His Belated Apology – 1

Thea’s POV

I sat nervously in the clinic’s waiting room, fidgeting as I waited for the doctor to call my name. My mind was a complete mess. This felt like some ridiculous repeat performance. My second pregnancy, and once again I was attending a prenatal appointment alone. The only difference was that Kane was in prison, unable to attend, while Sebastian just couldn’t be bothered to come when I was pregnant with Leo.

I’d been trying to ignore the fact that I was pregnant until a few days ago when I noticed my waistline increasing. My baby bump was beginning to show, and soon everyone would know I was pregnant.

I sighed tiredly, reminding myself that I needed to tell Seraphina and Maximus about this. I hadn’t found the courage to tell them I was pregnant with Kane’s child, mainly because Kane was their adopted son. Just think about it—their biological daughter pregnant with their adopted son’s baby. The whole thing was a fucking mess.

“I can feel your anxiety radiating into my bones, Thea,” a familiar deep voice pulled me back to reality.

I whipped my head around so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash. I frowned as I stared at the person before me, too shocked to speak. Sebastian was staring right at me. He hadn’t gelled his hair that day, was dressed casually, and even his expression looked relaxed.

“Sebastian? What are you doing here?” I blinked slowly, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating.

He shrugged, smiling. I continued to stare at him in shock. I think this was the first time he’d ever genuinely smiled at me; the first time his smile was directed at me.

“I’m here to support you. I didn’t want you to face the appointment alone,” he said simply.

There was definitely something wrong with him. Why did this feel like a goddamn trap? I leaned closer to him, trying to smell if he’d been drinking. Seven years ago, he’d been drinking that day, which explained his strange behavior.

“What are you doing?” he asked with a frown.

“I’m checking if you’ve been drinking,” I said.

He seemed normal and hadn’t been drinking, so why the hell was he here? What was going on in that complicated mind of his?

Before I could figure out what was wrong with him, the doctor called my name. He grabbed my hand, gently pulling me up, then led me to the examination room. The whole way there, I kept staring at his broad shoulders, completely stunned.

We reached the examination room where Dr. Harper was already waiting for us.

“Nice to see you, Thea, ready to see how your little one is doing?” she asked, as cheerful as ever.

I nodded, still in a daze.

“I’m guessing he’s the father?” she asked, looking at Sebastian.

“No! He’s just here for support,” I quickly said when I saw Sebastian opening his mouth to say something. He frowned, gripping my hand tighter.

What the hell was wrong with this man? Why did he look upset?

“Alright,” Dr. Harper drawled, “you know the drill, up on the bed and lift your shirt.”

Sebastian helped me onto the bed, and I did as instructed. I shifted uncomfortably as Sebastian’s gaze locked onto my exposed belly. It felt weird because the last time he saw me exposed was probably a year ago.

Before I could think more about it, Dr. Harper squeezed the cold gel onto my stomach and began moving the probe.

“Hmm,” she murmured, staring intently at the screen.

“Is there something wrong?” Sebastian asked before I could.

“Everything’s fine. Strong heartbeat, and the baby is developing as expected,” she replied, then turned to me, “Do you want to know the gender?”

“No,” I said, while Sebastian said, “Yes” at the same time.

“Since you’re not the father, I’ll ignore your answer and go with Thea’s, unless you want to know the gender, Thea.”

I shook my head. “No, I want a surprise, just like with Leo.”

“Then my lips are sealed. I’ll just print the photos for you,” she said, standing up and turning off the machine.

“Can you print two copies?” I asked, remembering I’d promised to send Kane updates.

“Of course.”

She handed me tissues, and I cleaned up before pulling down my shirt. When I finished, I looked up to see Sebastian still staring at the blank screen.

“Sebastian?” I called.

He shifted his gaze to me, then stood up. We left the room, passing by the reception. After getting everything I needed and scheduling my next check-up, we left the clinic.

“I want to take you to lunch,” Sebastian surprised me again.