from


    some five–star restaurant.


    “Mama, why are you angry at Papa’s presents?”


    How could I exin to a four–year–old that his father’s gifts felt like golden chains?


    <b>1/4 </b>


    The Market rang spin this time, i duan bathes tooking through the people and the dan apan, randy is fall andther delivery person to take their expense offering srid.


    Hello, Celine


    Hunter stood in the hallway, looking devastatingly handsome in a charcoal soft, holding a small wrapped box.


    “May Ie in?”


    I wanted to say no. Every instinct screamed at me to m the door in his face. Instead, I stepped aside, hating myself for the way my heart


    raced at his presence.


    “Papal” Caesarunched himself at Hunter, who caught him effortlessly.


    “Hey, buddy. How’s my boy?”


    “missed you! Are you staying for dinner?”


    Hunter’s eyes found mine over Caesar’s head. “That depends on your mother.”


    “I don’t recall inviting you,” I said coldly.


    “Consider it a wellness check.” He set Caesar down and extended the box. “For you.”


    “I don’t want your gifts.”


    “Open it.”


    “No.” We stared at each other across the room, the tension so thick Caesar looked between us uncertainly.


    “Mama, Papa brought you a present.”


    “Yes, sweetheart. That was very… thoughtful of him.”


    Hunter’s lips twitched at my tone. “Open it, Celine.”


    Something in his voice made me take the box. Inside was a delicate gold ne with a small pendant—a mother and child intertwined.


    “It’s beautiful,” I admitted reluctantly.


    “May I?” He gestured to the ne.


    Before I could protest, he was behind me, his fingers brushing my neck as he fastened the sp. His touch sent electricity through my body, and I hated myself for it.


    “There,” he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. “Perfect.”


    I spun around, putting distance between us. “Why are you here, Hunter?”


    “To check on my investment.”


    The words hit like a p. “Your investment?”


    Caesar tugged on Hunter’s sleeve. “Papa, what’s an investment?”


    Hunter’s jaw tightened. “It’s… when you put time and care into something important to you.”


    <b>“</b>Like how Mama takes care of me?”


    “Yes,” Hunter said softly, his eyes never leaving mine. “Exactly like that.”


    HUNTER POV-


    I was in the middle of a board meeting when my phone buzzed with a text from Nurse Williams: ‘Patient is healthy but resistant to care. Vitals normal. Will continue monitoring as requested‘


    ‘Resistant.‘ Of course she was. Celine never made anything easy.


    “Mr. Reid?” The CFO’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Your thoughts on the quarterly projections?”


    “Increase security at all our properties,” I said, not looking up from my phone. “And I want background checks on all new employees.”


    The room fell silent. I finally looked up to find twelve pairs of confused eyes staring at me.


    “The quarterly projections, sir?” the CFO repeated.


    I cleared my throat. “Approve them. Meeting adjourned.”


    Vincent remained as the others filed out, his eyebrows raised. “You want to talk about what just happened?”


    “No.”


    “Hunter, you just ordered security increases during a discussion about profit margins. That’s not like you.”


    I loosened my tie, feeling suddenly suffocated. “I have things on my mind.”


    “Things? Or a certain brte?”


    I shot him a warning look. “Don’t.”


    “Fine. But maybe you should actually go see her instead of having nurses monitor her every breath.”


    ‘Monitor her.‘ As if making sure she was healthy was some kind of betrayal.


    “I’m ensuring she receives proper medical care.”


    “You’re ensuring she feels like a prisoner.”


    I stood abruptly. “This conversation is over.”


    But Vincent’s words followed me out of the boardroom<b>, </b>echoing in my mind like an usation.


    That evening, I found myself standing outside the penthouse door, holding a jewelry box I had spent an hour selecting. The reasonable part of my mind called it weakness.


    The rest of me called it necessity.


    Caesar’s excited greeting when I entered made something tight in my chest loosen. But it was Celine’s wary expression that held my attention.


    She looked tired. Stressed.


    The pregnancy was barely showing, but I could see the strain in her shoulders, the way she held herself like she was bracing for impact.


    Good


    The thought came unasked and unwee. I didn’t want her to suffer. I just wanted her to understand that running wasn’t an option


    anymore.


    “To check on my investment,” I said, immediately regretting the words when I saw her flinch.


    Caesar’s innocent question about investments gave ine a moment to recover, to find a gentler way to exin what I couldn’t say directly: that she and our unborn child were the most important things in my world, and I would do anything to protect them.


    Even if it meant protecting them from her own poor choices.


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