The morning sun filtered through the gauzy curtains of the Montgomery estate as Clair slowly rolled onto her back, blinking against the light. The room was calm and warm, quiet except for the steady rhythm of Austin's heartbeat beside her. His arms were wrapped securely around her, and his breathing remained slow and deep. She smiled, resting her hand on her rounded belly.
Seventeen weeks.
Two confirmed heartbeats. The twins.
And now, the third—growing in secret, in silence, in mystery. The unexpected additional pregnancy. A phenomenon her doctor had called "superfetation." Rare. Startling. Beautiful.
Clair shifted and groaned lightly, waking Austin. His strong arms instinctively pulled her closer.
"You okay?" His voice was husky with sleep, warm against her ear.
Clair nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking. It's today. My check-up."
Austin blinked his eyes open fully and sat up slowly. "Right. Let's get ready. We'll take the bulletproof car."
She chuckled, kissing his jaw. "Always the king with his fortress."
"Always the husband with his queen and heirs to protect," he corrected seriously, brushing his fingers over her stomach. "I don't take chances."
---
At the hospital, the tension that had shadowed Clair over the past few weeks had faded into cautious hope. The FBI had finally withdrawn their constant surveillance, at least temporarily. Elias had taken control of media leaks, and for once, the world outside seemed to quiet. It was just her, her babies, and Austin.
The check-in process was seamless. Everyone knew who they were, but no one dared say anything out of turn. The Montgomery name still held power, but Clair walked through those halls not as a mafia wife—but as a mother.
In the examination room, the nurse applied cool gel to her belly and powered up the monitor. The sound filled the room—steady, strong heartbeats thumping through the speakers.
"One… two…" the nurse said, smiling.
Clair's fingers clenched Austin's hand. His eyes locked on the screen.
"And three," the nurse whispered. "Fetal development looks normal. The twins are progressing right on schedule. The third baby—smaller, of course, because of the different conception timing—is healthy. This is remarkable."
Clair felt her heart flutter. The sound of those heartbeats, in sync but distinct, filled her with indescribable warmth.
"Three," she murmured. "They're really all in there."
Austin leaned down, kissing her forehead. "You're carrying miracles."
---
Later that evening, Clair curled on the velvet couch in the reading room, wrapped in a silk robe. A fire danced in the hearth. Austin returned with two mugs of hot tea and sat beside her.
"They confirmed again the rare condition," he said. "Three babies. Two from the first conception. One from the second. Same womb. Different timelines."
Clair sipped her tea. "It's still hard to believe."
"You don't need to believe it. You're living it." He brushed her curls from her shoulder. "I need you to start slowing down. No more walking around without help. No more sneaking into the kitchen."
"But I miss cooking," she pouted.
"I'll build you a second kitchen in the bedroom. You're not lifting anything heavier than a spoon."
She laughed, leaning into his side. "Control freak."
"Call me what you want. Just be safe."
They sat in silence for a few moments, the flicker of firelight casting golden halos across the furniture. Austin stared down at her stomach.
"You know what I thought today?"
"What?" she whispered.
"That you've changed everything about my world. All this empire, the blood, the brutality—I'd burn it all down if it meant keeping you and our children safe."
Her heart clenched at the raw honesty in his voice.
"I don't want you to burn it down," she said quietly. "I want you to build it into something better. Something safer. For them."
Austin exhaled. "Then that's what I'll do. I'll shift it all. For you. For our legacy."
---
The next few days passed in a blur of rest, monitoring, and endless baby preparations. Elias stopped by with updates on their enemies, keeping most of it off Clair's plate.
"Isadora's faction is completely broken. The remnants either fled or got absorbed," he told Austin one afternoon. "No new threats. FBI surveillance is still officially paused. They lost face after the false press leaks."
Austin nodded. "Stay ready though. Peace doesn't mean weakness."
Elias glanced at Clair's belly and smiled. "Still can't believe you're having three."
She grinned. "Neither can I."
"You're going to need a lot more diapers than you think."
Austin added, "And a bigger nursery."
---
One night, Clair found herself restless. The twins kicked inside her, and she could feel the faint, newer flutter of the third baby—a reminder of how unpredictable life could be.
She stood in front of the mirror, hand over her growing belly. Her body had changed so quickly, adapting to something rare and fragile. But she didn't feel weak. She felt powerful.
"I'm going to protect you all," she whispered.
From the doorway, Austin watched her. She turned and saw him, shirtless, his toned chest rising and falling as he crossed the room to her.
"You are the strongest woman I've ever known," he said.
She leaned into his embrace. "I'm scared sometimes."
"Good. That means you care. But you're not alone."
"I know."
He kissed her shoulder. "When you give birth, I'll be right beside you. I'll hold your hand. And when they're born, they'll know they were made from love and fire."
Clair laughed softly. "That's so dramatic."
"It's the truth."
They stood in the quiet, holding each other.
"I love you, Austin," she said.
His eyes darkened, his voice low and certain. "I love you more than I ever thought I could love anything in this world."
---
The next morning, Clair had a dream. She stood in a field with three cribs before her, the sun rising on the horizon. Each baby smiled up at her, healthy and glowing. Behind her, Austin wrapped his arms around her waist, whispering words she couldn't hear but could feel deep in her heart.
She woke up with tears on her cheeks.
Austin stirred beside her. "Bad dream?"
"No," she said, brushing the tears away. "A beautiful one."
They lay together in silence. Outside, birds chirped. The world felt soft again. As soft as it could be in a life built by kings, nurtured by queens, and carried forward by the beat of three tiny hearts.