The new house was nothing like the first.
Bigger.
But quieter.
Hidden in a way that made it feel like the rest of the world had been cut off completely.
High walls surrounded the estate, layered with security I couldn't fully see. Guards stood at every visible point, but I knew there were more…watching from places I couldn't.
Nothing about this place was accidental.
Everything was controlled.
We were rushed inside the moment we arrived.
"Call the doctor," Cyprian ordered the second he stepped in.
"I already did, sir."
He nodded once, then turned to me.
"You're not hurt?"
The question caught me off guard.
Not because of what he asked.
But how.
Sharp. Focused. Intent.
"I'm fine."
His eyes didn't leave mine immediately, like he was trying to read past the answer.
Then they shifted to Claire.
"You?"
"I'm okay."
"Good."
Just like that, he turned away.
"Double the guards. No one gets in or out without my approval."
"Yes, sir."
"I want names. I want who sent them. I want everything."
His voice dropped.
Cold.
"They don't get a second chance."
The doctor arrived minutes later.
They treated his arm in silence, cutting through blood-soaked fabric, cleaning the wound, removing the bullet.
Cyprian didn't react.
Not once.
Not even when the doctor pressed harder than necessary.
He just sat there, jaw tight, eyes distant….already thinking about something else.
Someone else.
Days passed.
The house adjusted into a new kind of normal.
Stricter.
Heavier.
Watched.
Claire stayed with me now.
We didn't talk much about that night, but we didn't need to.
The memory was everywhere.
Cyprian changed.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
He was around more.
Watching more.
His presence constant, even when I couldn't see him.
And when he spoke, it was always the same.
"Have you eaten?"
"Did you sleep?"
"Where were you?"
"You shouldn't be standing too long."
It was suffocating.
Possessive.
But not careless.
Never careless.
"You don't walk alone anymore," he said one evening.
"I can walk just fine."
"No."
"You're escorted. Always."
"I'm not fragile."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"You are."
His gaze dropped—to my stomach.
Everything went quiet.
"I won't risk it."
This time, his voice was lower.
Not a command.
A decision.
Final.
And for once…
I didn't argue.
A few days later, I was allowed into the garden.
Two guards followed at a distance while Claire walked beside me.
The air was fresh.
The sun warm.
For a moment… it almost felt normal.
"You look better today," Claire said softly.
"I feel better."
It wasn't entirely true.
But it was easier than explaining the strange heaviness in my body.
We walked slowly along the stone path.
Talking about nothing.
Just… trying to breathe.
Then it hit.
Sudden.
Violent.
My steps faltered.
"Raven?" Claire's voice sharpened.
I stopped.
My hand flying to my stomach.
Pain.
Not sharp.
But deep.
Heavy.
Twisting.
"I don't feel…."
The words cut off.
Dizziness crashed over me.
Hard.
The world tilted.
My vision blurred.
"Raven!"
I tried to steady myself.
Tried to breathe.
But it got worse.
My stomach turned violently.
My chest tightened.
My head spun so fast it felt like I was falling without moving.
"I…Claire…."
Everything went black.
Voices.
Distant.
Rushed.
"Move!"
"Catch her!"
"Get the doctor…now!"
Then…
darkness again.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was him.
Cyprian.
Standing beside the bed.
Still.
Silent.
Watching me like the entire room didn't exist.
My throat felt dry.
Heavy.
"What… happened?"
His jaw tightened slightly.
"You collapsed."
The memory came back in pieces.
The garden.
The pain.
The dizziness.
"I'm fine," I said instinctively.
"No."
The word was immediate.
Sharp.
"You're not."
His tone wasn't loud.
But it carried something dangerous underneath.
"The doctor said it was severe strain," he continued.
"And stress."
His eyes darkened.
"You're not eating enough."
I frowned slightly.
"I've been eating…"
"Not enough."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
I shifted slightly, trying to sit up…
His hand stopped me.
Firm.
"Don't."
My breath caught slightly.
"I can sit…"
"You will stay still."
The command wasn't harsh.
But it wasn't gentle either.
It was controlled.
Possessive.
"I'm not helpless, Cyprian."
His expression didn't change.
"You passed out."
That shut me up.
A quiet knock came at the door.
"Come in."
The doctor stepped in.
Followed by…
The same man from the garden.
Adrian.
His eyes moved to me, calm, observant.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like everyone is overreacting."
"That's because you're underestimating it."
I exhaled softly.
Cyprian didn't look away from me.
Not once.
"What does she need?" he asked.
"Rest. Proper meals. Less stress."
A pause.
"And no unnecessary movement."
Cyprian nodded once.
"Done."
I blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"You'll stay here," he said.
"I'm not bedridden…"
"You collapsed."
"That doesn't mean…"
"It means," he cut in, voice dropping lower,
"that I was right."
Silence.
His eyes locked onto mine.
"You are fragile."
My chest tightened.
"Don't say it like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm something that can break."
A pause.
Then…
quietly…
"You are."
The words hit differently this time.
Not cold.
Not mocking.
Something else.
Fear.
Real.
And that was worse.
He straightened slightly.
"Double the guards," he said suddenly.
The room stilled.
"Sir?" one of the men asked.
"No one gets near this wing without clearance."
His voice dropped further.
"No one."
Something shifted in the air.
This wasn't just protection anymore.
This was control tightening.
Because of me.
Because of the baby.
Because he was afraid.
And Cyprian Volkov didn't strike me as a man who feared easily.
Which meant whatever he felt now…
Was dangerous.
Behind them, I noticed Claire.
Standing quietly.
And beside her…
Adrian.
Their eyes met briefly.
And this time…
It wasn't subtle.
Something had started.
Small.
But real.
And somehow, in the middle of everything falling apart…
That felt like the only thing that wasn't dangerous.
For now.