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Time stretched, fracturing into agonizingly slow fragments as Claire fell through the cavernous expanse of the mansion’s grand foyer. The ornate crystal chandelier overhead blurred into a spinning vortex of glittering light and dark shadows. Below her, the polished marble floor rushed upward like a rising tide of grey stone. / Chapter 1 / 8

Chapter 1 - The Descent and the Catch

Time stretched, fracturing into agonizingly slow fragments as Claire fell through the cavernous expanse of the mansion’s grand foyer. The ornate crystal chandelier overhead blurred into a spinning vortex of glittering light and dark shadows. Below her, the polished marble floor rushed upward like a rising tide of grey stone.

Her hands remained locked defensively around her protruding stomach, a primal barrier guarding the tiny life within her. Please, she prayed silently into the roaring void of air, the sound of a maid's piercing shriek still echoing in her ears. Protect us.

She expected the bone-shattering impact. She braced for the dark.

Instead, strong, iron-hard arms wrapped violently around her waist and shoulders just feet above the marble floor. The sheer momentum of the catch drove the air from Claire’s lungs in a violent gasp, sending a searing jolt of pain through her ribs. The impact knocked the rescuer off balance as well, and they both crashed hard onto the polished floor, skidding several feet across the slick surface before coming to a dead stop against the base of the grand staircase.

Silence descended on the foyer—a heavy, suffocating stillness broken only by the ragged, desperate breathing of the man lying beneath her.

Claire squeezed her eyes shut, her hands still frantically shielding her abdomen. Is the baby okay? Am I alive? She drew in a shuddering breath, feeling the faint, reassuring flutter of movement against her palm. They were alive. They had survived the fall.

"Claire. Look at me."

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