Chapter 145 The Burden Of Bloodlines

• Deonta’e and I stand on the terrace under the afternoon sun, overlooking the garden. Below us, Alaki and Amara walk leisurely along the stone path, their heads bent close in conversation. Amara’s hand rests protectively on her rounded stomach, her pregnancy now impossible to disguise at six months. Beside her, Alaki moves with a grace that belies the changes happening within her body—changes only visible to those who know to look for them.
• I watch as they pause near the rose bushes, Amara laughing at something Alaki has said. Even from this distance, I can see how Alaki’s entire being seems to lighten in Amara’s presence. A genuine smile plays at her lips—a rare sight these past weeks. In her arms, she cradles Everette, adjusting him with an ease that makes something in my chest tighten uncomfortably.
• “Your wife has taken to motherhood quite naturally,” Deonta’e says, his voice tinged with that careful neutrality he maintains during our more delicate conversations.