The silence between them stretched like a shadow across the dimly lit chamber. Samantha absently cradled her swollen belly as she stared at the obsidian walls. Their shifting patterns had once fascinated her; now they only reminded her of deception, of layers hiding beneath surfaces.
Marcus stood at the threshold, watching her, the weight of centuries in his posture. He'd given her space after the revelation—time to process what she'd learned about his past, about the bargain that had ultimately led them here. But isolation was a luxury they could no longer afford, not with the contractions beginning, not with Callum's return hanging in the balance.
