Sierra wasn’t entirely sure how she had been navigating her life over the past three months. All she knew was that she always skipped breakfast at home with Callie and went to a restaurant before heading to the office with Axton. They would have lunch together in Axton’s office and then head home after dinner. In return, Axton had to eat dinner twice—once with her and once with Callie.Every day, guests came to visit Callie. Sometimes Sierra would join them, but other times she opted to retreat to her room early because she was tired. Her pregnancy had reached 15 weeks, and now she needed longer sleeping hours because she felt more easily exhausted after work.“Yes, yes. Of course, this is exciting. I have a workout schedule every morning, and I’m planning to take a parenting class. What do you think?”As usual, Callie was busy with her endless phone calls every morning, which Sierra was grateful for. At least it meant Callie didn’t pay much attention when she deliberately skipped bre
During Sierra's first prenatal check-up, she went with Axton alone. Callie couldn't join them for the second and third months because her schedule conflicted with the appointments.Callie’s illness hadn’t fully healed despite Axton’s efforts to provide her with the best medical care. She still had to visit the hospital on specific days and often felt unwell several days a week if she overexerted herself.Now, it was the fourth month of her pregnancy, just two days before the party Callie was hosting at her house. Today, Callie made time to accompany her to her check-up because she was eager to learn the baby’s gender. Sierra had told her that the results from the first check-up might not be accurate and that gender could only be determined with certainty between five and seven months. Still, Callie was excited and even planned to have a gender reveal at the party tomorrow—an idea that Axton firmly rejected.Sierra was grateful for that. As far as she knew, Callie hoped Sierra was carr
“I don’t understand why you did that!” Sierra burst into Axton’s office without knocking, slamming the door open as she stormed in.Axton looked up from his desk, raising an eyebrow as if he had no idea what Sierra was talking about.Damn, this man always said whatever he wanted but acted innocent within minutes.“I don’t understand why you left the door open if you wanted to discuss something important with me,” he replied.Damn. Sierra spun around and slammed the door shut, the noise startling even her.She couldn’t believe she’d done that.“Why did you say that to Damian?” she demanded. “Can’t you stay out of our business?”“You’re mad because I refused Damian’s food?”“That food was for me, damn it! Why did you have to say something that would make him suspicious about us?” She glared at Axton, her anger boiling over.Right after ensuring Damian entered the elevator and descended to the lobby, the first thing she did was confront Axton. He had walked back into his office without a
Axton had to wash his head with cold water after what he did to Sierra a few hours ago. His mind was a mess, and he still couldn’t believe he had done such a reckless thing to someone who was carrying his child.Of course, he let Sierra go after seeing her cry. He uttered some stupid words, but thankfully, his common sense kicked in, and he quickly opened the door to his office, allowing Sierra to leave.It was now lunchtime, and he made sure Damian wouldn’t come to his office, knowing Sierra wouldn’t be able to eat if that man was around.“Come into my office, Sierra,” he said as he opened the door and found Sierra forcing herself to swallow the food Damian had brought.She looked up at him briefly, then lowered her head again, cutting her meat into smaller pieces to eat.Axton took a deep breath. “Don’t be stubborn, Sierra. I know you can’t do it.”She ignored him, and honestly, Axton was starting to run out of ways to persuade her. Perhaps instead of persuading, he should focus on
Sierra wasn’t sure how to make sense of her feelings anymore. She sat in the kitchen with Axton while Callie went to change after briefly greeting them.“You need to finish that quickly, Sierra.”Without Axton having to remind her, she already knew. She had to finish her meal before Callie returned—she didn’t want to risk feeling nauseous again.“Your milk,” Axton said, handing her a glass after she cleared her plate of spaghetti.She didn’t understand why pasta and Bolognese sauce had come to mind the moment she got out of bed after sleeping since she arrived home. She’d heard Axton knock on her door several times, but she ignored him, too sleepy to care.“No need to wash it.” His voice broke the silence again as she instinctively moved to clean her plate. “I said, no need to do it.” Axton took the dirty plate from her hands and placed it in the sink.“What’s going on?” Callie asked, stepping into the kitchen doorway.“Sierra wanted to wash her plate in the middle of the night,” Axto
The tension between Axton and Damian ended when Callie arrived, running panicked toward Sierra upon realizing what had happened to her."Oh God, I told you to call me if you felt anything," Callie called a maid to clean up her vomit and guided Sierra away from the area.“Help me,” Sierra murmured softly near Callie. “They’re fighting. Don’t let it happen.”Callie stopped walking and stared at her in surprise. There was something in Callie’s eyes that Sierra couldn’t understand, but the woman seemed panicked for a moment before she regained control of herself.“Axton, a guest is looking for you. You need to meet them.” Callie turned her head toward her husband. “Leave the place. The maid will take care of it.”After that, she led Sierra to the restroom to clean up.“What happened?” She asked after Sierra came out of the restroom.Things were still very chaotic, but Sierra knew she couldn’t avoid Callie’s question.“Damian touched me, and I felt nauseous.” She shook her head, “I don’t k
FlashbackSix months ago...“I can’t do this, Callie. He’s your husband.” Sierra stood up and walked toward the window of her room—staring at the wide yard of Callie and Axton’s house, where she had been staying for the past few weeks after they agreed to have her as a surrogate for their child.Callie took a deep breath, and Sierra could hear it clearly.After the examination earlier that afternoon, everyone fell silent because their minds were full of problems.Callie had been diagnosed with an inability to produce healthy eggs, making the surrogacy process impossible. Her illness had affected the condition of her eggs, and even if she could produce eggs, their quality was not good enough, so it was likely their child would be born with defects.That explanation shattered all the hope they had.The initial agreement, where Callie and Axton would pay Sierra to be their surrogate and carry their child, became a grey area that couldn’t continue anymore.No one talked about that agreeme
The situation was more chaotic than Sierra could explain.She cried loudly while Axton was still trying to plead with Callie in front of her bedroom door. He tried everything to get Callie to open the door, but the only thing he could hear was Callie’s crying from inside.Once again, Sierra fell to the floor as she watched Axton crying there.The memories of the past—her friendship with Callie, the years they spent together, and how she had ruined everything in just the last few minutes—run in her head.Sierra would never forgive herself for everything that had happened, and she couldn’t bear to stay there and watch Axton suffer from their mistakes. So, she got up and ran to her room—locking herself inside and hoping she wouldn’t end up doing something crazy again.She knew she had made a huge mistake by allowing Axton to kiss her, but she also didn’t understand why she kissed him back. She should have rejected him like she did two days ago instead of letting him influence her.Her ph
Lately, Sierra had grown fond of gardening. She enjoyed planting flowers, and since she had a spacious backyard, she was free to do whatever she pleased there.After returning from their honeymoon across various countries, she had already planned a beautiful concept for her backyard. Her mother used to love gardening, even after coming home tired from work, though they didn’t have an adequate plot of land to do so. Now that Sierra had better opportunities than her mother ever had, she wanted to honor that hobby—bringing something her mother loved into her new home.When Sienna was with her grandmother, Sierra found herself with free time to indulge in something she enjoyed, keeping herself entertained so she wouldn't feel bored. Occasionally, she would step out to purchase gardening tools and thoroughly enjoyed those moments.In the past, she couldn’t afford this kind of relaxed lifestyle because she always had a demanding schedule. Since college, she’d been accustomed to working part
Axton made Sierra leave the United States for a honeymoon in Europe one month after their wedding. He didn’t tell her where they would go or how long they would be on vacation, leaving Sienna with her grandparents. He only said that he had everything planned but wanted it to be a surprise, so the only thing Sierra had to do was to look beautiful every morning and look forward to each surprise he would give.This morning, they woke up in Norway after spending the night watching the beautiful Aurora Borealis. It felt like a dream—a place so beautiful it seemed unreachable by humans. But Sierra was there with Axton, and it was a truly wonderful experience.Then, in the night, they traveled to Switzerland and stayed there for an unknown number of days, visiting places they would explore.“I can’t believe I’m unemployed and traveling the world with you,” she commented while standing near the window of the villa they were staying in.The view of nature there was so soothing to her eyes. Eve
Sierra and Axton had agreed to host a simple wedding celebration attended only by close family and friends. Most of the guests were Axton’s family and friends, as Sierra didn’t have either.Well, she had invited Andrea—if the woman could even be categorized as a friend. And Damian…Actually, Sierra wasn’t the one who invited Damian. It was Axton, which had completely surprised her.“To my daughter-in-law, Sierra Scott, I love you, pretty girl,” Axton’s mother said, blowing an air kiss and smiling warmly. Sierra laughed as she stood next to Axton.After all the formal wedding, it was time for speeches from the couple’s closest people. Sadly, Sierra had to remind herself once again that she had no parents or close friends to speak for her.“I always wished I could have met Sophia, Sierra’s mother because she raised such an incredible woman with all her strength,” Axton’s mother began. “Sierra is a passionate woman with a beautiful perspective on everything in the world. She loves everyo
Sierra stared at her reflection in the mirror, disbelief evident in her eyes.It was hard to accept that all of this was real. But of course, she wasn’t dreaming as she stood there in her wedding gown, her face adorned with flawless makeup. She was almost too afraid to touch her own skin, worried she might ruin the carefully applied look.“You look absolutely stunning,” Axton’s mother said, wiping tears from the corner of her eyes as she admired Sierra standing in front of the mirror. “You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”Sierra smiled and turned her head slightly. “Don’t exaggerate, Mom,” she replied, taking a deep breath. “I feel unsure about walking out there. What if people judge me?”The woman immediately took her hand, looking at her with genuine warmth. “When Callie—the most important person in your life—gives her blessing for what you’re about to do, why should you care about what anyone else thinks?”Sierra had read the letter Callie had given her. She must have
“I’m here,” Sierra said softly.A week after receiving Callie’s letter and all the gifts the woman had sent her, Sierra finally decided to visit Callie.“I also stopped by the store you worked with, just to thank them,” Sierra said, taking a deep breath as she sat down on the damp ground of Callie’s grave, ignoring the possibility of her skirt getting dirty. “They were confused, looking for me at your old house. I don’t live there anymore, Callie. I moved after giving birth because Axton thought it would be better for us to find a new home. Staying there made it hard to move on, constantly reminded of you.”She glanced at Axton, who was walking toward her from a distance.Today, she wasn’t alone. Axton and Sienna had come with her. But when they arrived, Sienna wanted to breastfeed, so Sierra left them in the car. Axton could handle her to help her drink her milk, and it wasn’t an issue for him.“I’m sorry I didn’t realize how much you cared for me and Sienna. I thought you were angry
Sierra couldn’t blink, and it felt like time had stopped for a moment. Her body felt stiff, even though the only thing she desperately wanted to do was run away.What Damian had said entirely left her at a loss for words. If she were honest, those words moved her deeply, making her feel even guiltier toward him.That wasn’t what he should have said. Damian should have angrily cursed at them for causing a scene in front of his apartment in the morning. He should have... He could have said something harsh to her if he truly wanted to show how upset he was with everything.But instead of doing that, Damian chose to say something kind—words that should never have come from someone who had been wronged.Thankfully, Axton could read her mind well enough to step forward, grab her hand, and lead her away from there.“Let’s go home!” he said, walking briskly.Of course, Sierra followed Axton. She walked without turning her head because she didn’t want to see Damian again.“I never knew that Da
This morning, Sierra cooked breakfast for everyone because she knew that the maids in her house must be exhausted after participating in last night's party. She didn't just prepare breakfast for her family but also for the entire staff."This is a simple menu, but I hope you'll like it," she said with a quick smile. "I'm not great at cooking, but I made sure it's safe to eat." She brought the food to the dining table near the kitchen. Usually, the maids and workers gathered there to eat together, which is why Sierra had come in now."You really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble. You must be exhausted after last night's party," said one of the staff.Sierra waved her hand with a playful smile. "Please, don't be so stiff when talking to me. If I'm tired, then you all must be tired too. This is just a small thing I can do. But this afternoon, I'll ask Axton to buy food for us all so you don’t have to cook.""Oh God, looks like this party made you happy," Percy commented casually, un
Sierra felt much more relaxed once she was back with Axton and Sienna. Of course, they were still the center of attention since it was their party, but now she didn’t have to stand alone in the middle of it all.“I don’t know what to give her, but she seems to like everything I give her,” a middle-aged woman, whom Axton introduced as his aunt, handed Sierra a large paper bag with the logo of a luxury brand.Sierra was quite stunned by this, but she quickly nodded and offered a polite smile. “Thank you for taking the time to visit Sienna. I hope you enjoy the party tonight.”“Well, of course, I’m enjoying it,” the woman smiled. “Isn’t Alicia the one who organized all of this? I’ve been to every one of her parties, and I can always tell which ones she’s organized. And I can say this one is definitely hers.”Sierra turned her head toward Axton and smiled again. “She put this together in just three days, and it amazes me.”“She’s a legend when it comes to parties in New York,” the woman c
Sienna’s bedtime routine often started with the family gathering in the living room after dinner. Percy and Bethany would prepare light snacks, and once Sienna fell asleep, Axton’s parents would head back to their home.“I’ve been thinking about this since Sienna was born,” Axton’s mother began with a warm smile, holding Sienna close in her arms. “But things have been quite hectic lately. I just wanted to spend as much time as possible with this beautiful girl. However, all our relatives and acquaintances keep asking about her, and I don’t want us to waste too much time hosting them one by one.”Sierra frowned slightly, resting her head on Axton’s shoulder as he held her hand and played with her fingers.“Some family members managed to visit the hospital, but others haven’t had the chance yet. They keep asking me when they can come, but I don’t know when to let them. I’m worried they’ll take up too much of our time.”Sierra’s frown deepened, but she remained silent.“So, what are you