Chapter 15

Caleb stayed by my side in the hospital for three entire days until the doctors confirmed that both I and the baby were completely stable. During that time, he didn’t mention the contract. He didn’t issue commands or speak with his usual authoritative tone. Instead, he silently managed everything, his gaze glued to me with an intensity I had never seen before. It was a complex, layered look—filled with regret, fear, and a fragile kind of care, as if he was terrified to lose me again. When...