That afternoon, Celina didn’t see Thor again. Ever since their cold exchange, her chest felt like it had been filled with concrete. The words left unspoken echoed inside her like muffled drums, and every step she took through the agency weighed heavier than the last.The workday was nearly over when she grabbed her phone and quickly typed to Zoe:“Are you going to campus or heading straight home?”The reply came almost instantly:“Home! I’ll wait for you at reception.”Minutes later, they were outside, hurrying across the sidewalk toward the subway. The evening rush was relentless, as always, but Celina—her belly still small enough to be discreet—was given priority to board and managed to sit down. Zoe stood beside her, cracking jokes with a kind old lady who, noticing Celina’s condition, smiled warmly in solidarity.After a transfer and a crowded bus ride, they climbed off, drained. Celina tugged at Zoe’s arm with a shy request:“Would you come with me to the market? I don’t know the

For the next two days, she woke up early, slipped into comfortable clothes, and wandered through the new neighborhood. She explored bakeries, streets, little squares. The morning breeze and the calm rhythm of the area helped clear her mind. Those walks, though simple, felt like part of her healing—one step at a time, trying to push back the insomnia, the anxiety, and the ache of longing.In the afternoons, she devoted herself to unpacking—hanging clothes, ironing the ones that needed it, organizing her books and documents, arranging every detail of her new home.She read as well. Books about motherhood, nutrition during pregnancy, the first months of a baby’s life. She watched videos about childbirth, even though it was still early. She wanted to be prepared—body and soul—for when the time came.The hardest moment of that weekend crept in almost like a trap, right in the middle of folding laundry. Celina was stacking neatly pressed clothes when she opened the last suitcase and found,

Celina couldn’t hold it in. A laugh slipped out—light, freeing, though still tired.“Only you could make me laugh at a time like this.”Zoe leaned against Celina’s desk like someone about to hear a major secret, winked, and pointed at her.“That’s exactly why I’m here! Because, darling, no one—and I mean no one—around this company is talking about anything else but you, Celina! The sweet, polite, proper lady who suddenly… turned into a tigress!”Celina’s eyes widened, nearly choking on her own laugh.“What?!”“That’s right, you heard me!” Zoe confirmed, already gesturing like she was narrating some epic saga. “This morning, we had Celina: calm, collected, practically a corporate nun… And now? BAM! Here comes the Tigress! The savage of Legal! The HR avenger! The hunter of spoiled, pregnant little princesses!”This time, Celina burst into loud laughter, leaning back in her chair.“Zoe, you’re impossible!”“Sweetheart…” Zoe adjusted her glasses with mock seriousness. “You dragged that wo

Celina left Thor’s office with her body tense and her heart pounding. Every step toward her own office seemed louder than the last, as if the floor itself were marking the end of one chapter—and the beginning of another. The click of her heels against the polished floor of T&R Enterprises no longer masked her decision: she wasn’t going to stay silent anymore. She wasn’t going to bow her head.As soon as she entered her office, she closed the door and leaned against it, as if her own body had to block any thought of retreat. One hand pressed to her chest, she felt her heart beating out of rhythm, as if it wanted to burst free. Her breathing came shallow, erratic.“Calm down, Celina... breathe,” she whispered to herself, eyes shut tight.Inhale. Exhale.Once more.Inhale. Exhale.Little by little, she managed to regain some control over her trembling body. Still leaning against the door, her hands slid down to her stomach, where the greatest reasons for her strength and courage rested.

Thor remained seated at the table after the brutal outburst with Arthur. The silence between them was thick, cutting. Arthur, elbows resting on the arms of his chair, studied his friend with an expression caught somewhere between disappointment and compassion.“You know what you did was unforgivable, don’t you?” he said, breaking the silence. “I’ve never seen you like this, Thor. You completely lost control.”Thor lowered his gaze, taking a long breath, his eyes still glazed with rage, pain, and frustration. Arthur stood, picked up the jacket draped over the back of the chair, and sighed.“Look, if you ever want Celina back, you’ll have to crawl to her feet and beg for forgiveness. And even then, it’ll be up to her whether she accepts it or not. Because what you did… it’s serious. You’re sick, Thor. And if you don’t deal with it, you’ll destroy everything around you. Including yourself.”Thor didn’t answer. He just stared at nothing. Arthur tapped the table twice with his fingers.“Th