Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 282

Clairessa’s POV

I held the ultrasound paper to my chest, one hand resting protectively on my stomach as I walked down the hospital hallway.

Relief spread through me, the doctor’s words still ringing in my ears, the baby is healthy, everything looks perfect.

Thank God.

For the first time in days, I let myself breathe. My baby was doing great. Our baby, I corrected silently. No matter how much I feared Gabriel’s reaction, this life didn’t just belong to me anymore. It was his too.

And after hearing that strong heartbeat and watching the tiny form displayed across the screen, it felt more real than ever.

I didn’t know how much longer I could keep this to myself, dragging it out, carrying this secret alone when every part of me wanted to run to him and share the news. But then the fear always pulled me back. The timing. Adrian felt betrayed. The drama swallowed us whole. I didn’t want to be selfish and drop this miracle in the middle of Gabriel’s fallout with his son because of me, even though it ached not to.

I wanted him to share this joy when the dust had settled. To see his eyes light up the way mine had, moments ago. To know that this wasn’t just my fight anymore. But instead, I was trapped between protecting him from one more burden and protecting the life we had created.

I was still lost in that thought when something clattered against the floor behind me. A pen? Maybe keys? I couldn’t tell.

I slowed, frowning, and turned. For a second, I expected to see a nurse bending to pick something up, or maybe a patient wandering out of a room.

But the corridor was empty.

I shook it off and kept walking, slower now, but the unease only grew. The more steps I took, the more it felt like someone was behind me. A feeling I couldn’t shake.

Then I heard it again, footsteps. Too loud to be just the breeze.

I panicked, but instead of turning around, I walked a few more steps and suddenly cut into a side hallway.

I stood quietly against the wall, waiting. A trick I’d seen in movies, let them think you’re unaware, then catch them.

A figure slid across the tiles.

I stepped out, blocking the way.

Nicole froze mid-step, her face caught somewhere between shock and guilt, the look of someone who’d just been caught red-handed.

Of all people... Nicole.

“You? What are you doing here?”

My voice cut through the silence, disbelief rushing in. “Are you following me?”

Her eyes darted, wide for a moment before she forced a scoff. “Don’t flatter yourself. Why would I be following you?”

“Because it seems like you are,” I shot back, stepping closer, blocking her way so she couldn’t slip past. “So are you going to explain, or should I assume the worst?”

Nicole waved a hand like she was swatting away a fly. “Whatever. I’ll find out anyway. I always do.”

“You’re pathetic,” I hissed. “Quit following me, or I’ll have you reported.” I pushed past her, storming down the hall.

Behind me, Nicole’s voice echoed with rage. “Don’t think you’ve won, Clairessa! You took my place, you ruined everything I built. But I swear to you...” Her words shook, raw with anger. “I’m going to make you pay for this. Even Gabriel won’t save you.”

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The elevator doors slid open to the penthouse, and I stepped into the subtle expanse of glass and light.

Nicole’s face still clung to my mind. Her voice, her threat, the rage in her eyes when she said I’d “taken her place.” She swore it was coincidence, that she wasn’t following me, but every nerve in me screamed otherwise. I couldn’t decide which unsettled me more, that she had followed me here, or that it really was chance.

My gaze shifted forward, catching on the tall figure near the windows.

“Gabriel?”

He turned, hands in his pockets, and the tightness in his features eased the moment his eyes met mine.

“Clairessa?” His voice carried a raw worry that made my chest ache. He crossed the room in long strides. “Where have you been?”

“Out.” The word slipped before I could think, vague and careful. I didn’t want to tell him the truth just yet.