Chapter 20
It had been weeks since that night–the night Rozen fell to his knees, eyes red from guilt and liquor, trembling as he told me he was scared… scared of losing me, scared of not being enough And since then, things were slowly changing.
He did. He really did change.
Each morning I woke up to soft kisses on my forehead. Each night ended with him wrapping his arms around me like I was something precious, breakable, and yet irreplaceable.
His possessiveness never truly disappeared–but it softened. Tamed. He began to understanc that love wasn’t about ownership, but about trust. And for once, I didn’t feel like I was walking or eggshells. I felt… loved. Fully, overwhelmingly, and finally–peacefully.
Rozen kept his promise.
He let me work. Let me meet clients. Still occasionally pouted whenever I mentioned a male name, but he no longer barked out orders or crossed boundaries. Instead, he accompanied me sometimes, surprising me at my office with coffee or food, bringing my team gifts, making everyone swoon with how “supportive” he was. And maybe, just maybe, I swooned a little too.
One afternoon, while working on a client proposal with Alice, Rozen arrived without warning. Again.
“You’re here?” I blinked, hiding my wide smile.
He held up a bag, grinning. “I figured my wife deserves a break and some good food.”
Alice laughed. “He’s going to ruin every other man out there.”
I took the food, playfully rolling my eyes. “Thanks, Mr. Husband.”
But before I could open the box, a sudden wave of nausea hit me.
covered my mouth. “Ugh–1–sorry, I need the bathroom.”
Alice looked concerned. “Are you okay?”
‘No,” I murmured, rushing away.
Rozen was behind me in seconds. “Jasmine?” His hand supported my back as I vomited into the sink. My entire body shivered. Cold sweat ran down my neck.
When I finally stood straight, he touched my cheek. “You’re burning up… That’s it, we’re going to
he hospital.”
wanted to protest. But honestly, I was scared too.
‘You’re pregnant,” the doctor announced gently, smiling. “About six weeks along.”
blinked.
Rozen stared at the screen in disbelief. “W–What?”
The doctor turned the monitor toward us, pointing at the tiny flickering dot. “That’s your baby’s heartbeat.”
didn’t know how long I was silent, but tears clouded my eyes.
And then suddenly–Rozen’s hand grabbed mine, his grip firm yet shaking. “We’re having a baby?” he whispered.
Chapter 19
I turned to him. He wasn’t smiling–he was crying. Like really crying. Quiet, stunned tears. “Yes,” I whispered. “We’re having a baby.”
He laughed through his tears and kissed my forehead, his hand never leaving my stomach for the rest of the appointment. From that day on, Rozen transformed again. He was already a possessive husband–but now, he became an overprotective future father.
“No heels. Only flats.”
“You’re not lifting that, Jasmine!”
“You skipped a meal?! Are you insane?”
Every doctor’s appointment–he was there. Every craving–I didn’t even need to say it; he just knew. He even turned one of the guest rooms into a nursery overnight, complete with handpicked furniture and baby monitors.
And honestly… I loved it.
I loved how his eyes softened when he looked at my belly, I loved the way he kissed me more gently, more reverently. I loved the way he held me at night as if I was carrying his whole world.
Until one night… everything shifted.
Rozen was in the shower. I was lying on our bed, scrolling through baby items on my phone when I saw it.
His phone lit up on the nightstand.
A message.
From a name I thought had long disappeared from our lives.
Mina.
My stomach twisted–not from nausea. But from something deeper. I didn’t want to look.
But I did. I shouldn’t have.
Mina: Please, I want you back. I know you don’t love her–so come and see me. Please. I’m at this address.
The world fell silent. I stared at the message, numb. The phone buzzed again. Same sender. Same desperation.
I couldn’t move. All those nights. All those words. “I’m yours. Only yours.” They echoed in my ears like a cruel joke.
I placed the phone back, hands trembling. Rozen came out moments later, towel wrapped around his waist, hair damp and dripping.
He smiled at me. I couldn’t smile back.
His eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I lied.
Because right now… I didn’t know what was real anymore. Was it all a lie? Was I just someone he needed to heal his wounds?
Or was I truly… the woman he chose? My hand instinctively covered my belly.
Our child. No. I needed answers. But not tonight. And so I smiled back. Forced. Hollow.
Chapter 20
3:17 am DDD
“I’m just tired,” I whispered.
Rozen came over and kissed my temple. “Then sleep, my love. I’ll hold you.”
And he did. Not knowing that sleep wouldn’t come to me tonight. Because that one message
from the past… threatened to shatter the future we were just starting to build.
3:18 am XDD
