Chapter 86 Surprise… times three
Chapter 86 Surprise… times three
Selene
The final week of our trip is a haze of sea breeze, laughter, and soft sheets. It’s been an amazing few weeks to say the least.
Except… I haven’t been feeling great the last few days.
It started with morning nausea, then afternoon nausea, then hey-let’s-make-it-a-whole-day nausea. I’ve been dizzy, my appetite’s been weird, and my boobs? Basically auditioning for their own zip code. And I've noticed that I've been spotting some days .
The guys have been amazing—insisting we take it slow, doting on me like I’m made of gold and glass. We cancel a few outings and spend most days lounging on the deck or curled up in the villa’s sunroom, just existing together.
Still, something’s… off.
By the time we return to Greece, I’m pale and exhausted—but trying not to let it show.
Kostas’s parents have planned a massive party at their coastal estate, complete with lanterns hanging from olive trees, live musicians, and a seafood spread that could sink a small ship.
I feel slightly better after two lemon sodas and some grilled octopus.
Kostas’s mother pulls me aside and tells me I “glow like a woman who has finally been properly loved.” I don’t correct her. His father greets Adrian and John like long-lost sons and jokes, “Good. She has three protectors now. That’s about the minimum she’ll need.”
There’s no judgment.
Just warmth, champagne, and good-natured teasing and welcoming us with ooen arms .
By the end of the night, we’re drunk on laughter and tired from dancing. The four of us return to the villa—my villa now—and collapse onto the enormous couch, tangled in silk and bare feet and smug affection.
The next few days blur into routine. Mornings filled with emails and Zoom meetings. Afternoons wandering the town or working poolside. Evenings out in Athens or curled up in the villa’s home theater.
It’s bliss. Almost enough to distract me from how shitty I still feel.
Almost.
Eventually, we fly back to the U.S. in Kostas’s jet, and I cry a little when the Greek coastline fades into the clouds. But the moment we land, the boys kick into full work mode, each of them slipping seamlessly into their corporate badassery while I… well… I sleep when I’m not working .
A few days after we’re back, we meet Jonathan in Adrian’s office.
He closes the door, sits down, and wastes no time.
“The detective is still in Marseille,” he says. “He’s spotted Bianca’s friend, Élise. He believes Bianca is inside the apartment but hasn’t seen her directly yet. We’re waiting on confirmation.”
John frowns. “She’s hiding.”
“She’s stalling,” Adrian mutters.
Kostas nods. “We need to stay ahead of her. Anything feels off, we move.”
Jonathan leans forward. “You’ll be the first to know. Just… stay alert.”
I nod, but truthfully?
The only thing I can focus on lately is the constant nausea, the fatigue, and the fact that my boobs are officially trying to kill me.
One week later…
I can’t take it anymore.
I make an appointment with my gynae thinking she’ll say it’s hormones and or the new contraceptive she put me on, or stress, or maybe some glamorous travel bug I picked up eating raw oysters on a yacht.
What I don’t expect?
Is for her to frown slightly, squint at the screen, then go still as she looks at my results on her iPad.
“Selene,” she says slowly, “congratulations.”
I blink. “What?”
“You’re pregnant.”
My stomach does a slow, looping backflip. Wait what ?
"Doc there is no way I'm pregnant, you gave me the injection and I'm only due in another month". I mumble at her , my brain experiencing a short circuit.
She gets me in the bed and begins a scan.
She turns the monitor toward me. Instantly I can hear the telltale racing heart beat. And I just star at the screen wondering what the hell is going on.
"And… it’s triplets.”
“Triplets,” I repeat flatly.
“Yes.”
“As in three.”
She smiles. “As in… three.”
I stare at the screen, stunned. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
She is not, I see the three little blobs and hear the heartbeats and my eyes fill with tears .
“Holy cow I wonder who the father is this time”, I mutter and she smiles "could be either of the two dads " she grins , “errm there are three potential dads now doc “, I mutter . And she tries very hard to keep the shock off her face.
That evening…
I make pasta.
Not because I’m craving it—though I am—but because I figure if I’m going to blow their minds, it should at least be over carbs.
I light candles. I wear a sundress. I plate the food with suspicious care.
John is the first to notice. “Are we… celebrating something?”
“Sort of.”
Adrian sniffs the air. “This smells like a setup.”
“It’s not a setup,” I lie.
Kostas sits down. “You look different .”
“Nope,” I say. “That’s just mild panic and third -trimester breast inflation.”
They freeze.
John lowers his fork. “Third trimester?”
“Okay, first trimester. But it’s ambitious.”
Adrian narrows his eyes. “Wait… are you saying…?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Silence.
Utter, stunned, pin-drop silence.
“With triplets.”
Kostas chokes on his wine. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Three,” I say. “As in: one, two, three. Like a bonus pack.”
John stares. “How? We just got back from Greece.”
“I don’t think it happened in Greece. I think it happened in the sex dungeon yacht cabin, but thanks for the timing check.”
Adrian scrubs a hand down his face. “Triplets? Are you sure?”
I gesture toward my boobs. “They’ve been screaming it for weeks now and I went to the doctor today she ran tests and did the ultra sound and what do you know, there are three little beans in here,” I smile as I gently rub my still flat belly.
Kostas leans back, blinking. “So… that means any one of us—”
“Yep.”
John holds up his hands. “Okay. But like… how does this keep happening to us?”
Adrian mutters, “Because all three of us have a latex fetish and our pullout game is weak.”
I take a sip of sparkling water and almost choke, . “And because I’m built like a fertility goddess, apparently.”
They all stare.
Then—at the exact same moment—they start talking.
“We need more room—”
“Do triplets share a crib?”
“What’s the hospital bill for three—”
“Selene, are you okay?”
I laugh so hard I nearly fall off my chair.
“Guys,” I wheeze. “I’m not dying. I’m just pregnant. Again. Times three.”
They rush to me like I’ve announced I’m going into labor right now.
And honestly?
Despite the chaos, the terror, the sheer logistics of this new madness…
I’ve never felt more loved.
Or more powerful.