Chapter 4 Fault lines

Raina didn't stop walking until she was outside the building, her heels striking the pavement with sharp, uneven beats. The spring air was cool but heavy, thick with the scent of rain yet to fall. Her pulse thudded in her ears, a steady reminder of everything she hadn't said.

She hadn't told him.

Not yet.

Not in front of glass walls and boardroom eyes.

But she would.

She had to.

She crossed the street and ducked into the nearest café, hands trembling as she ordered a tea she wouldn't drink. In her pocket, her phone buzzed-Linda, probably. But she ignored it.

She slid into a corner booth and closed her eyes.

Adrian Blake.

CEO. Controlled. Dispassionate. The man from the bar felt like a different person. Or maybe that version had never been real to begin with. Maybe she had been the only one bleeding when they met, and he had just... watched her drown.

She rested a hand on her stomach.

He's the father of this child.

And now, he's her client.

She almost laughed. Almost.

---

Across Town – Adrian's Office

Adrian shut the conference room door behind him and walked straight into his office, jaw tight. He poured himself a glass of water but didn't drink it. Instead, he stared out the window-at the skyline he usually found reassuring.

But not today.

Raina.

Of all people.

She hadn't changed much-still sharp, still composed on the surface. But he'd seen the way her hands trembled when she gripped her pen. And that moment her eyes met his across the table? It had winded him more than he'd admit.

He'd thought about her more times than he could count. That night hadn't been a fling-it had been a fracture. One he'd buried under work and control and calculated silence.

He didn't regret it.

But he hadn't forgotten.

He set the glass down and leaned against the window, hands in his pockets.

She didn't tell me.

But she's hiding something.

He saw it in her eyes-the flicker of pain, of defiance, and something else.

Fear?

He needed to find out what it was.

---

Later That Evening – Raina's Apartment

The new apartment was barely furnished-just a bed, a couch, and boxes she hadn't touched in two weeks. Raina sat on the edge of the bed, her phone in her lap, staring at the contact form on her OB-GYN's website.

She had a decision to make.

Does she tell him?

Can she trust him?

He'd disappeared once. What would he do if he knew she was carrying his child?

Her hand strayed to her stomach again, fingers splayed protectively. She felt the flicker of something that wasn't quite fear.

Hope. And that terrified her more.

Her phone buzzed again.

Linda: "You okay? That meeting felt... off."

Raina typed and deleted her reply three times before settling on: "He's someone I thought I'd never see again."

Three dots danced.

Linda: "Is he the father?"

Raina stared at the screen for a long time.