Ayaana’s face had lost all colour by lunchtime. She clutched her stomach under the table, biting her lip to hide the pain. Period cramps were unforgiving that day, but she said nothing.
She was surrounded by high-class colleagues with sky-high heels and iced lattes who wouldn’t notice anything short of a meteor strike.
Except Aiden.
“You look like someone stabbed your uterus,” he whispered, sliding a small bar of chocolate her way.
“More like set it on fire and danced around it,” she muttered, accepting it with a faint smile.
“I've got a heating pad in my drawer,” he offered, cheerful as ever. “Yes, I'm gay. No, I’m not hitting on you. I just don’t like seeing people suffer.”
She chuckled despite herself. “You’re the kindest human here.”
From across the canteen, Alexander watched them. Aiden’s hand briefly brushed Ayaana’s as he handed her the chocolate.
Something inside Alexander snapped.
Why is she always smiling at him? he fumed inwardly.
By the time she returned to her desk, a pile of extra work awaited her like a cruel mountain.
She didn’t argue.
She worked.
And worked.
Until her fingers trembled and her legs ached. By 7:00 p.m., the world spun and blurred then blacked out.Alexander didn’t realize she hadn’t left until he noticed her cabin lights still on. When he walked in, he found her crumpled on the floor.
“Ayaana!”
He dropped beside her. Panic. Guilt. Fear.
She didn’t move.
Without another thought, he scooped her into his arms, rushed her down, and slid into his car.
Not to the hospital.
Not to her home.
But to his home.
His room. She looked fragile lying on his expensive sheets, curled into herself. Her breathing was shallow, her hands icy.
He immediately called for a doctor.
Within twenty minutes, Dr. Latha, a short, plump, no-nonsense woman in her sixties, entered with a bag that looked older than time.
She placed her stethoscope on Ayaana’s chest, checked her pulse, pressed gently around her abdomen.
Then she turned to Alexander and smiled knowingly.
“Oh, so you’re her husband, hmm?”
Alexander blinked. “What? No—”
She cut him off, wagging a finger. “No need to hide, son. These modern couples, always secretive. Brings me flashbacks of my college days. She’s fine. Just period cramps and sheer exhaustion. Give her warm food, rest, and maybe some snuggles, hmm?”
“I—snuggles??” Alexander nearly choked on his breath.
Dr. Latha nodded sagely. “You must be making her work too much. I can see she trusts you. She’s calm even while unconscious.”
Alexander stared, utterly dumbfounded. “I didn’t—We’re not ,This isn’t what it—”
She patted his shoulder. “It’s okay, son. Your wife is lucky to have such a handsome husband.”
Alexander looked like he’d swallowed a sock.
Then, as she packed up her bag, she paused at the door.
“One more thing…” She turned, eyes twinkling. “You two will have chubby babies. Big cheeks. Very cuddly. Mark my words!”
The door clicked shut behind her.
Alexander stood frozen, processing that entire storm of words.
“Chubby… babies?”
He looked at Ayaana, who shifted slightly in her sleep and murmured something about soup and a blanket.
He rubbed his face. “What even is my life right now?”
But even with his confusion, he couldn’t help the ghost of a smile that tugged at his lips as he moved to the kitchen, because somewhere in that chaos, something warm had begun to bloom.
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