From Divorce to Billionaire’s Baby

Chapter Four: New Beginnings

I am sitting at my desk, the morning light pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office, casting a warm glow on the polished oak surface. The hum of the city outside is a distant murmur, but inside Morg. Corps., everything is calm, efficient. My team is running like a well-oiled machine, and I am in control, exactly where I need to be.

I run a hand absentmindedly over my stomach, feeling the slight kick from the baby inside. Six months along, and it still feels surreal sometimes, like this new chapter of my life is unfolding faster than I ever imagined. My hand lingers there, a quiet reminder of the life growing inside me, the new future I am building, on my own terms.

A knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts. "Come in," I call, expecting it to be a routine meeting or a report needing my attention.

My secretary, Claire, steps in, her face flushed with a mixture of confusion and anxiety. "Ms. Morgan," she begins, her voice hesitant, "there’s a… man outside. He’s causing a bit of a scene and insists on seeing you."

I raise an eyebrow, curious. "Who is it?"

She bites her lip before answering, "He says… he’s your husband. Ryan Sterling."

The words hit me like a shockwave. Husband? For a moment, I am too stunned to respond. But then reality sets in, and I correct her, my voice firm. "Ex-husband. Ryan Sterling is my ex-husband."

Claire’s eyes widen slightly, clearly taken aback by the correction, but she nods. "Should I send him away?"

I take a breath, steadying myself. It’s been months and we have not spoken, months since that final, tense meeting in the lawyer’s office when we signed the divorce papers. I haven’t heard from him since, and to be honest, I didn’t expect to. Whatever unfinished business Ryan has, I am not sure I want to entertain it. But then again, I can’t avoid him forever, especially now.

"No," I say after a pause, my hand instinctively moving to rest on my baby bump. "Let him in."

Claire nods and disappears, leaving me with a few moments to gather my thoughts. The last thing I expect is to see Ryan now, in this moment, when my life has taken a turn, he knows nothing about.

The door swings open, and Ryan steps inside. For a split second, the world feels like it tilts off its axis. He looks the same, polished and composed in his usual tailored suit, but there’s something else, a tension in his posture, a wildness in his eyes that I haven’t seen before. It’s like he’s barely holding it together, and when his gaze falls on me as I stand from my chair, it happens.

His eyes widen, his face draining of colour as they lock onto my rounded stomach. For a heartbeat, he’s frozen, his mouth opening slightly, but no words come out. His shock is palpable, and for once, Ryan Sterling is speechless.

I hold his gaze, refusing to flinch. The silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating, until finally, he speaks.

"Tess…" His voice is strained, almost like he’s trying to make sense of what he’s seeing. "You’re… pregnant?"

I don’t bother to hide the truth. "Yes," I say simply, my tone calm, steady. I refuse to let him see the tumult of emotions swirling beneath the surface.

“How long?”

"Six months along."

His eyes dart from my face to my stomach, then back again, as if he’s trying to reconcile the woman standing in front of him with the image of the Tess he used to know. The Tess who, when they last spoke, was still stuck in the hollow remnants of their failed marriage.

"You didn’t… You never told me." His voice is quieter now, the initial shock giving way to something softer, more confused.

"I didn’t think I needed to," I say, my tone sharper than I intend. "We signed the divorce papers, Ryan. We agreed to move on."

He steps closer, his eyes still fixated on my stomach. "But… whose is it? Am I the father of that baby?" he asks, the question hanging in the air like a bomb waiting to detonate.

I hesitate, not because I owe him any explanation, but because the weight of his question presses into the room. But I meet his gaze head-on, refusing to let him intimidate me. "This baby is mine."

His face hardens slightly at my response, his jaw clenching as he takes in my words. "Tess, this is…my child, six months ago, you and I........" he mutters, running a hand through his hair, a gesture I recognize from years of watching him navigate difficult situations. But this time, it doesn’t work. He’s not in control, and it’s clear he doesn’t know how to handle it.

"Ryan you and I have not been in touch for months. Please just tell me why you are here and insisting on seeing me. " I reply, folding my arms across my chest. The motion causes my bump to shift slightly, and Ryan’s eyes flicker down again, as if the reality of my pregnancy is still sinking in.

He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it, frustration flickering across his face. "I just… I came here because I needed your help with something but this..........” he points at my stomach, “Is not what I was expecting and has taken me by surprise.”

I can’t help but feel a mix of emotions at his words. So, he needs my help? After all this time, after everything we went through, he still thinks he can walk into my life and ask for something? My stomach twists at the thought, and I remind myself to stay grounded.

"Ryan," I say, keeping my voice steady, "I am not sure what you expected to find when you came here today, but this isn't a conversation I am prepared to have. You made your choice when you walked away."

He runs a hand over his face, looking frustrated. "I know I did. I just… I didn’t expect to see you like this. I thought you were moving on, living your life without me."

“I am living my life,” I shoot back, the heat rising in my chest. “And I am doing it just fine. This baby is my priority now. I don’t need you swooping back in, pretending like you care when you didn’t even want to be a part of my life when we were married.”

His expression falters, and for a moment, I see a flicker of regret cross his features. "I messed up, Tess. I was so focused on the company and everything else, I lost sight of what was important. I thought I could just… let you go and everything would be okay.”

I can see the struggle within him, the turmoil of emotions swirling beneath his calm exterior. It's disorienting to watch. "So now you want to come back? You want to play the doting father and husband when you couldn't even manage being a loving husband when we were together?"

"That's not fair!" he exclaims, raising his hands in frustration. "I didn’t even know you were pregnant! How can you hold that against me when I didn’t have the chance to be there for you?"

I shake my head, feeling my resolve strengthen. “This isn’t about fairness, Ryan. It’s about responsibility. I am not asking you for anything. I am not expecting you to swoop in and save the day. I am not even sure if I want you to be a part of this child’s life.”

His expression shifts, a mix of determination and vulnerability. "I want to be involved. I want to be there for you and the baby. Just… give me a chance to prove it."

The sincerity in his voice stirs something within me, but I refuse to give in. I have spent too long rebuilding my life to let him in easily. “You can’t just come back after all this time and expect everything to be okay. I have moved on, Ryan. I have built a new life for myself and for this baby. I am the CEO of Morg. Corps. now. I have got responsibilities.”

He looks at me with disbelief. “You are the CEO?”

I reply firmly, standing my ground. “I have had to forge my own path, and I am proud of that. This baby is going to be my priority, and I won’t let anyone come in and disrupt that.”

Ryan takes a step back, the weight of my words settling between us. “I am not trying to disrupt anything. I just… I want to be part of this. I want to be a father.”

My heart races at his confession. It’s a startling admission, one I didn’t expect to hear from him.