Chapter One-Hundred-Seven

Chapter One-Hundred-Seven
Grace's POV
"He knew nothing about the payments, about the egg switch, about any of it. The diary makes that clear. Helena only involved people she could control. Even Hunter was kept in the dark." Because there was no way Helena could ever control Hunter. She may have thought she could.
Detective Morrison nodded. "The evidence supports that. Your father wasn't involved in the financial arrangements."
Relief washed through me, even though I'd known it was true. Dad had been as manipulated as I had, just in a different way.
"What about the clinic?" Hunter asked. "When will it be shut down?"
"The state medical board has already suspended their license pending investigation," Elliott replied. "The doctor directly involved will face criminal charges."
Quinn gathered her papers. "I think we're done here. My clients have been more than cooperative."
As we stood to leave, Morrison addressed me one last time. "Mrs. Sinclair, I want you to know, what happened to you was wrong. No one should have to go through what you did."
"Thank you," I managed, my throat tight.
We walked out in silence, passing the reporters still gathered outside. Quinn requested an officer bring our cars around the back.
"It's really over?"
"The statement part is," Quinn confirmed. "There'll be paperwork, maybe testimony if it goes to trial. But the worst is behind you."
Hunter pulled me closer, his arm solid around my shoulders. "We can go home now. Focus on what matters."
Once we were safely inside, I finally let out the breath I'd been holding. We watched her get in her car and drive away.
I slumped against Hunter's chest as soon as Quinn's car disappeared from sight. The tension I'd been holding for hours finally released, leaving me drained.
"You did amazing in there," Hunter murmured against my hair, his arms tightening around me.
"I just told the truth." My voice sounded tired even to my own ears. "It wasn't that hard."
"Still. It couldn't have been easy." He pulled back enough to look at my face, his eyes searching mine. "I'm proud of you."
I smiled weakly. "Can we just... go home now?"
"Of course."
The drive home was quiet, my mind replaying the morning on a loop. Twins. We were having twins and right now it was our secret.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Hunter asked as we pulled into our driveway.
I turned to look at him. "This morning, we found out we're having twins. Then with everything else."
Hunter cut the engine and took my hand. "Our life has been a bit of a rollercoaster lately."
"That's an understatement." I laughed, but it came out hollow. "I just keep wondering when it's going to stop, you know? When we'll just have... normal days."
"We will." His certainty was comforting. "Starting now." Following her inside.
I raised an eyebrow. "Just like that? It can't be, not yet. I didn't even ask what and when their move on Mom will be."
"Yes, just like that." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the ultrasound pictures. "Look at them, Grace. This is our future. Not the mess Helena or your mother left behind."
I took the ultrasound pictures, tracing my finger gently over the grainy outlines of our two tiny babies. Despite everything we'd been through, my heart swelled with a quiet joy I couldn't contain.
"They're real," I whispered, still not quite believing it. "Our babies."
Hunter sat beside me on the couch, his arm draped around my shoulders, pulling me closer. "How are you feeling now? After everything today?"
"Exhausted and relieved, but happy." I leaned my head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. "Mostly just thankful it's over."
He pressed a kiss to my hair. "As the rest follows. But it will not affect us, Grace. Promise me… you will always tell me how you are feeling no matter what is thrown at us."
"I will. It took me long enough to get you so I'm not going to mess it up. But telling the police everything felt like... I don't know. Like I finally got to set down this weight I've been carrying. I'm glad you pushed me to have it investigated." I looked up at him. "And now we have this to focus on instead."
Hunter's hand drifted to my still-flat stomach, his touch reverent. "Twins," he said softly, wonder still coloring his voice. "Two perfect little Sinclairs."
"Two tiny little arrogant troublemakers, if they take after their father," I teased.
He laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest. "Or their mother. Don't think I've forgotten how stubborn you can be."
I playfully swatted his chest. "I prefer to call it not putting up with your caveman antics." Although I did find some of it sexy.
"Is that what we're calling it now?"
"Absolutely." I nestled closer, breathing him in. "What do you think they'll be like?"
Hunter was quiet for a moment, thoughtful. "Strong. Smart. Maybe one with your eyes, one with mine." His voice dropped lower. "I hope they get your heart, though. Your kindness."
The tenderness in his words made my throat tighten. "Hunter..."
"I mean it." He tilted my chin up, his eyes serious as they met mine. "You have the strongest, most beautiful heart of anyone I know. After everything you've been through, you still find room for compassion. You have the biggest heart."
"Not for everyone," I admitted quietly, thinking of my mother, of Helena.
"That's called having boundaries," Hunter said firmly. "It's healthy."
I nodded, resting my head back against his chest. Outside, rain had started to fall, pattering softly against the windows of our new home. The sound was peaceful, soothing.
"Do you think they'll arrest her soon?" I asked after a while. I didn't need to specify who.
Hunter's arms tightened around me. "Probably. The evidence is overwhelming."
"My father..."
"Will stand by you," he finished. "He already made that clear."
I nodded, grateful for that certainty. My father had been distant for much of my life, always in my mother's shadow, but when everything fell apart, he'd chosen me. That meant everything. He wanted me to be happy and was ashamed he hadn't known.
"What about names?" I asked, deliberately changing the subject to something happier. "Have you thought about any?"
Hunter chuckled. "Already? We just found out there's two of them this morning. We don't even know sex yet."
"I know, but we have to start somewhere." I smiled up at him. "Any family names you're attached to?"
"A few, maybe." He brushed a strand of hair from my face. "What about you?"
"I always liked the name Lily," I admitted. "For a girl."
"Lily Sinclair," he tested it out. "It's beautiful."
We spent the next ten minutes like that, trading names back and forth, some serious, some making us both laugh. The rain continued outside. For these precious moments, there were no one else. Just us, planning our future, dreaming about our children. There was no rush to do anything.
I must have dozed off at some point, because when I opened my eyes again, the room had grown darker, the rain heavier. Hunter hadn't moved, still holding me against him, his fingers drawing patterns on my arm.
"What time is it?" I murmured.
"Almost six," he answered softly. "You needed the rest."
I stretched, feeling more centered than I had in days. "I guess I did."
"I was thinking," Hunter said, his voice thoughtful. "Maybe we should wait longer to tell everyone about the twins. Keep it just for us a little while longer."
I nodded against his chest. "I'd like that. Our secret."
He pressed another kiss to my hair. "Then that's what we'll do. Come on, we better get something to eat."