Chapter 125

Maya’s POV

I felt utterly heartbroken—more than broken, shattered into a million irreparable pieces. I couldn’t summon the willpower to climb out of bed, let alone manage something as basic as showering or brushing my teeth. Grief and exhaustion were waging a relentless war inside me, and I was losing ground.

I missed Elias with a fierce ache, but I despised Richard Brooks just as intensely. Both emotions raged through me, each demanding my full attention and tearing me apart in equal measure.

Was I feeling anything differently? I hesitated before pressing my fingertips against my breasts, probing gently. They were just a bit swollen and tender, nothing abnormal beyond my usual premenstrual sensitivity. My belly carried a dull ache—again, not out of the ordinary now that I was pregnant. The absence of nausea was reassuring; stress and grief after