Chapter 2 A LITTLE MIRACLE

THIRD PERSON'S POV Seraphina stepped out of the doctor's office with the medical report tucked inside her handbag. She had imagined this moment countless times, but now that it had finally happened, she wasn't sure what to feel. Excitement? Fear? Happiness? Perhaps all three. She walked towards the waiting area, where Isabella was seated comfortably on a white leather sofa, scrolling through her tablet. The moment she spotted Seraphina, she put the device aside and stood. "Well?" Isabella asked, examining her friend's expression. "Should I be celebrating, or should I start preparing for bad news?" Seraphina managed a small smile. "Neither. Everything is fine." "That's good." Isabella collected her handbag and fell into step beside her. "So, when are we coming back?" "Two weeks." Isabella immediately brought out her tablet. As Seraphina spoke with the receptionist, she entered the next appointment into the schedule. "Ten in the morning," she confirmed. "I've put it down." The receptionist reached across the desk with a small appointment card, but Seraphina declined. "Thank you. Isabella has already saved it." The two friends headed towards the elevator. Isabella was more than Seraphina's personal assistant. She was the person who knew her habits, understood her moods, and could tell when something was bothering her even before she said a word. Their friendship had started long before Seraphina married into the wealthy world she now occupied. And unlike most people around her, Isabella never treated her like a woman who needed to be handled with excessive care. As the elevator doors closed, Seraphina reached into her handbag for her phone. "I should call Demian." Isabella glanced at her. "Of course. He's the first person who should know." Seraphina nodded. She had been thinking about how to break the news to her husband. She had even rehearsed a few different ways of telling him, but none seemed quite right. Isabella dialled his number and handed her the phone. "You know you mustn't take thiss PA thing too seriously, right?" Seraphina teased as she accepted it. "I'm aware. But if I don't perform these little duties, what exactly are you paying me for?" Seraphina laughed. "You're hardly short of responsibilities. I still have you organising another charity event, and you know how much I dislike those things." "That's because you complain about every single fundraiser, yet somehow you always end up agreeing to host one." "Because I'm married to Demian." "And being married to Demian means you have to attend every charity event in the city?" "Not every one. Just the ones where people expect to see his wife." Isabella shook her head, amused. "Well, someone has to make sure you don't embarrass your husband by disappearing halfway through the evening." Seraphina laughed again, but her attention returned to the phone. It rang. Once. Twice. Three times. She was beginning to wonder whether he would answer when his familiar voice finally came through. "Hello, sweetheart." A smile immediately touched her lips. "Demian, I have something to tell you." "I'm in the middle of a meeting, darling. Is it something urgent? Can I call you back?" Her smile faded slightly. She looked down at the phone. Something urgent? She had just discovered that she was carrying his child. Wasn't that important enough to deserve a few minutes of his time? For a moment, she considered telling him anyway. But she could already hear the hurried voices in the background, and she didn't want the first time she shared such news with him to be interrupted by another business call. "It's fine," she replied quietly. "Call me when you're free." "All right, sweetheart. Speak later." The call ended. Seraphina lowered the phone and handed it back to Isabella. "He's busy." Isabella took one look at her face. "Let me guess. Another meeting?" "Yes." "Seraphina, you should have told him it was important. He might have made time." She shook her head. "I don't want to interrupt his work. I'll tell him when he gets home." Isabella slipped the phone into her handbag. "All right, but you look as though someone has just cancelled Christmas." Seraphina managed a smile. "I'm fine." "Of course you are." Outside the building, Isabella walked towards the pearly white Mercedes coupe parked near the entrance. Demian had bought the car for Seraphina on her last birthday, although Isabella often joked that she drove it more than its actual owner. She opened the driver's door and looked across at her friend. "Get in. I'll drive." Seraphina settled into the passenger seat, adjusting her handbag on her lap. "Thank you." Isabella started the engine and pulled away from the parking space. "Now, are you going to tell me what's going on, or am I expected to guess?" Seraphina looked at her. "There's nothing going on." "Don't insult my intelligence. You've been unusually quiet since we left the doctor's office. You barely spoke to the receptionist, and you called Demian at work. You almost never do that unless something is important." Seraphina turned towards the window. Isabella glanced at her before returning her attention to the road. "Please don't tell me the doctor found something serious." Seraphina nearly choked. "What?" "Well, you looked completely lost when you came out of that office. I was beginning to think you'd received terrible news." "Isabella!" "What? I'm only asking." "There's nothing wrong with me." "Then why are you behaving like someone has just handed you a life sentence?" Seraphina hesitated. She had wanted to tell Demian first. In fact, she had imagined his reaction so many times that she had forgotten she might need to share the news with someone else before him. But Isabella was her best friend. She could hardly keep something this important from her. Seraphina took a breath. "I'm pregnant." Isabella's foot eased off the accelerator. For a second, she turned towards her friend, her mouth falling open. "Wait. What?" Seraphina nodded. "I'm pregnant." A delighted squeal escaped Isabella. "Oh, my goodness! Seraphina!" She briefly reached across to squeeze her friend's hand before returning both hands to the steering wheel. "You're having a baby! Why didn't you tell me immediately?" Seraphina laughed nervously. "I only found out this morning." "Congratulations! I'm going to be an aunty!" Isabella's excitement was contagious, and for a moment, Seraphina allowed herself to enjoy it. Then her expression softened. "There's just one problem." Isabella looked at her. "What problem?" "Demian and I never actually discussed having children." The excitement on Isabella's face settled into curiosity. "What do you mean?" "I mean, we've talked about so many things. Our businesses, travelling, the house, family gatherings. But somehow, we've never really discussed starting a family." "Surely you both wanted children eventually?" Seraphina looked down at her hands. "I did. I've always imagined having two or three children. I wanted a house filled with their laughter, little footsteps running through the hallways, and all the beautiful chaos that comes with raising a family." She paused. "But I don't know if Demian wants the same thing." Isabella frowned slightly. "Have you ever asked him?" "Not directly." "Why not?" "Because he's always busy. And whenever we get a little time together, there's usually something else demanding his attention." Seraphina looked out at the passing buildings. "Sometimes I wonder how he'll react. He's never given me any indication that he's ready to become a father." Isabella drove through a quieter street before responding. "Listen, I understand that you're worried, but don't decide how he's going to feel before you've even told him." "What if he isn't happy?" "Then you'll deal with that conversation when it happens. But you can't spend the entire pregnancy imagining the worst." Seraphina gave a small sigh. "It's not just about whether he'll be happy. I'm worried about what happens afterwards. Demian already spends most of his time at work. How is he going to make room for a child?" "He'll figure it out." "You sound very confident." "Because I've seen what happens when people realise they have something more important than another business meeting waiting for them at home." Isabella glanced at her with a reassuring smile. "Do you remember my sister Alice and her husband, Martins?" "Of course. They had their little girl last year." Seraphina remembered sending them a large collection of baby gifts after the birth. She had asked Felicia, her personal shopper, to visit several boutiques and select the finest baby clothes, blankets, and other essentials. The gifts had been carefully chosen, and Alice had been delighted. "What about them?" she asked. Isabella hesitated. "There's something I haven't told you. But you have to promise not to mention it to anyone." Seraphina turned towards her. "What is it?" "Before Alice had the baby, things between her and Martins were really bad. They were actually considering separating." Seraphina's eyes widened. "You're joking." "I'm not." "But they always seemed so happy together." "That's because Alice isn't the sort of person who discusses her marriage problems with everyone. She kept most of it to herself." Seraphina looked genuinely surprised. "How serious was it?" "Very serious. They were arguing over practically everything. Small disagreements would turn into huge fights, and neither seemed willing to give the other an inch." Isabella shook her head. "At some point, they both started wondering whether staying together was worth all the unhappiness." "That's terrible." "It was. And you know how much my father values family. He practically raised Alice and me on his own after our mother died. He worked incredibly hard to make sure we never lacked anything." Seraphina nodded. She remembered Isabella's father well. He was a kind man, although rather traditional in his views about marriage and family. The thought of his eldest daughter getting divorced would have devastated him. "He must have been heartbroken when he found out," Seraphina said. "He didn't even know how close they were to separating. Alice was doing everything she could to keep the situation private." Isabella paused at a traffic light. "Then she discovered she was pregnant." Seraphina listened quietly. "At first, I thought the news would make things worse. But something changed between them. Suddenly, they had something to think about beyond their arguments. They started looking at their marriage differently." "Did everything just become perfect after that?" "Of course not. A baby doesn't magically fix every problem in a relationship. But it gave them a reason to confront the things they had been avoiding. They went for counselling, started communicating properly, and made a conscious decision to work on their marriage." Isabella smiled. "Today, they're happier than I've seen them in years." Seraphina looked thoughtful. "That's beautiful." "It is. And I'm telling you because I don't want you to convince yourself that your marriage is already doomed simply because Demian has been busy lately." She paused before adding: "Besides, you know how much his family loves children. Have you ever seen him around his nephew?" Seraphina smiled despite herself. "That boy practically owns him." "Exactly! Demian can be in the middle of the busiest day of his life, but the moment that little fellow calls, he suddenly finds time." "He's always buying him something, too." "Last Christmas, he bought him enough toys to fill an entire bedroom. I'm surprised the child still has room to sleep." Both women laughed. Seraphina remembered how Demian behaved whenever his nephew visited. The usually serious businessman would become playful, allowing the little boy to climb onto his shoulders and interrupt whatever he was doing. There was a tenderness in him that she rarely saw directed towards anyone else. Perhaps he would be the same with their own child. The thought warmed her heart. "I suppose you're right," she said. "Of course I am." "But what if he hires ten nannies and leaves everything to them?" Isabella laughed. "Knowing your husband, he might hire an entire childcare team before the baby is even born." "That isn't funny." "It is a little funny. But I doubt he'll be able to stay away from his own child. Just imagine him coming home from work and refusing to put the baby down." Seraphina smiled. "I wouldn't mind that." "See? You're already imagining it." "I'd rather have an overprotective father than a distant one. I want our child to grow up knowing that both parents love them." "And I'm sure that's exactly what will happen." Seraphina leaned back in her seat. For the first time that morning, the uncertainty inside her began to ease. She still needed to tell Demian. She still had no idea how he would react, but perhaps Isabella was right. Maybe she was worrying too much about something that hadn't even happened. She placed a hand over her lower abdomen. There was a little life growing inside her. A child she hadn't planned for, but one she already loved. The Mercedes eventually turned onto a private road leading to the estate. Tall trees lined both sides of the driveway, their branches dusted with snow. At the end of the road stood a pair of imposing wrought-iron gates, separating the property from the rest of the neighbourhood. Isabella slowed down and entered the security code. A moment later, she placed her thumb against the fingerprint scanner. The security system recognised her credentials, and the gates began to slide open. The car moved along the winding driveway towards the mansion. Seraphina gazed through the window. The house was enormous, with pale stone walls, wide balconies, and tall windows that reflected the afternoon light. White columns framed the grand entrance, while the carefully maintained gardens stretched across the property. She had always loved the estate. When she and Demian first moved in, she had imagined what it would look like with children running through the hallways. She had pictured a Christmas tree surrounded by colourful presents, birthday celebrations in the garden, and little voices calling for their parents. Maybe those dreams weren't as far away as she had once thought. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Demian welcomed the news with the same excitement Isabella had shown? She imagined him holding their baby, looking down at the tiny face with that rare, unguarded smile he reserved for the people he loved. She wouldn't mind if he spoiled the child rotten. In fact, she would happily take responsibility for being the strict parent whenever necessary. As long as their child never had to question whether they were wanted. "Stop smiling at the window and start thinking positively." Isabella's voice interrupted her thoughts. Seraphina turned. "Was I smiling?" "You've been wearing that dreamy expression for the last five minutes. I can practically see you planning the nursery." Seraphina laughed. "Yes, I am." "Good. That's the spirit." The car came to a stop in front of the mansion's grand entrance. A flight of pale cream marble steps led to the double doors, flanked by tall white columns with beautifully carved capitals. Isabella switched off the engine and glanced at her watch. "I sent Luna a message before we left the clinic. I'm sure she'll have something healthy prepared for you by now." "Thank you." "I'll take the car to the garage and join you inside." Seraphina opened the door. "Oh, and before you disappear into your little world, remember that you have a meeting with the Paintings4Kids Foundation board at two-thirty." Seraphina groaned. "Isabella, please." "Don't look at me like that. I didn't put it on your schedule." "I know. I was hoping you'd forget to remind me." "Unfortunately, I'm very good at my job." Seraphina shook her head, smiling as she stepped out of the car. "Fine. I'll see you inside." She adjusted her coat and walked towards the entrance, one hand resting instinctively over her stomach. She wanted to see Deamian's face when he heard the news. She wanted to know whether he would smile, whether he would pull her into his arms, and whether he would be just as excited about their little miracle as she already was. For now, she held on to that hope.