Chapter166 We’re not having another one

Chapter166 We’re not having another one
Chloe

The final contraction tore through me and then it was over. A sharp, indignant cry filled the delivery room, and the doctor placed our daughter on my chest.

Liora. She was warm and impossibly small, her tiny body still slick from birth, fists clenched as if she had already decided the world owed her something.

I stared down at her, and a wave of fierce, overwhelming love crashed over me so suddenly that my breath caught. This was my child. Our child. Every ache, every hour of fear, every moment I had doubted myself faded into the background as I traced the curve of her cheek with one trembling finger.

Julian had been gripping my hand through the entire labor, his voice steady even when his shoulders shook with tension. The second the cry echoed off the walls, he moved.

He leaned over the bed and pulled me into a careful but desperate hug, his face pressed against my damp hair. His arms trembled around me.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” he said, the words rough and low against my ear. “For a minute there, when things got too quiet, I really thought… God, Chloe, I can’t do this without you. I can’t lose you.”

I felt his chest rise and fall in uneven breaths. He held me like he needed the proof that I was still here, still breathing, still his. When he finally eased back just enough to look at me, his eyes were wet, and a single tear slipped down his cheek before he could stop it.

“We’re not having another one,” he said, his voice firm even though it cracked at the edges. “I mean it. I’m not putting you through this again. I’ll take care of everything—pills, a procedure, whatever it takes. There’s no chance I’m risking you like that ever again. Liora is enough. You and Liora are my whole world.”

I blinked at him, still floating in the haze of exhaustion and new motherhood, but the intensity in his eyes left no room for argument. He brushed a strand of hair from my forehead with gentle fingers.

“You’re it for me,” he continued, softer now. “No more. I’m not losing you. Not for anything.”

I looked back down at Liora, and the maternal flood hit me harder than any contraction. She made a small, hiccupping sound and nestled closer to my skin like she already knew exactly where she belonged.

My heart felt too big for my chest. Every protective instinct I had ever possessed roared to life at once. I would walk through fire for this tiny person. I would fight anyone who tried to hurt her. The sheer force of that love made my eyes sting.

Julian watched me the entire time. His gaze never left my face, not even when the nurses moved around us or when the doctor spoke quietly near the foot of the bed. He studied every expression that crossed my features as if he were memorizing them.

“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met,” he said, his voice low and reverent.

“The way you fought through every single contraction, the way you never gave up… I don’t know how you do it. You’re beautiful, Chloe. Even right now, with sweat on your forehead and tears in your eyes, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

The words kept coming, soft and relentless, as if he couldn’t hold them back any longer. I felt my throat tighten. In that moment, with our daughter between us and his voice wrapping around me like a promise, the fear that had lived in my chest for months finally loosened its grip.

A soft knock at the door broke the spell. Kim peeked in first, her usual energy tempered by concern and excitement.

“Can we come in?” she asked. “We’ve been pacing the hallway like lunatics.”

Julian nodded without taking his eyes off me for more than a second. “Just for a minute. She needs rest.”

Kim stepped inside, followed by Tiffany and Marcus, then Ethan hovering awkwardly. Tiffany’s eyes went wide when she saw Liora.

“Oh my God, she’s perfect,” Tiffany whispered, pulling up a chair. “Chloe, you were incredible. Julian looked like he was going to pass out every time you made a sound, but he never let go of your hand.”

Marcus grinned. “He kept texting us updates like a war correspondent. ‘Contraction number forty-seven. Still holding strong.’ I think he aged five years in the last hour.”

Ethan shifted his weight. “You did it. Liora’s lucky. Really lucky.”

Julian finally glanced at them, though his hand stayed wrapped around mine. “She’s more than lucky. She has the best mother anyone could ask for.”

Kim leaned closer to the bed, lowering her voice. “How are you feeling? Really. And I don’t mean the polite version. Be honest.”

“Sore,” I admitted, still looking at Liora. “But happy. So happy it doesn’t feel real yet.”

Julian’s phone buzzed once in his pocket. He pulled it out with his free hand, typed something quickly, and angled the screen away from everyone. I caught only the first line before he locked it.

“She did it. The plan can continue.”

A strange light flickered in his eyes when he looked back at me—relief, yes, but something sharper, something that felt like a calculation I wasn’t meant to see. I filed it away for later.

Right now, with Liora warm against my chest and Julian’s hand still holding mine, I let myself rest in the moment.

Later, when the room had quieted again and the nurses had wheeled Liora to the nursery for her first checks, Julian stayed beside the bed. He adjusted the blanket over my legs with careful hands and brushed his thumb across my knuckles.

“I’ve already arranged for the best postpartum care,” he said. “The nurse starts tomorrow. Massages, nutrition plans, everything. I want you back to feeling strong as fast as possible.”

I studied his face. “You’ve been watching the scale like it personally offended you. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

He met my eyes without hesitation. “I just want you to feel like yourself again. Beautiful. Healthy. Confident. That’s all. I’ve booked a few light therapy sessions and some gentle treatments if you want them. Whatever helps you feel like the most beautiful version of yourself.”

His voice was calm, almost casual, but the intensity behind it made me pause. Still, the care in his touch was genuine, and I let myself lean into it.

“You’re really going all out,” I murmured.

Julian smiled, but that same sharp light returned to his eyes for just a second. “You deserve it. Both of you do.”