Hundred and Fifty-nine

At exactly 5:30 AM, Arabella and Thalia set out from the latter's residence, shrouded by the early dawn to avoid drawing attention.

Arabella shifted in her seat, a hand gently cradling her stomach as she felt a twinge. Wincing, she stole a glance at it.

"What's wrong?" Thalia asked her gaze briefly on Arabella before scanning the room.

They'd been driving for nearly an hour, yet the lingering fog veiled the sky. But Arabella's concern wasn't the weather. It was Blaze. Upon waking earlier, she'd received a disconcerting message from him.

The fact that she couldn't reach him unsettled her. She hoped he was alright, but her worry extended to something more profound.

It was her baby.

"I told you not to bother about Cole," Thalia said. "He will come to us, and I am sure he would have suggested the same thing."

"It's not about Blaze," Arabella replied, trying to dismiss Thalia's concern.

"Then what is it?" Thalia pressed.

"My baby," Arabella confessed. "It's been unusually active, and my s