Luke
This was the only route to long-term incarceration. First a hospital, then prison, and after that, my plans grew considerably more sinister, depending entirely on her psychological diagnosis.
The plan had several stages and variables, but I would ensure she never got the chance to harm Bella, or our child. Every instinct in me screamed she’d try to kill them both, given the opportunity.
The wedding footage had captured it clearly—the empty, crazed look in her eyes as she’d charged into the church. She was split between two realities entirely. Sadie Newbury, and the persona she’d built beneath it, Kristie Killer, the version of herself distant enough to actually kill.
Michael had spotted the small knife that had slipped beneath a pew during the struggle.
Yes. I felt no remorse whatsoever, planning to have her live out the rest of her life as a fucking vegetable, if it came to that. She still got to breathe. That, in itself, was mercy enough.
Isabella sighed in her slumber, and I kissed her soft, warm cheek. She would never know how close Poppet and Rhea had come to being harmed. All they needed to know was that it was being handled by the police, and that it would take time to go through the legal system.
I kept my hand resting gently over our baby, right where it had been since before Bella fell asleep. My insides churned at the thought of the first scan. I wanted them both to be well. The thought of losing either one of them made me want to hurl.
Bella had been handling the pregnancy like an absolute trooper so far, but I existed somewhere between a sleuth and a drill sergeant. I knew when to reel myself in, though. It was the moment I caught the flicker of violence behind those usually patient eyes.
I smiled and closed my own.
My skull could probably take the odd dinner plate tossed at it.
? ? ?
Zach had been surprisingly well-behaved lately. We’d had the odd text exchange, but it wasn’t nearly as much fun since he’d stopped taking the bait as readily as he used to. So as Amber embraced her mother, I closed the gap between us and grabbed Zach.
“Hello, son. Did you miss Daddy?” I whispered, before squeezing him tight enough that he grunted.
“You’re a fucking freak, old man,” he hissed, shoving me off.
The girls turned to look at us, and I smiled, before draping an arm over Zach’s shoulder. His body tensed, but under Bella and Amber’s scrutiny, he was powerless.
“Let’s go and see your baby brother or sister,” I told him, as we all headed inside the hospital doors.
He was still muttering beneath his breath when we reached the lift, but he didn’t pull away from me. I gently squeezed his shoulder before releasing him.
He was a good kid. It didn’t matter if he was here for Bella or Amber. All that mattered was that he was here.
I’m sure he’d go back to hating me the moment he found out about the car I’d ordered for my poppet.
? ? ?
I genuinely couldn’t remember the last time I’d cried, so when I felt that first teardrop teasing the corner of my eye, I tried to blink it away. But then it trailed a wet path downward. I shifted my head away from the screen long enough to wipe it clear.
But then I stared at our baby again. And it happened again.
He was tiny, yet perfectly formed. Such a beautiful creation.
I used my palm to rub my eye, while Bella’s fingers tightened around my other hand, clutching it tight. I turned and bent down to kiss her. That’s when I felt her own tears against my cheek.
“You’re going to have a little boy,” the nurse said.
Bella’s fingers came to rest on my nape as I pulled back.
“A son,” I whispered, unashamed this time, as another tear broke free.
“Oh, Luke,” she murmured, tears shining in her pretty blue eyes.
I kissed her forehead before we turned back to stare at our tiny miracle.
“A son and a daughter. We’ve got Zach as a spare,” I snickered.
She slapped my hip—decent of her, all things considered, since she could have aimed elsewhere.
The silence that followed was perfect. Each of us lost in our own thoughts, watching the son we’d created. She had no idea just how much planning it had taken to get me to phase four.
Once all the checks were done, Bella was handed some paper towels to wipe down her belly. I took them from her instead and began wiping away the gel myself.
“Oh, you’ve got a good one,” the nurse joked.
Instead of joking back, Bella’s response was as loving as her heart.
“I really do,” she murmured, reaching up to cup my cheek.
I crumpled the paper towels in my fist and kissed her one last time before we went to show the kids their new sibling. We’d decided to surprise them on the day of the birth, rather than reveal his gender now.
In twenty-six to twenty-seven weeks, we’d meet our child.
All I had to do was ensure there was extra staff on hand. A personal bodyguard, or potentially just locking her in our bedroom until she gave birth.
That could get messy, though.
Amber came running toward us, Zach following at a more casual pace behind her, though his gaze lingered on Bella’s stomach before flicking up to meet mine.
Yes, son. Come to Daddy.
I smiled. He ignored me.
Amber was hopping in place, clutching the scan picture. Once she managed to stop bouncing long enough, she showed it to Zach. They held it together, and I watched as Zach slid an arm around Amber’s shoulders.
“I’m glad he’s staying with us,” Bella sighed.
“Yes. You never know—we could be grandparents soon.”
She tried to pinch me. The joke was on her. I had an excellent fat-to-muscle ratio.