Chapter 66 – Arya's POV
"Two Pink Lines"
I stared at the white plastic stick in my hand, waiting.
One minute.
Two minutes.
My heart beat louder with every passing second, thudding painfully in my chest. I already knew the answer. I had known for days—weeks, maybe—but denial was a strange kind of comfort. It allowed me to pretend. To carry on with my daily routines like nothing was shifting beneath my feet.
But now, there was no pretending.
Because staring back at me… were two bold pink lines.
Positive.
I sat down on the edge of the bathtub, suddenly too dizzy to stand.
Pregnant.
The word echoed through my mind like a secret being shouted into a cave. I brought a trembling hand to my mouth, tears pricking the corners of my eyes before I could stop them.
I was pregnant.
Again.
---
After Liam, I never thought I'd do this again.
Not because I didn't love being his mother—because I did, more than anything. But carrying him had nearly broken me. Not physically, but emotionally. I'd brought him into a world where love was complicated, and trust was fragile. I was alone for most of that journey—scared, uncertain, fighting to build a future while drowning in the pain Damon had left behind.
I'd made it through, yes.
But not without scars.
And when Liam was born, I promised myself I'd never be that vulnerable again. That I'd never bring a child into uncertainty. Into chaos. Into love that might fall apart again.
And now here I was…
Holding the proof in my shaking hands.
---
I walked out of the bathroom slowly, my body heavy, limbs stiff, as though the weight of what I'd discovered had already begun to settle in my bones.
The apartment was quiet.
Liam was still at school, and Damon had stepped out for groceries. The silence gave me space to feel it all at once—relief, fear, joy, guilt.
How could something so small stir so much inside me?
I sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at my stomach, barely changed. I placed a hand there, gently, protectively. It felt surreal. There was a life inside me again. A beginning. A second chance.
And it wasn't that I didn't want this child.
The truth was… I already did.
But I was afraid.
Afraid of what this meant. Afraid of what might happen if things fell apart. Afraid of opening myself up to the same pain I'd barely survived the first time.
But more than that, I was afraid of not doing this right.
Because this child deserved more than doubt.
---
I found myself walking to the window, the test still in my hand. The sun was beginning to set, casting orange and pink streaks across the city skyline. It was beautiful, soft—hopeful.
And suddenly, I thought of Damon.
His quiet concern. His patience. The way his eyes lit up when he looked at Liam. How, even when he didn't have the words, he was trying.
He wasn't the man he used to be. Not completely. There were still pieces of the past in him, still shadows—but he was changing.
Slowly. Steadily.
And I'd seen it.
In his kindness. In the way he never pushed, never pressured. He knew something was going on—he probably even suspected the truth—but he waited for me to come to him. On my terms.
I exhaled slowly, the breath I didn't know I was holding leaving my body like a wave.
I was pregnant.
And for the first time in weeks… I didn't feel alone.
---
Later that evening, I tucked Liam into bed, brushing his soft curls away from his forehead as he yawned and curled into his pillow. He looked so peaceful, so unaware of the storm swirling inside me.
"Goodnight, baby," I whispered.
He murmured something in his sleep and snuggled deeper into the blanket.
As I turned off the lights and closed his door, I pressed a hand to my stomach again.
Liam would be a big brother.
And despite everything… the idea made me smile.
Just a little.
---
I returned to the bedroom and placed the test in the drawer of my nightstand. I wasn't ready to tell Damon yet. Not tonight.
Tonight, I needed to hold this truth close to my heart—like a secret only I was allowed to carry.
Because it wasn't just a secret.
It was a miracle.
A terrifying, beautiful, unexpected miracle.
And somehow… I was ready for it.