"You've got to be kidding me."
Alex stopped dead at the doorway, staring at the king-sized bed draped in silk sheets. "One bed? Really, Jake?"
Jake tossed his jacket onto the armchair like the room already belonged to him. "What did you expect, Alex? A twin bunk with a neat little 'his and hers' label?"
"I expected boundaries." Her arms folded tight. "This isn't some fairytale honeymoon. We're not..."
"...married?" His smirk was pure provocation. He strolled closer, each step lazy, smug. "Paperwork says otherwise, baby."
Her shoulders stiffened. "Don't call me that."
"Why not?" His tone dipped, teasing. "You flinch every time. Almost like you don't hate it."
Alex seized a pillow, clutching it to her chest like a shield. "I'll sleep on the couch."
Jake chuckled. "Be my guest. It's leather. Hard as stone. And the AC turns this place into a freezer at night."
"I'd rather freeze than share a bed with you."
"Then freeze." He pulled off his cufflinks as if the argument bored him. "But what will you tell Camila? The perfect honeymoon story?"
Her hand brushed her throat, the words catching before she forced them out. "I'll tell her the truth."
He leaned on the bedpost, eyes fixed on hers. Lazy, lethal. "And ruin the perfect story you sold her? Careful. You might hate me, but you need me more than you think."
Silence pressed between them until Alex threw the pillow onto the bed. "Fine. Stay on your side."
His grin was a wolf's. "I don't have to cross the line to own the room."
NEXT MORNING
Sunlight stabbed her eyes, harsher than usual. She sat up too fast and the room tilted, a slow roll in her stomach she blamed on sleeping wrong. The clock read 8:47 a.m.
"Oh, God! my shift!"
Her scrubs. Her pager. She was supposed to be in surgery by now.
"Relax." Jake's voice came from the corner. He sat with his coffee, his hair damp from a shower, shoulders relaxed, the kind of calm that felt like a trap.
Her voice cracked sharp enough to cut glass. "What do you mean relax?"
Jake didn't flinch. He just sipped his coffee, steam curling around his smug calm. "I called the hospital."
She pressed her palms to her eyes, willing the heat behind them to settle. Lately, every emotion seemed to crash harder than it should, like her body was wired wrong.
"You did what?"
"They put you on honeymoon leave. Two weeks. Mandatory." He set the mug down with infuriating care. "You're welcome."
For a beat, the room spun, and Alex swore she could feel the ground vanish beneath her. Her patients. The bypass scheduled this morning. The little girl who trusted her steady hands. Years of brutal nights and caffeine-fueled shifts—all erased with a single phone call, as if her life were a chess piece he could swipe from the board.
"You had no right." Her jaw locked, heat burning the back of her eyes. He spoke like her choices were his property, like her years of training, sleepless nights, and bloodied gloves in surgery meant nothing. For one dizzy second, she was back in med school, standing in front of a professor who said women couldn't hack the pressure. She had sworn she'd never let anyone strip her of control again. Yet here was Jake, doing it with a single phone call.
Jake shrugged. "I had every right. I'm your husband. And my father will not release the funds if the optics aren't perfect."
"You don't get to decide that for me!" The lamp beside her glowed within reach, its smooth ceramic begging to be hurled, but her hands shook too hard. If she threw it, she wouldn't just be reckless—she'd be confirming every word he thought about her: unstable, emotional, easy to control.
He watched her, unruffled. "You needed the break. Admit it."
Her hands tightened on the dress she'd pulled from the closet. Anger hummed under her skin, but his control pressed down, silent and absolute.
"I can't stand you." She spun away. "I'm going out."
"Where?"
"To breathe." She shoved the dress into position, fingers shaking.
She gripped the wheel until her knuckles turned white. Every reflection screamed Jake's face back at her. Calm. Untouchable. And she wanted to scream.
The café buzzed with clinking cups and sharp bursts of laughter, every sound too bright against her raw nerves. Alex slid into their favourite booth, fingers tapping the table. Empty. Of course. Camila was late. Again.
Her stomach twisted. She bolted for the bathroom, splashed water on her face and stared at her pale reflection. By the time she returned, Camila was already waiting in their usual booth, smiling like she hadn't kept her waiting.
Camila's grin was wicked. "Well, well… Mrs. Cole herself. So, how's married life?" She leaned closer, whispering. "Don't tell me he already wore you out."
Alex forced a laugh. "Yeah. More like arguing wore us out. Big fight this morning."
The brightness slipped from Camila's grin. "Seriously? Already?"
The waiter arrived, and Alex ordered like she hadn't eaten in weeks. Burger, fries, salad, iced latte. The words tumbled out so fast Camila just stared.
"Whoa! Either marriage comes with a black hole in your stomach, or you're stress-eating," Camila teased.
Alex twisted her napkin until it nearly tore. "I'm fine."
But when the food landed, she attacked it like it might disappear. Camila's smirk faded, concern creeping in. "You're inhaling that burger like it owes you money."
Alex froze mid-bite.
Camila chuckled as Alex shifted in her seat. "What, bathroom again? Girl, your nerves must be wrecked."
The joke died when Alex didn't answer. The humour drained from Camila's face. "Wait… Alex. When was the last time you..."
The question hit like a punch. Her stomach lurched. Silence clamped down.
She tried to laugh it off. "Of course I've had..." Her voice cracked. "Wait! oh God."
Her fingers fumbled under the table, pulling up her Flo app. Scrolling. Scanning. The blood drained from her face. The café clatter faded to static.
Her lips trembled. "It's late."
"Late?" she repeated, her voice so flat that it made Alex's skin prickle. She leaned forward, whispering like the café walls had ears. "Alex, listen to me. If you are… you can't let him find out."
Her eyes darted to the window, then back. "Promise me."
Alex's eyes widened, horror rushing in. She wasn't ready at all.