Julian leaned forward dangerously. "You expect me to believe that?" Sebastian ignored the threat completely.

"At least when she was married to me," he continued smoothly, "she was treated like the envy of all Verenza. People worshipped her." His eyes flickered briefly toward Amara in the mirror. "Unlike now."

The atmosphere inside the car shifted instantly. Sharp. Deadly. Julian snapped. He lunged forward, grabbing Seb violently from behind by the collar. The car swerved slightly.

"You son of a—"

"Julian!" Amara shouted. Seb’s hands tightened around the steering wheel as Julian nearly strangled the air out of him.

"I swear to God I’ll break your neck—"

"Stop the car now!" Amara yelled. Her voice cracked through the tension so sharply that both men froze. The car went silent again except for the sound of heavy breathing. Seb slowly adjusted his collar without taking his eyes off the road.

"My bad," he muttered after a moment. "Sorry for the comment." Julian looked like he wanted to hit him anyway. Seb sighed quietly before speaking again.

"But I told you this was a bad idea." His tone became more serious now. "Doing a DNA test at this time? In a hospital owned by the Vales?" He shook his head slightly. "This was always going to leak."

Amara’s fingers curled tightly into her cardigan. The humiliation from earlier still clung to her skin. The cameras. The questions. The way strangers screamed about her unborn child like it belonged to the public.

Her chest tightened painfully. "I told you to stop the car." This time her voice was lower. Dangerously calm. Seb glanced at her through the mirror again. And for the first time since they entered the car, he noticed it properly. Amara wasn’t just angry. She looked hurt. Exhausted. Like she was one more bad moment away from completely breaking apart.

The realization made something uncomfortable twist inside his chest. "My bad," Seb said lightly as he turned the steering wheel and stopped the car right in the middle of the road. Instantly, loud horns exploded around them.

A truck behind them nearly slammed into another car trying to avoid Seb’s vehicle. Drivers leaned out of their windows, shouting curses while traffic began piling up dangerously fast. Amara jerked slightly at the sudden noise.

Julian looked stunned. "Are you insane?" he snapped. "Trying to get us killed or something?" Seb rested one arm lazily against the window. "I only did what your wife asked me to do." He gestured outside casually. "As you can clearly see, there’s no parking here."

Another horn blasted loudly beside them. Julian looked ready to lose his mind. "Amara, it’s dangerous. We can’t get down here," he said quickly, turning toward her. She still looked furious, her breathing uneven, her eyes fixed ahead like she was trying very hard not to scream.

Julian reached for her immediately, holding her carefully against him. The moment he touched her, he felt it. She was trembling. Not from fear alone. From exhaustion. From humiliation. From everything crashing down at once.

"Hey," Julian whispered softly, brushing her hair back. "Look at me." Amara didn’t. Her eyes remained fixed on the road outside. "I’m here with you," he continued gently. "I’m right here. You’re not alone." For a second, something inside her cracked. Not completely.

Just enough for the pain in her eyes to show. Seb watched the scene quietly through the mirror. Something bitter settled in his chest again. "Can I drive now?" he asked dryly after a moment. Julian glared at him. "Move the damn car."

"Okay, as you wish." Seb started driving again, the car smoothly pulling back into traffic. The silence afterward felt tense and uncomfortable. Amara stayed quiet the entire drive. No yelling. No crying.

And somehow that worried Julian more. Outside the window, the city blurred past in faded colors while dark clouds slowly swallowed the afternoon sky.

Seb finally spoke again after several minutes. "As I was saying, Amara... I delayed because I wanted to show you something."

No response. Not even a glance from her. Seb’s grip tightened slightly around the steering wheel before he continued driving in silence. Nearly twenty minutes later, the car turned into another hospital entrance.

Private. Hidden away from the busy center of the city. The sign outside read: Mercy Hospital. The moment the car stopped, Amara opened the door and stepped out immediately.

She didn’t wait. Didn’t speak. She just started walking. Fast. Like she needed to get away from both of them before she exploded.

"Amara!" Julian hurried after her. The cold wind outside pushed against her hair and clothes as she kept walking down the pavement without direction. She looked completely overwhelmed now, one hand pressed tightly against her temple.

"Amara, stop." Julian finally caught up and gently grabbed her wrist. She pulled away instantly. "I can’t do this anymore," she whispered. The words nearly broke him.

Julian stepped closer carefully, like approaching someone standing too close to the edge of a cliff. "I’ll call for another car right now," he said quickly. "We’ll leave if you want. We don’t have to stay."

Amara closed her eyes. "But you can’t keep standing out here like this," Julian continued softly. "Hey... look at me."

Slowly, she did. And the pain in her eyes hit him hard. God. She looked exhausted. Not physically. Emotionally.

Like the world had spent months tearing pieces off her little by little. Julian cupped her face gently. "I’m here with you," he whispered again. "I’m right here. You’re not alone." Then he kissed her forehead softly, trying to calm the storm inside her.

For a moment, Amara simply stood there breathing against him while the cold wind moved around them. Then another voice interrupted quietly behind them.

"I’m right here too." They both turned. Seb stood beside the car with his hands in his pockets, watching them carefully. His expression had changed. Less arrogant now.

More serious. "Anyway," he continued calmly, "we can do the test here." He nodded toward the hospital building behind him. "It’s private. Far from the reach of the Vales."