Chapter 135

< 135 Two Weeks Later 1

Mara and I had been spending most of our time indoors. I’d scaled back my work-intentionally. She was carrying our child, and there was no way I was letting her go through it alone. I wanted to be there for every moment, every mood swing, every scan, every ounce of discomfort. So I cleared my schedule and made being with her the priority.

And somehow, that led to me becoming the unofficial chauffeur for Tiffany’s checkups too.

It wasn’t a burden. Mara and Tiffany had grown close, and honestly, it was good for both of them. But every time I saw the way Mara smiled when Tiffany was around-or how easily they talked, like sisters who’d skipped the awkward phase-I felt a small ache. Mara would miss her when she left. Deeply.

I hoped she wouldn’t leave. I hoped Darian would stop acting like a damn fool and give her a reason to stay.

He was trying. I’ll give him that. He’d started showing up again, making small efforts to be present, but from where I stood, it all seemed half-hearted. Tiffany was emotionally done. She smiled politely, played nice for Mara’s sake, but her mind was already elsewhere. The bags weren’t packed, but her spirit had moved on.

I could’ve warned Darian. Told him she had one foot out the door. But maybe that wasn’t my place. Maybe he needed to s ee what it felt like when someone he cared about actually walked away. He fought harder when it came to Mara-and that