Chapter 116

Darren POV

The morning show lighting was perfect. Soft, flattering, making me look like the concerned husband I was pretending to be.

“So Darren,” the host leaned forward with practiced sympathy, “the whole world is talking about your wife’s pregnancy announcement. How are you holding up?”

I let my face crumble just slightly. Vulnerable. Hurt but hopeful. Exactly what America wanted to see.

“It’s been difficult,” I said, my voice catching perfectly. “Nova and I have been going through a challenging time in our marriage. But when I heard about the baby...” I paused, looking down like I was composing myself. “I’m choosing to see it as a blessing. A chance for us to rebuild our family.”

“Are you saying you believe the baby is yours?”

“I know it is.” I looked directly at the camera, speaking to Nova wherever she was watching. “The timeline makes it clear. We were together as husband and wife until very recently. This is our child. Our second ch