The hours after the boats left stretched into an agonizing wait.

I couldn’t sit still. I paced the master bedroom, one hand on my heavy belly, feeling the baby shift restlessly inside me. Every distant sound every wave, every gust of wind made my heart jump. Daddy had turned the villa into a fortress. Guards patrolled the cliffs. Security cameras covered every angle. But none of it could stop the fear crawling under my skin.

He found me by the window, staring at the horizon where the boats had vanished.

“You should be resting,” he said softly, coming up behind me. His arms wrapped around my waist, hands settling over...