The villa felt heavier in the days that followed.

I moved through the rooms like a ghost quiet, careful, always aware of the new security cameras and the extra guards patrolling the grounds. Daddy had turned our paradise into a fortress. Every locked door, every watchful eye reminded me that my choice that night had consequences.

I was sitting on the balcony again, knees drawn up as much as my belly would allow, when Daddy found me. He didn’t speak at first. He simply sat beside me and pulled me onto his lap, one arm wrapped around my back, the other resting on my rounded stomach.

“The baby’s been active...