16
The news of my pregnancy brought a shift in my life I hadn’t anticipated. For so long, everything had been chaos -fear, betrayal, and survival. But now, as I looked at Hans’s beaming face and felt his hand rest protectively over my stomach, I felt something new Peace.
“Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?” Hans asked one night as we lay in bed, his hand tracing lazy circles over my stomach.
I laughed softly. “It’s too early to tell.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said, grinning. “As long as they have your smile.”
“You’re cheesy,” I teased, but my heart swelled at his words.
Hans leaned down, pressing a kiss to my growing bump. “And they’ll know they’re loved. Always.”
The first ultrasound was an emotional whirlwind. The room was quiet as the doctor moved the probe across my belly, and then suddenly, there it was–the sound of a tiny heartbeat.
Hans squeezed my hand, his eyes wide with awe. “That’s… our baby?”
I nodded, tears streaming down my face. “That’s our baby”
He laughed, wiping at his eyes. “I don’t cry. You’re making me emotional, Felicity.”
I laughed through my tears, leaning into his shoulder. In that moment, nothing else mattered,
As my pregnancy progressed, Hans became even more doting. He hired the best chefs to cater to my every craving, even when those cravings were absurd.
*Pickles and chocolate?” he asked one evening, raising an eyebrow as he held the plate I’d requested,
“Don’t judge me,” I said, snatching it from him with a grin.
He chuckled, watching me eat. “You’re glowing, you know.”
“You say that every day,” I teased
“Because it’s true every day,” he replied, leaning in to kiss my cheek.
One afternoon, Hans surprised me with a nursery reveal. He’d kept the door to the room locked for weeks, insisting it was a surprise
11:50 AM
