Chapter 70 The Pregnancy Test
Harper found Sebastian in his office, surrounded by files and looking like he hadn't moved since she left.
"You came back," he said, standing quickly. "I wasn't sure you would."
"I saw the video. Claire and Marcus are planning to manipulate me with those documents." Harper set her bag down. "So now I know you kept secrets and Claire orchestrated my reaction. Which means I still don't know what's actually true."
Sebastian gestured to the couch. "Sit. Please. Let me explain everything. No more holding back."
They sat facing each other, the space between them feeling vast despite the physical proximity.
"Three years ago, I found irregularities in offshore accounts," Sebastian began. "Morrison was my father's most trusted advisor. Questioning him felt like questioning Dad's judgment. So I investigated quietly. Put tracers on accounts. Monitored transfers. Built evidence."
"For three years."
"I know how that sounds. But Harper, corporate fraud investigations take time. Especially when the person you're investigating is sophisticated and well-connected. I couldn't just accuse him without proof."
"Did you tell anyone? The board? Your lawyer?"
"I told my lawyer. He advised me exactly what I did to gather evidence before making accusations. Going public prematurely would have triggered lawsuits, stock drops, chaos." Sebastian leaned forward. "I was trying to protect the company and build a case. Not to cover up crimes."
Harper wanted to believe him. But trust felt impossible when she'd been lied to so many times.
"Why didn't you tell me? When we got serious. When we decided to make the marriage real. Why keep this secret?"
"Because I was ashamed. Of not seeing Morrison's theft sooner. Of letting it continue while I built my case. Of being the CEO who missed massive fraud happening under his watch." Sebastian's voice cracked. "I didn't want you to see me as incompetent. As weak. As exactly what my father always feared I'd be."
There it was. The wound beneath the secret. The fear of not being enough.
"Sebastian, I don't think you're incompetent. But I do think you made decisions based on protecting your ego rather than doing what was right."
"You're not wrong. And I'm sorry. I should have told you months ago. I should have trusted you with the truth instead of trying to manage how you perceived me." He reached for her hand. "Can you forgive me? Can we move past this?"
Harper thought about it honestly. The secret was significant but the motivation was understandable. Sebastian had been trying to protect the company while building a case. He'd made questionable choices but not criminal ones.
And Claire had deliberately weaponized those choices to destroy their relationship.
"I can forgive you," Harper said slowly. "But Sebastian, no more secrets. If there's anything else I should know—about the company, about your past, about anything—you tell me now. Because I can't keep finding out important information from your enemies."
"There's nothing else. I swear. You know everything now."
Harper studied his face, looking for tells. Saw only exhaustion and honesty.
"Okay. I believe you." She squeezed his hand. "But if I find out you're still hiding things, I'm done. I'll take the baby and leave and you'll never convince me to come back."
"Understood. Complete transparency from now on."
They sat together, the crisis averted but the exhaustion remained. Harper felt the baby kick, a reminder of what was at stake.
"We should eat something," Sebastian said. "You haven't eaten all day."
Harper realized he was right. Between the meeting with Claire and the emotional upheaval, she'd forgotten about food. "I'm not very hungry."
"The baby needs nutrition even if you're not hungry. Please."
They ordered takeout and ate in companionable silence. Harper could feel the baby moving more than usual, responding to her stress.
"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked, watching her rub her stomach. "Is something wrong?"
"Just active. The baby's been kicking all day." Harper shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, I've been feeling strange. Kind of crampy. But the books say that's normal in the second trimester."
Sebastian's expression shifted to concern. "What kind of crampy? Like mild discomfort or actual pain?"
"More than discomfort. But not unbearable. I'm sure it's fine."
"When did it start?"
Harper thought back. "This morning. Before I met Claire. I thought it was just stress."
"And it's gotten worse?"
"A little. But Sebastian, I'm fine. First pregnancies have all kinds of weird symptoms."
As if to prove her wrong, a sharp cramp seized her abdomen. Harper gasped, doubling over.
"That's not fine," Sebastian said, already grabbing his phone. "I'm calling the doctor."
"It's probably just Braxton Hicks contractions. False labor. The books mention them."
"The books also say to call your doctor if you have persistent cramping." Sebastian was already speaking to the on-call nurse. "Yes, cramping for several hours. Getting worse. Six months pregnant."
He listened, his face going pale. "We'll be there in twenty minutes."
"What did they say?" Harper asked, trying to breathe through another cramp.
"That we need to come in immediately. Persistent cramping at six months could indicate preterm labor. Harper, we need to go to the hospital now."
Fear replaced annoyance. Harper stood carefully, another cramp making her gasp. "It's probably nothing. Just to be safe."
But Sebastian's expression said he didn't believe that any more than she did.
At the hospital, they were taken immediately to labor and delivery. A nurse hooked Harper up to monitors while a doctor examined her.
"You're having contractions," the doctor said, reading the monitor. "Regular contractions. Every ten minutes."
"But I'm only six months old. That's too early." Harper's voice shook.
"We're going to run some tests. Check for cervical dilation. Make sure the baby's okay." The doctor's voice was calm but Harper heard the concern underneath. "Have you been under unusual stress today?"
"Yes. A lot. But I've been stressed for months. Why would today be different?"
"Sometimes the body reaches a breaking point. Or there could be other factors." The doctor pressed on Harper's abdomen. "Does this hurt?"
"A little."
"And here?"
"Yes. More than a little."
The doctor exchanged a glance with the nurse that made Harper's heart race. "What? What is it?"
"I'm going to do an ultrasound. I want to check the baby's position and the placenta."
Sebastian stood beside the bed, holding Harper's hand so tightly it hurt. Neither of them spoke as the doctor moved the ultrasound wand across Harper's belly.
The baby appeared on screen, moving actively. Too actively, Harper thought.
"The baby's fine," the doctor said. "Heart rate is good. Movement is normal. But I'm seeing something concerning with your placenta. It's positioned lower than it should be. Partially covering the cervix."
"What does that mean?" Harper asked.
"It's called placenta previa. It can cause bleeding and preterm labor. Usually it resolves itself as the pregnancy progresses, but in some cases, it requires bed rest and monitoring."
"So what do we do?"
The doctor set down the ultrasound wand. "Right now, we stop the contractions. I'm going to give you medication to halt labor. You'll need to stay in the hospital overnight for observation. If the contractions stop and stay stopped, you can go home on strict bed rest. No stress. No physical activity. Complete rest until the baby's full term."
Harper felt tears threaten. "I can't be on bed rest. The trial is in five months. I have to testify. I have to."
"You have to prioritize this baby," the doctor said firmly. "Mrs. Colton, if we can't stop these contractions, you'll deliver a twenty-four week preemie with significant health risks. Bed rest is non-negotiable."
They admitted Harper to a hospital room. Started an IV with medication to stop the contractions. Sebastian sat beside her bed, his face ashen.
"This is my fault," Harper said. "The stress from today. From Claire. I triggered this."
"It's not your fault. The doctor said placenta previa isn't caused by stress. It's just something that happens."
"But the contractions started after I met with Claire. After I got upset about the documents." Harper pressed her hands to her stomach. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry."
Sebastian climbed carefully onto the hospital bed beside her. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. This is just something we're dealing with now."
"But the trial. I can't testify from bed rest. Claire's lawyer will use it against us."
"Then we figure it out. Remote testimony. Deposition. Whatever we need to do." Sebastian pulled her close. "Harper, the baby is more important than the trial. Then Claire. Then everything."
They lay together in the hospital bed, monitors beeping softly, both of them terrified.
After an hour, the contractions slowed. After two hours, they stopped completely.
"The medication's working," the nurse said during a check. "You're responding well. We'll monitor you overnight and if everything stays calm, you can go home tomorrow with strict instructions."
Harper felt relief wash over her. The baby was okay. For now.
But as she drifted into uneasy sleep, one thought kept circling.
If stress from one meeting with Claire could trigger labor, what would the actual trial do?
What would months of bed rest mean for their preparation?
And how would they prove Claire guilty when Harper couldn't even testify in person?
Claire had been trying to destroy them for five years.
And she might have just found the perfect weapon.
Harper's own body, betraying her at the worst
possible time.
Leaving Sebastian to face his sister alone.
While Harper could only watch, helpless and confined to bed, as their entire future hung in the balance.