Midnight Reckoning

Mia’s POV The clock on the emergency screen ticked closer to midnight. Every second felt like a countdown to disaster. I remained on Damien’s lap in the cramped panic room, his arms wrapped around me like iron bands. His body heat surrounded me, his hand resting protectively on my belly. The forced closeness was overwhelming — there was nowhere to hide, no space to breathe without feeling him. “You’re shaking,” he murmured against my hair. “Breathe, Mia. I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby.” I wanted to believe him. The steady beat of his heart against my back, the way he held me like I was the most precious thing in his world — it made my resolve waver. But Elias’s words kept echoing in my head. That baby is mine. The fertility drugs. The possibility that everything between Damien and me had been built on manipulation. “What if he’s telling the truth?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “What if this child isn’t yours? Would you still want me?” Damien’s arms tightened. He turned me gently so I faced him, our foreheads almost touching in the dim light. “You are mine. The baby is mine. I don’t care what any test says. From the moment I claimed you on our wedding night, I knew I couldn’t let you go.” His confession sent a confusing rush through me — fear mixed with a dangerous warmth. Part of me wanted to melt into him, to trust the man who fought so fiercely for us. The other part, the scared pregnant woman, wondered if I was falling for a master manipulator. The screen suddenly flashed to life. Midnight. Elias appeared, looking calm and victorious. Behind him stood my father. “Time’s up,” Elias said smoothly. “Open the door, Voss. Or I’ll blow it open and take what’s mine.” Damien’s body tensed beneath me. “You’ll have to kill me first.” Elias laughed. “That can be arranged. But Mia… darling, you should know the full truth before you make your choice.” A document appeared on the screen. Official DNA results. Paternity Test: 99.8% match — Dr. Elias Kane. My world tilted. I scrambled off Damien’s lap, pressing myself against the opposite wall. “No… this can’t be real.” Damien stood slowly, ignoring his wounds. “It’s fake. He’s hacking the system. Mia, look at me.” I couldn’t. Tears blurred my vision. The man I had started to trust — the father I thought this baby belonged to — might have been lying from the beginning. My body still craved him. My heart still pulled toward him. But how could I raise a child with someone I no longer fully believed? “Mia,” Damien said, stepping closer. The small room left no room to escape. He cupped my face with both hands, forcing me to meet his eyes. “I swear on everything I am — that baby is mine. Elias is desperate. He’s trying to break us.” A loud bang echoed from outside the panic room door. They were trying to breach it. Damien pulled me against his chest, shielding me with his body. “Stay behind me. No matter what happens, I will protect you.” The banging grew louder. The door started to buckle. In those final terrifying seconds, trapped with the man who both saved and possibly destroyed me, one question burned brighter than ever: If I walked out of this room with Damien… would I be choosing my protector, or walking straight into the arms of a liar? The door exploded inward.