Julian's jaw was set so tight a muscle in his cheek pulsed, his protective instinct warring with the sickening echoes of the doctor's voice.
"Shall we go, my love?" Julian asked. His voice was forced, a low vibration of restrained steel. He had a million questions screaming in his mind, but he refused to give Sebastian the satisfaction of seeing a crack in their foundation.
"Amara, wait... we... we..." Sebastian stammered, stumbling forward as if his world had been tilted off its axis.
Julian snapped. He stepped into the space between them, his frame shielding Amara completely. "You stay the hell away from my wife," he barked, the sound echoing like a gunshot against the marble.
"She is carrying my baby!" Sebastian shouted back, his voice thick with a calculated desperation. "How do you expect me to do that? This is a sick twist... It's mad!"
