Barely twelve months had passed since Thomas Shelby and his wife bound their lives before the law. A young marriage, yes—but forged on the foundation of four intense years of courtship, marked by secrets, loyalties tested by fire, and a passion that neither war nor crime could extinguish.

It was 1924, and though the city breathed progress, darkness still crawled through the streets of Birmingham… just like the shadows beginning to stir inside her. For weeks now, a suspicion had pulsed quietly in her chest. She had no concrete proof, but her body spoke to her in an ancient, visceral language. She was certain something inside her was changing.

Perhaps a new life. Perhaps a threat. She didn’t know yet.

What she did know was that she hadn’t told Thomas. Not out of fear or lack of love, but because of the weight that came with sharing something so immense with a man like him. A man who loved with intensity—but also with control. Who protected with ferocity, but always on his own terms.

And while he kept building his empire, she remained silent, wondering how much longer she could keep it to herself before either fate—or the truth—caught up to them both.

One day, as she returned to Arrow House from a supposed afternoon with friends, he caught sight of her from the side. Something about her body had changed. Watching her quietly, he stepped out of his home office and asked “Where were you, Amber?”