ILLIAN’S POV
After washing off the last of the soap from her skin, I turned off the shower and reached for the nearest towel. She was limp in my arms, eyes fluttering, lips swollen from too much kissing and moaning, her body trembling with exhaustion. I dried her off gently, slow and careful, like she was made of glass. Every inch of her skin deserved tenderness after the way I’d taken her, the way she’d given herself to me completely.
I wrapped her body in a warm towel, scooped her up again, and carried her straight to the bed. She didn’t say a word. Just laid her head on my chest, letting me handle her. I grabbed another towel and wrapped it around my own waist, then pulled the covers over both of us.
I was about to close my eyes, to just hold her and drift off with the scent of her still lingering on my skin, when she called me softly.
“Killian…”
“Mm?” I hummed, brushing a hand lazily through her damp hair.
She pressed her palm against my chest and lifted her head a little. “What do you think about having another baby?”
My eyes opened immediately, my whole body freezing for a second.
“Since my dad’s finally approved of us… I think it’s time I stop using my birth control pills. I mean, maybe we could… you know, maybe we could have another baby.”
She was smiling so innocently, her voice hopeful and sweet. I should’ve smiled back. I should’ve kissed her and said yes. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t even breathe for a moment.
She noticed. She noticed the way my body went still, the way my heart started pounding like a damn drum in my chest.
“Baby?” she called again, confused now, her hand lifting slightly from my chest. “Is there… is there a problem?”
I didn’t answer. What was I supposed to say? That I couldn’t give her what she wanted? That she was planning a future I couldn’t give her?
Her voice was quieter now. “Killian… I didn’t mean to upset you. If you don’t want another baby, it’s okay. I swear
I’m not forcing anything. I can keep taking the pills or maybe get an implant-”
“No,” I cut in gently, finally finding my voice. “You don’t have to take the pills anymore. You don’t need to implant anything either.”
Her eyes lit up, and that was what hurt the most.
“Oh my God,” she whispered with a soft giggle. “Are you saying I can stop everything? That we can actually try to have a baby again?”
She looked so happy. So damn happy. She pressed her lips to my chest, her fingers lazily drawing circles near my stomach. “I’ve really missed being pregnant, you know? Not the backaches and the cravings, obviously, but the idea of carrying life again… your baby. I feel like I’m ready now, especially with you here, with you really here this time. I think I’m ovulating too, so-”
1/3
87
+25 BONUS
“Liana.”
“Mm?” she said, her fingers still moving slowly over my skin.
I took her hand and kissed it, trying to buy myself a few more seconds.
“There’s something you need to know.”
She paused. “What is it?”
She sat up slowly, covering her chest with the blanket, her brows furrowed. I sat up too, the towel still wrapped around my waist, and took a deep breath.
“Do you really want another baby?”
“Of course I do,” she said without hesitation.
I closed my eyes. “What if I can’t give you one?”
Her smile vanished.
She blinked. “Why not? I thought you just said… I mean, you said I didn’t need pills anymore. Are you… is this about my
dad? Or-”
“Liana,” I whispered, tightening my grip on her hand.
“I just thought-”
“Listen to me. Please.”
She stopped talking and stared at me. Her lips parted, her eyes soft but confused.
“I… I can’t get you pregnant anymore!
they meant.
“What?” she whispered.
“I’m infertile, Liana.”
I said slowly, the words like acid on my tongue. I hated them. I hated what
The words landed like a stone dropped into a still lake. She froze. Didn’t move. She just stared at me, the emotion draining slowly from her eyes.
Still, she said nothing.
The silence was worse than her yelling at me.
“Say something,” I pleaded, my voice lower now. “Please, baby, I need you to say something.”
Her lips parted, but nothing came out. She was just… staring, as if trying to make sense of what I’d just said, as if trying to match the man in front of her with the reality I had just thrown at her.
“Liana,” I whispered.
She blinked, finally breathing, but there were no tears. Just a blank expression that scared the living hell out of
- me.
“Baby, say something…”
She pulled her hand away.
2/3
+25 BONUS
“You kept this from me?” She finally asked, her expression filled with so much hurt.
“I needed time to tell you. I needed the right moment. But there never seemed to be one. and now you’re talking about babies and a future and-”
“I get it,” she cut in. Her voice was soft, but it wasn’t tender. It was… tired.
She turned her face away and lay back down slowly, her back to me.
“Liana, please talk to me,” I begged, reaching for her.
“Not now, Killian.”
“Don’t shut me out, baby… Please.”
She didn’t respond.
I laid there, staring at the ceiling, my hand hovering above her waist but afraid to touch her. My heart was pounding. I felt something close to fear…
“Baby…”
“Don’t talk to me.”
Fuck!
