Chapter 154
Elara’s POV
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The look on Marcus’s face when Elara said those words was something she’d remember forever. Shock, relief. disbelief, all mixed together in an expression that made her heart ache.
“You knew?” Marcus’s voice cracked slightly. “You saw the photos and you knew they were fake?”
“I saw the photos and I was terrified,” Elara admitted, setting her phone down on the coffee table. “For about thirty seconds I thought my worst nightmare had come true. Then I looked closer and saw your wedding ring. You never take it off, Marcus. Not in the shower, not when you sleep, not ever. So if Aurora was trying to make it look like you two slept together, she would’ve made you take it off first.”
Marcus crossed the room in three long strides and pulled her into his arms. Elara felt him shaking, his face buried in her hair, his breath coming in short gasps like he’d been holding it this whole time.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered. “I thought when you saw those photos you’d never believe me.”
“I almost didn’t. But then I remembered who you are.
You’re the man who stayed by my side through every doctor’s appointment, who rubs my feet when they’re swollen, who talks to our babies every night before bed. That man doesn’t throw everything away for a one- night stand with his manipulative ex.”
Marcus pulled back just enough to look at her, his hands framing her face. “Aurora drugged me. Penelope gave her pills to put in my drink. I don’t remember anything after the bar except waking up this morning fully clothed in a hotel room. Nothing happened, El. I swear to God nothing happened.”
“I know. I believe you.”
“Dante has Aurora’s full confession. She’s agreed to testify against Penelope for everything including staging those photos. But I need you to know that even drugged, even not in control of myself, I wouldn’t have touched her. You’re the only one I want.”
Elara felt tears welling up but she blinked them back. “Come sit with me. We need to talk about something else.”
Marcus’s expression shifted to concern as he sat down beside her on the couch, never letting go of her hand. “What’s wrong? Is it the babies?”
“It’s Baby B. The condition is getting worse.”
She watched the color drain from his face, watched fear replace everything else in his eyes.
“How much worse?”
Elara took a shaky breath. “Dr. Sarah called this morning while you were… while all of this was happening. The twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome is progressing faster than they hoped. Baby B’s heart is struggling, the amniotic fluid levels are off, and they’re worried about permanent damage if we wait much longer.”
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Chapter 154
“What does that mean? What do they want to do?”
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“Emergency C-section. They want to deliver both babies at twenty-eight weeks instead of waiting for thirty- two like we planned.”
Marcus looked like she’d punched him. “Twenty-eight weeks. That’s so early. Are they going to be okay?”
“Dr. says they have an excellent NICU team and survival rates for twins at twenty-eight weeks are very good, especially with the steroid shots I’ve been getting to help their lungs develop. But Baby B needs surgery almost immediately after delivery to fix the heart issues. It’s risky but waiting is riskier.”
“When? When do they want to do the C-section?”
“Three days. Right after the shareholder meeting.”
Marcus stood up abruptly and walked to the window, his back to her. Elara could see his shoulders shaking. could hear the ragged sound of his breathing.
“Marcus…”
“I can’t lose them.” His voice was barely audible. “I can’t lose our babies, El. I can’t do this without them. Without you.”
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Elara pushed herself up from the couch, her movements slow and careful because standing too fast made her dizzy these days. She walked over to Marcus and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek against his back.
“You’re not going to lose us. Any of us. We’re fighters, all four of us. The babies are going to be tiny and they’re going to need help but they’re Thornes. They’re stubborn and strong and they’re going to make it.”
Marcus turned around and pulled her close, one hand cradling the back of her head and the other resting gently on her stomach where their babies were growing. “I’m supposed to protect you. All of you. And I can’t protect you from this.”
“You can be there. You can hold my hand during the surgery and you can be the first person our babies see when they come into this world. That’s how you protect us.”
“What if something goes wrong? What if the surgery doesn’t work or Baby B’s heart is too damaged or-”
“Then we deal with it together. But we don’t borrow trouble, Marcus. We take this one step at a time. Tomorrow we go to the final pre-op appointment. The day after that you destroy Penelope at the shareholder meeting. And the day after that we meet our babies.”
Marcus let out a sound that was half laugh, half sob. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is simple. Everything else is just noise. Penelope, Aurora, the company drama, all of it is just noise. What matters is this family. You, me, and these two little fighters who are about to make their entrance way ahead of schedule.”
They stood there for a long time, holding each other in the fading afternoon light. Elara could feel Marcus’s heartbeat against her cheek, steady and strong. Could feel the gentle flutter of movement in her belly as one
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Chapter 154
of the babies shifted position.
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65 VECTURE
“I love you,” Marcus said quietly. “I know we started this as a contract and a business arrangement but somewhere along the way you became everything to me. You and these babies are my whole world.”
“I love you too. And I’m sorry I ever doubted that.”
“You had every reason to doubt. I let Aurora stay too long, gave Penelope too many opportunities to manipulate the situation. I should’ve been stronger.”
“You were dealing with an ex-girlfriend you felt guilty about and a stepmother who’s apparently a criminal mastermind. I think you handled it pretty well considering.”
Marcus laughed, the sound surprising both of them. “When you put it like that…”
Elara’s phone rang, shattering the moment. She pulled it out and saw Mimi’s name on the screen.
“Hey Mimi, what’s up?”
“Elara, where are you? Are you with Marcus?”
Something in Mimi’s voice made Elara’s stomach clench with anxiety. “Yeah, we’re both here. What’s wrong?”
“You need to get to Dante’s office right now. Both of you. He found something about Penelope, something big.”
“What kind of something?”
Mimi’s voice dropped to almost a whisper. “It’s about Marcus’s mom. About the accident that killed her. Elara, it wasn’t an accident.”
Elara looked up at Marcus whose expression had gone very still, very cold. He’d heard every word through the phone.
“We’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Elara said and hung up.
Marcus was already moving toward the door, grabbing his keys, his face set in hard lines that made him look dangerous.
“Marcus, wait. You need to breathe-”
“My mother’s death wasn’t an accident. Dante found proof. That means someone killed her and I need to
know who.”
But Elara already knew. She could see it in the way Marcus’s hands were shaking, in the fury building behind his eyes. They both knew who was responsible.
“You need to see what Dante found about Penelope,” Elara said quietly. “It’s about Marcus’s mom.”
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