Two pink lines blazed back at Addison from the pregnancy test. Her hands shook as she nearly dropped the stick onto Jaxon’s pristine marble floor.

“No.” The word scraped out of her throat. “This can’t be happening.”

She turned toward the mirror, confronting her pale reflection. The birth control pills mocked her from their elegant dispenser. One percent failure rate. One percent.

Her phone was in her hand before thought kicked in.

“Addison? Honey, what’s wrong?”

Her mother’s voice cut through the chaos instantly.

“Mom.” Addison’s voice cracked. “I need— I’m—”

“Take a breath, sweetheart, and then tell me whatever this is.”

The tears came without warning. “I’m pregnant…”

Silence stretched between them. Then: “Oh, honey.”

“Mom, what am I going to do?” Addison sank onto the bathtub’s edge, cold marble biting through her dress. “Jaxon is going to lose his mind. You know what he said about children…”

“What exactly did he say?” Her mother’s voice sharpened.

“That children are a five-year plan, minimum. Career suicide before forty.” The words tasted bitter. “He made me promise, Mom. He said starting a family before we hit our targets would destroy everything we’ve built.”

“Targets?” The disgust was palpable. “Addison, listen to me. You’re talking about a human life, not a business merger.”

“I know… God, I know that.” Addison pressed her free hand to her stomach. “But you don’t understand what he’s like when his plans get disrupted. Remember when I got that promotion at Morrison & Associates? The one that would have meant relocating?”

“The one he made you turn down.”

“Exactly. We talked it through for weeks. He said it was for us, for our future together. But really it was because it didn’t fit his timeline.”

Anger cut through her voice, replacing fear.

“And what do you want, Addison? With this pregnancy?”

The question struck her.

“I want this baby…” The words came fierce, certain. “I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was six years old. But I also want Jaxon to want it too, and I’m scared he’ll see this as…”

She choked on the admission.

“As what?”

“As a derailment. As something that messes up all his careful planning.” Her chest tightened. “He loves me, I know he does. But he loves order more sometimes. He loves knowing what comes next.”

“And what comes next if you tell him?”

“He’ll want to discuss ‘options’, probably.” Bitter laughter escaped her throat. “You should see this place, Mom. The penthouse, the cars, the lifestyle. He can destroy me financially if I cross him and If he’d want to. He has connections everywhere—the bank, the city, even some of my clients.”

“Addison Marie, are you listening to yourself?”

Her full name stopped her cold.

“You’re talking about a man who would use his power to hurt you for getting pregnant with his child. Does that sound like love to you?”

Addison’s chest tightened. “It wasn’t always like this. After Wyatt—”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean your room at home is still exactly the same as you left it. If you need space to think, to figure out what you really want without his influence, you have options.”

The words hung between them like a lifeline.

“Mom—”

“I’m not saying you should leave him. I’m saying you should give yourself permission to think clearly about what you want your life to look like.”

“I don’t know if I’m brave enough for that.”

“You’re braver than you think, sweetheart. But you don’t have to decide anything right now. Just… don’t let fear of disappointing him stop you from protecting what matters to you.”

Addison pressed her forehead against the glass, city lights stretching endlessly below.

“I need to think about all of this.”

“That’s all I’m asking. Just think. Really think about what you want, not what fits best with someone else’s plan.”

“Thank you, Mom. For listening. For not judging.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Call me anytime, okay? Day or night.”

“Ok, love you, Mom.”

The line went dead. Addison set the phone down and walked to the center of Jaxon’s perfect living room, her hand pressed to her stomach.

“You’re going to be wanted,” she whispered to her unborn child. “And you’re going to be celebrated.”