Chapter 4 ~ 24 Hours

"I’ll give you twenty-four hours to read the contract and consider it. If you refuse..." He paused, his gaze cutting sharply into me. "Then we’ll take a different route." "Trust me, Mrs. Sierra. You don’t want to know what that route looks like." I sank onto the edge of the bed, replaying the assistant’s words before we parted ways. Twenty-four hours. That’s all he gave me. It wasn’t enough—not when I hadn’t even made a decision yet. Not when my marriage to Ronan wasn’t officially over. I ran a hand over my still-flat stomach, heart heavy with uncertainty. "What do you think, little one? Do you want to be near your biological father?" I knew the question would go unanswered, but I had to ask anyway. Right now, this child was the only clue I had, the only thing I could hold onto. I took a deep breath, trying to quiet the storm inside my head. The night air felt suffocating, and the walls of the room seemed to press in on me. Caelan’s voice, his cold smile—they lingered in my mind like shadows I couldn’t shake. My hand slid over my stomach again. “One thing’s certain—I won’t let anyone hurt you,” I whispered. “Not even him… even if he is your father.” Silence. Only the soft ticking of the wall clock echoed in the room. But inside me, a storm raged. My eyes shifted toward the bedside table where the contract sat—mocking me. My fingers reached out, touching the folder, then slowly pulling it toward me. My heart pounded harder the moment I made contact with the papers. I opened the first page. My eyes scanned line after line—custody rights, Caelan’s position as the full legal guardian, restrictions, and the limits I’d have to live under if I agreed to it. There was even a clause about the boundaries of interaction between me and my own child in the future. Tears fell before I could stop them. This wasn’t just a legal agreement. It was a chain—one I’d be bound to for the rest of my life. I slammed the folder shut and threw it to the floor. No. I couldn’t sign it. I wouldn’t. I had to find another way. And my mind landed on one name. Ronan. Even if we were hanging by a thread—even if betrayal still stung—he was still my husband in the eyes of the law. If there was any way to protect this baby from Caelan, maybe… just maybe, Ronan was that way. I stared at my phone. My fingers hesitated over his name. I wasn’t ready to hear his voice. I wasn’t ready to face the pain. But when the call connected, and I heard his low, tired voice on the other end, an unexpected wave of relief washed over me. “Sierra?” He sounded surprised. Worn. I held my breath for a second, then spoke softly. “We need to talk. It’s about the baby… and Caelan Duskborne.” Silence followed—then his voice came firm. “Where are you right now?” “I’m staying at a hotel.” “I’m coming to get you. Stay there. Don’t go anywhere.” I didn’t know if reaching out to Ronan was the right choice. And before I could think further, something hit me. A smell. Sharp. Metallic. Strong enough to sting my nose. I froze. At first, I thought it was just my exhausted senses playing tricks on me. But no—it was real. Unfamiliar, yet deeply unsettling. My eyes scanned the hotel room—everything looked normal. Clean. Untouched. But my nose picked up on something else entirely. I inhaled slowly. It smelled like blood. Thick and metallic. But not just any blood—this was different. Older. Darker. I couldn’t explain it. I began to move slowly, following the scent. The more I tried to ignore it, the stronger it became—invading my throat, making it hard to breathe. What was going on? Why was I only noticing it now? The room had seemed sterile when I first entered. But now, it felt like something was hidden—beneath the walls, under the floor... I wasn’t sure. And more than that—my senses had changed. My sense of smell was suddenly… inhuman. I could distinguish everything—the perfume on the blanket, the detergent on the sheets, even the faint trace of iron from the bathroom faucet. And not just my sense of smell. My hearing, too. I stood upright, trying to calm myself—only for the ticking clock to sound like a hammer pounding in my skull. So clear. Too clear. And then, I heard things I shouldn't have. Cars on the street far below—though I was on the tenth floor. The roar of engines, honking horns, music blasting from passing vehicles… It all sounded like it was happening just outside the door. And then—the whispers. Faint, but unmistakable. A woman laughing softly in the next room, followed by a man’s teasing reply. Even the sound of fabric brushing skin. Too clear. I backed away, hands over my ears. But the sounds kept coming. Piercing through every barrier like there were no walls at all. “What’s happening to me…?” My heart pounded erratically. I sat back on the bed, trying to breathe slowly. But nothing felt right. Everything was too sharp. Too intense. Too… unfamiliar. My sense of smell. My hearing. Even my heartbeat thundered like war drums in my head. Something inside me was changing. I rested my hand on my belly again—this time with fear, and wonder. This baby… This wasn’t a normal pregnancy. It was changing me from within. Slowly, but undeniably. I could feel it. This wasn’t just a woman carrying a child. This was the beginning of something beyond science. Beyond logic. I swallowed hard. My pulse quickened again. “Am I… still human?” “Who is Caelan, really?” A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. Then Ronan’s voice called from the other side. “Sierra?” ***