Chapter 3 Shadows in The Cradle

Carina's POV

I stare at my phone long after the call ends, my fingers frozen around it. Vanessa's voice still rings in my ears like a curse.

"You think this story has a happy ending, sweetheart? I'm not done with you yet." And then...like fate knew the perfect timing...my baby kicked for the first time.

I sit there, alone in my kitchen, trying to figure out which part of my life just changed more: the tiny flutter in my womb, or the threat that came with it.

I press my palm gently over my belly. "You felt that, didn't you?" I whisper. Another soft kick.

God, she's real. She's here, and I'm not ready.

The next morning, I don't tell Dante about the call. I want to...I almost do, three times...but I stop myself. Every time I look at him, he's... trying. He brings groceries. He makes me tea. He even folds baby clothes I didn't know he bought.

He's not perfect. He's still guarded, still unsure where we stand. But there's gentleness in his eyes now I've never seen before. And I don't want to ruin it. For once, it feels good to believe in a little peace. Even if it's temporary.

"Are you okay?" he asks, pouring hot cocoa into two mugs. I nod, yes I am fine thanks. sitting on the couch wrapped in one of his giant hoodies. "Just tired."

He brings me the cup and sits beside me. "You've been quiet since last night, he said."

"I'm always quiet," I said in low voice. "Yeah, but this is the kind of quiet that feels like you're holding your breath."

My chest tightens. He knows me better than I thought. I look at him. "Why are you here, Dante?"

He frowns. "You know why." "No, I don't know. I mean really. Why now? After all this time. After walking away like I was nothing."

He looks down at his hands. Silent. I almost regret asking. Then, softly, he says, "Because you never were nothing. You were everything."

My heart skips. His gaze lifts to mine. "I tried to forget you. I went to Europe, started a new company, even got engaged..." He winces. "But I couldn't stop seeing you in every crowd, hearing you in every dream."

My lips part, but no words come. He leans closer. "I messed up. I didn't fight for you, Carina. I let my fear make decisions for me. But when I saw you again... pregnant with my baby... I realized something."

I said, "What?"

He touches my stomach gently. "That the best mistake I ever made... was loving you."

A tear falls down my cheek. Then another, and when he kisses me, I don't stop him. Because for the first time, it doesn't feel like lust.

It feels like he's choosing me.

We fall asleep on the couch that night, tangled together like a broken puzzle slowly being put back together.

He rest his hands on my stomach. I listen to his steady breathing, and for a moment, I imagine this being our life.

Just us. Quiet. Simple. Whole. But peace never lasts. Not for people like me.

The Next Afternoon

I get a call from Leo. His voice is low, urgent. "Are you alone?" "Dante just stepped out. Why are you asking, hope there is no problem?"

"I did a background check on Vanessa." My spine straightens. "And?" "She's not just your average rich witch." I already knew that. "What did you find?"

"She's been in contact with a man named Terrence Dune. Ex-security. Fired by Dante's father some years ago after embezzlement charges. Word is, Vanessa paid him under the table to 'gather dirt' on you."

"What kind of dirt?" I ask

"Whatever could make you disappear." My blood runs cold. I look toward the window,and my heart racing.

"She's planning something, Carina. And it's not just about you anymore. It's about the baby." I said, "She's going to try and take her, isn't she?"

Silence. Then Leo says what I've feared since the moment Vanessa reentered our lives: "Yes."

Later That Night

I pace the apartment like a caged animal. My skin itches with unease. Every creak, every gust of wind outside, makes me flinch.

Dante comes home with takeout and flowers. I fake a smile. He buys it. We eat in silence, but my mind is anything but still.

How do I tell him the woman he once loved might be trying to destroy me?

How do I protect our baby from a threat I can't even see clearly?

Later, I'm in the bathroom, brushing my hair, when I hear a soft creak behind me.

"Dante?" I call,my eyes meeting his in the mirror. He smiles. "Just watching." "You scared me," I exhale.

He wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my neck. "You look beautiful."

I smirk. "With toothpaste stains on my shirt?"

"With everything." I lean back into his chest, my heart aching. "Do you believe people can change?" I ask suddenly.

He blinks. "Why?" "Because I'm trying to. I'm trying to be strong. Brave. But I feel like I'm still that girl you left-just with a baby now."

He turns me around and cups my face. "You're not her anymore. You're stronger now. I see it."

His words wrap around my wounds like bandages. and when he kisses me again, it feels like hope. Real. Tangible. Warm

I fall asleep easily that night, but I wake to a nightmare. Glass shatters in the living room.

I sit up, my heart racing in my chest. "Dante?" I said. No answer.I creep toward the door.

The apartment is dark, too quiet. Then I see it. The window is open. The flowers he brought me are shredded on the floor. A single note sits on the windowsill.

I walk over, my hands shaking. I unfold it slowly. Only four words:

"You weren't fast enough."

And that's when I realize... Dante has gone.

The air in the room tightens like a noose. My fingers clutch the paper until it crumples in my palm. I spin around, half-expecting him to jump out and laugh...some sick joke. But there's only silence. His jacket is gone from the hook. His phone is still on the counter. His keys...gone.

"Dante?" I call on him again, this time barely able to breathe. No answer.

A sob escapes my throat. My legs give out, and I sink to the floor. This can't be happening.

My phone buzzes. Unknown number. My hand shakes as I answer.

"I told you, Carina," Vanessa's voice purrs through the line, low and venomous. "You never deserved him. But don't worry, I'll take good care of what's mine."

My stomach twists. "If you hurt him-" "Oh, darling," she laughs softly. "I won't hurt him... unless you make me."

The line goes dead. I stare at the screen, my heart racing, baby kicking furiously like she senses my fear.

I can't lose him. Not again. Not now. I scramble to my feet and grab the first coat I find. My mind is racing...where would she take him to? Maybe somewhere private. Somewhere with power. Somewhere she thinks I won't go.

But she underestimates me. I'm not the girl she used to toy with. I'm a mother now.

And a mother will walk through hell to protect her family. Even if that hell has Vanessa's name written all over it.