Mia was waiting on the couch when Aria stumbled in that night, her heels dangling from one hand, her hair pinned with the last traces of effort she’d given before the party.

The apartment smelled faintly of popcorn and nail polish remover. Mia muted the television, her eyes narrowing the second she saw her friend’s face.

“That bad?”

Aria dropped onto the couch with a groan. “Worse.”

“Spill.” Mia pulled her legs up, hugging a pillow to her chest like she was bracing for impact.

Aria hesitated, chewing on her lip. “He was there. Of course. Looking… perfect.”

Mia rolled her eyes. “Naturally. Rich, powerful, broody. Let me guess—he glared at you like you’d stolen the last donut?”

“I wish.” Aria swallowed, the words tasting sour. “He wasn’t alone.”

Mia’s brows lifted. “Don’t tell me—”

“Fiancée.” The word broke from Aria like glass. “She was right there beside him. Beautiful. Elegant. Exactly the kind of woman who belongs on his arm.”

Mia’s mouth fell open. “You’re kidding me.”

Aria shook her head, blinking fast. “They announced it like it was nothing. Like the whole world already knew. He didn’t even look at me. Not once.”

Mia cursed under her breath, then shoved the pillow aside. “Okay. First, she could look like Cleopatra reincarnated, but I still bet she doesn’t make his coffee order right. Second…” She leaned closer, her tone softening. “That doesn’t erase what happened between you two. And it doesn’t erase the fact that you’re pregnant, Aria.”

The reminder tightened something in Aria’s chest. “Don’t.”

“You can’t keep avoiding it. Every day you wait, it gets harder. You have to tell him.”

Aria buried her face in her hands. “And say what? ‘Hey, remember that mistake you called it? Congratulations, you’re going to be a father’? He’ll throw me out before I finish the sentence.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know enough.” Her voice cracked.

Mia rested a hand on her knee. “Listen to me. This isn’t just about him anymore. It’s about you, and that baby. Secrets like this? They explode eventually. Better he hears it from you than someone else.”

Aria’s throat ached, but she nodded faintly. “I don’t even know how to begin.”

Mia squeezed her knee. “One word at a time. You’ll figure it out.”

The next morning, Aria sat at her desk staring at her computer screen, though the numbers and emails blurred into static.

Around her, the office buzzed with the aftermath of the party—coworkers chatting about the champagne, the speeches, the dazzling fiancée who looked like she’d stepped off the cover of a magazine.

“Did you see her dress?” Sophie gushed from the next desk. “Pure silk. And those heels—custom, I swear.”

Aria forced a polite hum, though her stomach knotted. Every mention of Evelyn’s name felt like another twist of the knife.

But beneath the jealousy and humiliation, something stronger pulsed: urgency. Mia was right. She couldn’t hide forever.

The secret weighed on her like lead, stealing her breath every time she glanced at her reflection, every time she pressed her palm against her abdomen when no one was looking.

By lunch, she could barely sit still. Her eyes drifted to the corner office where Liam sat behind glass walls, untouchable, his focus trained on a call.

He looked collected, every movement precise, his voice even. She wondered if he ever thought about that night—or if he’d buried it as deeply as he wanted her to.

The hours crawled. By late afternoon, most of the office had emptied for meetings or errands. A quiet settled over the floor, broken only by the hum of the air conditioning and the faint tap of her keyboard.

Her gaze slid again to his office. The blinds were half-drawn, his desk clear now, his chair turned toward the window as though he’d finished his work. Alone.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. If she didn’t do it now, she might never find the courage again.

Aria pushed back her chair, her legs unsteady. Each step toward his door felt like crossing a battlefield. She paused at the threshold, her hand hovering over the knob, every nerve in her body screaming to turn back.

Then she remembered Mia’s voice. One word at a time.

She knocked lightly.

A beat of silence. Then his voice, clipped. “Come in.”

The door clicked shut behind her, muting the world outside. Liam sat behind his desk again, dark eyes lifting to hers with the same cool detachment he wore like armor.

“Miss Hayes,” he said, measured and professional. “What is it?”

Her throat tightened. The words tangled, refusing to form. She clasped her hands together, trying to steady them. “I—there’s something I need to tell you. Something important.”

His brow arched, but he said nothing, only waited, his gaze steady, unreadable.

Her chest heaved. This was it—the line she couldn’t uncross.

Aria drew in a shaky breath, her voice breaking as she finally forced the truth into the air.

“I’m pregnant.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

She didn’t look away.

She couldn’t.