Zadie’s POV
What the fuck… just happened?
I woke up again to the sharp scent of antiseptic and the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor. Again, in a white room. But this time, it wasn’t panic that hit me. It was confusion, disbelief, and a weird sense of déjà vu.
“W-Where am I?” I croaked, my throat dry like sandpaper. Someone shot up beside me. A familiar grip closed around my hand, warm and firm.
“Zadie?” Lazaro’s voice cracked. “You’re awake. Thank God.”
I blinked against the harsh light and turned to him. His eyes were bloodshot, and his shirt was wrinkled. He looked like he’d aged five years overnight and I loved him for every second of it.
“What the hell happened?”
“You fainted,” he said, brushing hair off my forehead. “Scared the life out of me.”
“Where are we?”
“Private clinic. I carried you myself. They ran tests on blood pressure, glucose, the whole deal.” Before I could reply, a knock sounded and the door opened. A young woman in scrubs walked in, clipboard in hand and a suspicious twinkle in her eye.
“Miss Hollis,” she greeted. “You gave everyone quite the scare.”
“Welcome to my specialty,” I muttered.
She smiled, then looked at both of us. “We ran routine labs. Everything looks normal except for one thing.”
Lazaro straightened. “What is it?”
The doctor flipped her chart. “You're pregnant.” The world paused. I stared at her. Then at him. Then back at her.
“Excuse me?”
She nodded. “About six to seven weeks, based on your HCG levels.” Silence. I waited for the floor to collapse under me. For Lazaro to panic. For me to panic. But instead… He laughed. Loudly.
“I’m sorry,” he said, turning to me with wide eyes. “Did you hear that? You’re pregnant. We’re having a baby.” And just like that, I started crying. Not from fear, not from the pressure. But from something deeper.
“I’m not ready,” I whispered.
“You will be,” he promised, kissing my knuckles. “We will be.” The doctor gave us a few more instructions and left us in silence again, but this time, it was a different kind. Full. Hopeful. He sat on the bed beside me, still holding my hand.
“You scared me,” he said softly.
“You ignored me for a whole day and made me think you were pulling away.”
“I was trying to plan the perfect moment,” he smirked. “But clearly, you like stealing the spotlight.”
I gave a watery laugh. “I love you.”
He leaned down and kissed me slowly. “Marry me. For real. This week.”
I raised a brow. “You’re proposing again? Already said yes, remember?”
“Then let’s make it official. Small ceremony. Just us, the ocean, and a promise.”
I squeezed his hand. “Deal.”
Three days later, I stood barefoot in a cream-colored sundress, hair loose and windblown, on the same beach where we argued, made up, and nearly combusted. Lazaro wore a white shirt, sleeves rolled, no tie. He looked annoyingly handsome. We had no guests. No priest. Just a local judge, Luca, and the waves as witnesses.
“Before we exchange vows,” he said, taking both my hands, “I need to tell you something.”
“Better not be a criminal confession.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “No. Just a promise.” I waited, heart thudding.
“I’ve lived a thousand lives, Zadie. Worn a hundred masks. But with you… I finally feel like I can be someone real. And I vow to love you not like a man desperate to possess, but like a man finally learning what it means to be free.” I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Your turn,” he whispered.
I blinked fast. “Okay. Um…” I looked into his eyes. The man who faked his death for a second chance. The man who broke me and rebuilt me without asking for anything back.
“I vow,” I said, voice trembling, “to never let fear speak louder than love. I vow to keep choosing you, even on the hard days. And I vow… to raise chaos with you, laugh with you, grow old with you, and raise our baby far away from bullets and bullshit.”
He grinned. “That’s my girl.” We kissed before the judge could even say the word 'husband.' And when we finally pulled back, he pressed a hand gently to my stomach.
“I can’t wait to meet this little storm,” he whispered.
I smiled through my tears, leaned my head against his chest, and for the first time in forever, I felt safe.