Diana placed the final documents upon the polished surface with decisive precision, indicating the singular signature required to conclude proceedings. Caroline reached forward deliberately, aware that Anthony’s attention intensified as she leaned toward the paper, the emerald coat shifting gently with her movement.
The fabric parted naturally.
Silence consumed the room instantly, thick and suffocating, as Anthony’s pen slipped from his fingers, rolling noisily across the table while disbelief froze his expression completely. His widened eyes fixated upon the unmistakable curve Caroline had concealed for months.
“What exactly am I seeing?” Anthony whispered, his composure fracturing visibly beneath shock.
Caroline exhaled slowly, releasing the coat’s folds without resistance. “I am seven months pregnant, Anthony.”
Color drained from Anthony’s face with alarming speed as he rose abruptly, the chair scraping harshly against marble flooring. “That outcome was declared medically improbable, Caroline. Specialists confirmed our biological limitations repeatedly over exhausting years.”