I thought nothing could shake me anymore.

I’m Ivan Laurent—a man with empires in multiple countries, wealth people whisper about, control I never lose. Until I walked back into your hospital room with a cup of coffee and saw Jessica sitting where she had no right to be.

On the edge of your bed.

Holding my newborn daughter.

You were pale, exhausted, barely conscious after the emergency C-section, IV still in your arm. Jessica smiled at me like this was normal—like she belonged there.

“I’ve been keeping your husband company,” she said softly.

The coffee slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.

You frowned weakly. “What does that mean?”

She shrugged, adjusting the blanket around my daughter. “You stopped being available when the doctor said no physical activity. Someone had to help him.”

My chest tightened. “Jessica, I haven’t seen you in months.”

She laughed nervously. “Don’t lie. Tuesday nights. Lunches. You crying to me about being scared to be a father.”

I turned just as my brother walked in. “Jake, tell them where I am every Tuesday.”

“At the gym with me,” he said. “What’s going on?”

Her face flushed. “No, you were with me. I have photos.”

I glanced once. “That isn’t me.”

I crossed the room and took your hand. “Melanie, I swear to you, none of this is real.”

The door opened again—my mother stopping short when she saw the tension.

“What’s happening?”

“She’s accusing Ivan of an affair,” my brother said.

My mother scoffed. “Impossible. He’s been helping us renovate the garage. And I drive him to therapy for his anxiety about becoming a father.”

Jessica’s voice cracked. “He told me he wished Melanie had an abortion.”

Something dark settled in my chest. “We tried for two years for this baby.”

She pulled out her phone again. “His car was at my apartment.”

“That’s not my car,” I said flatly.

Security was already being called.

“You promised me,” she cried. “You said you’d leave her after the baby.”

I shook my head. “I cut you off because Melanie was uncomfortable. Completely. Eight months ago.”

She tried to step toward the bassinet. “That baby should be mine.”

The nurse blocked her instantly.

“Check his phone,” Jessica screamed at you. “He deleted everything.”

I unlocked my phone and placed it in your hands. “Check everything. There’s nothing to hide.”

The room went quiet.

She had been watching.

Waiting.

And for the first time since our daughter was born, I was afraid—not of losing control… but of losing you.