Chapter 190: Chapter 190

Something was different about her.

It wasn’t anything dramatic. There was no fainting, no sudden revelations. It was just a quiet shift I could feel more than see. The kind of thing only someone who truly knew her would notice.

It started small. Mira had been tired more often, curling up on the couch after breakfast instead of going straight to the bakery. Then came the appetite changes. She, who used to swear by coffee and croissants in the morning, suddenly wanted toast with honey. Sometimes even pickles which was a first. Mira didn’t like pickles at all.

The final giveaway came when I found her half-asleep on the couch in the middle of the afternoon, one hand draped over her stomach.

At first, I didn’t say anything. I just stood there watching her breathe, chest rising and falling softly, sunlight spilling across her skin. She looked peaceful, the kind of peace I’d been chasing all my life but only ever found in her. I loved seeing her like that.

But over the next few days, I started paying attention.

She would get dizzy at random moments. Her mood shifted between laughter and quiet reflection. And then one night, she pushed her pasta away halfway through dinner. That was something Mira Romano never did.

"You okay, baby?" I asked, frowning slightly. I was beginning to get worried.

She gave a tired smile. "Yeah. Just not hungry."

I reached across the table, touching her hand. "You sure? You’ve barely eaten all day."

"Mm-hmm." She squeezed my fingers. "I think I’m just tired."

I didn’t press her. Mira hated when people hovered, and after everything we had been through, she deserved to just... breathe.

But later that night, when I woke up and found her sitting on the bathroom floor with her head in her hands, all that calm went out the window.

I crouched beside her instantly. "Mira?"

She looked up, startled. "Oh— hey. You scared me."

"You scared me," I said, brushing my thumb under her chin. "Are you okay?"

She hesitated, then sighed. "Just nauseous. It’s been happening every morning. I didn’t want to worry you."

"Too late." I retorted. I was already thinking of taking her to the hospita but I knew she would vehemently kick against it claiming she was alright.

She smiled faintly at that, leaning against me. "It’s probably nothing. Maybe something I ate."

But even as she said it, I saw that tiny flicker in her eyes. The exact same one she got whenever she was pretending to be fine.

By the next morning, my patience was gone.

I wasn’t one to jump to conclusions, but something deep in me that instinct I could never quite explain was already whispering the truth.

And even though I didn’t have proof yet, the thought alone made my heart race like I was standing at the edge of something too big to name.

I didn’t want to jinx it.

The funny thing about intuition is that sometimes, you ignore it even when it’s screaming in your face.

I’d been in denial for days. Every sign was there, the nausea, the sleepiness, the weird cravings but I kept brushing it off. Maybe because the last time I had been pregnant, it hadn’t ended well. That loss had left a quiet scar in me that I didn’t always talk about, but it was there, stitched between the folds of every memory I had with Jace.

But this time... it felt different.

This time, there was no fear in my heart. Only hope.

I waited until he left for a meeting that morning, then went straight into the bathroom with a pharmacy bag that I’d hidden under the sink. My hands trembled as I opened the test, reading the instructions twice even though I knew them by heart.

That’s all it would take.

When the seconds passed, I closed my eyes and breathed slowly and deeply, the way Jace had taught me when I used to panic over small things.

And when I looked again...

I sat there for a long time, staring at them like they held the entire universe. My throat tightened, but I couldn’t stop smiling.

After everything we had been through - the heartbreak, the healing, the rebuilding, life had somehow found its way back to us.

For a moment, I thought about calling him right away. But then I stopped. This wasn’t news I wanted to tell over the phone. I wanted to show him with something sweet and something memorable. That was the way our new life deserved to begin.

So I started planning.

By the time he got home that evening, the kitchen smelled faintly of vanilla and butter. I’d been baking all afternoon. I made small cupcakes frosted with white icing, each topped with a tiny fondant letter.

When arranged together, they spelled out:

I heard his footsteps in the hallway before I saw him.

"Mira?" he called out. "Why does the house smell like heaven?"

"In here," I said, trying not to sound nervous.

He stepped into the kitchen, jacket draped over one shoulder, his tie loose, that tired-but-gorgeous look on his face that always made my heart flutter.

His gaze immediately went to the counter. "What’s all this?"

"Dessert," I said casually, leaning against the island to hide my shaking hands.

He frowned, stepping closer. "Since when do you bake cupcakes on a weekday?"

"Since today." I grinned. Chapters fırst released on novel⁂fire.net

He narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion before walking over. I could tell the exact moment he read the message because his body stilled completely.

Then his head snapped toward me.

"Mira..." His voice was quiet, unsteady. "Is this—"

I nodded, tears already gathering in my eyes. "Yeah."

For a heartbeat, he just stood there. Then he exhaled a shaky breath and closed the distance between us, cupping my face with both hands.

"I want to hear it from you. Say it again," he whispered.

"We’re having a baby." I said and it sounded surreal even to me.

He laughed just then. It not the cold, polished sound he used with business associates, but the real one, deep and raw, like it came straight from his soul. He pulled me into his arms and held me so tightly I could barely breathe, but I didn’t care.

"Are you sure?" he murmured against my hair.

I nodded, my voice muffled against his chest. "I took three tests."

He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his own glistening. "You’re serious."

"I wouldn’t joke about this."

He brushed his thumb under my eye, smiling softly. "You have no idea what you’ve just done to me, Mira."

"Oh, I have a few ideas," I teased, wiping my tears. "You look like you’re about to pass out."

"More like explode." He laughed again, then kissed me slow and full, the kind of kiss that felt like every broken piece between us had finally fallen into place.

When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine. "You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this. Not just a baby... this. A family. With you."

My chest tightened. "Me too."

He kissed me again, then glanced down at the cupcakes and chuckled. "You baked our announcement. Of course you did."

"What else would I do?" I smiled. "It’s very on brand."

"I love it." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Actually, I love you more."

"Smooth," I teased, poking his chest.

"I’m serious, Mira. You’ve given me more than I ever thought I deserved."

I smiled, my throat thick. "We both deserved this. Every bit of it."

He didn’t argue. He just kissed me again, deeper this time, before sliding his hands to my waist. "So, when do we tell everyone?"

"Not yet," I said quickly. "Let’s keep it to ourselves for a while. Just us."

He nodded, understanding immediately. "Our little secret."

Our eyes met again, and in that silent exchange, everything felt right, the journey, the pain, the healing. It had all led here.

We stood there in the kitchen, surrounded by soft light and the faint scent of vanilla, holding each other like time had stopped.

After a while, I placed his hand gently on my stomach.

"Right here," I whispered. "This is where our forever begins."

He smiled, his eyes softening in a way that made my heart ache. "Our beginning before the beginning."

And for the first time in years, there was no storm on the horizon. No enemy waiting in the shadows. Just the quiet, powerful certainty of love taking root in new soil.

As the night settled around us, I leaned into him, feeling his heartbeat steady against mine.

We had walked through fire, through loss, through chaos. But somehow, we made it here together.

And as I looked up at him, his hand still resting over the small secret growing between us, I realized something I hadn’t said out loud yet.

This wasn’t just the end of a Chapter.

It was the start of everything we’d ever dreamed of.