Second Marriage, The Billionaire's Planned Love novel Chapter 196

196 Chapter 196 Four Hearts Beat

Ivy’s POV

The week melted into a careful routine of reviewing territorial reports and quiet evenings in our heavily fortified penthouse, both Caleb and I settling into the rhythm of our new existence as the undisputed rulers of the Thorne empire. One morning brought Lieutenant Walter knocking on our reinforced bedroom door with news that made my heart leap with anticipation.

“The compound is fully secured, Mrs. Thorne. You can move in whenever you’re ready.”

We spent the weekend orchestrating our relocation with military precision that would make even seasoned capos impressed. Caleb insisted on deploying our most trusted soldiers as movers while I directed operations from an armored chair, watching our loyal associates transform chaos into order. By late that weekend, we were hosting an impromptu gathering in our new compound’s secured backyard, the scent of grilled steaks mixing with gunpowder residue and nervous laughter from our inner circle.

I smoothed down my new flowing dress, grateful for the extra fabric around my expanding middle. Being well into my pregnancy meant my regular clothes had become instruments of torture, cutting into my growing waistline like razor wire. The shopping expedition with the wives earlier had been a tactical necessity, not luxury.

But exhaustion clung to me like dried blood these days. Caleb had started his relentless campaign to get me to step back from family operations, his protective instincts firing on all cylinders every time he caught me yawning during strategy meetings or rubbing my aching lower back.

“This pregnancy feels different, tesoro,” he’d say, concern etching deep lines around his dangerous eyes. “With Max, you were unstoppable. Now you can barely make it through lunch without collapsing.”

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He wasn’t wrong. My first pregnancy had been smooth as silk compared to this bone–deep fatigue that made even reviewing ledgers feel monumental. I’d agreed to discuss it with Dr. Taylor at my upcoming appointment.

The morning of the appointment arrived with Caleb practically vibrating with barely contained nervous energy. He paced our bedroom like a caged predator while I got dressed, checking his titanium watch constantly.

“We should leave early,” he announced for the third time. “Traffic might be

heavy.”

“Caleb, we live a short drive from the private medical facility.”

“But what if there’s a police checkpoint? Or a rival family surveillance? What if someone tries to-”

I silenced him with a kiss that tasted like espresso and violence. “Breathe. Everything’s under control.”

Dr. Taylor greeted us with her trademark professionalism at the family’s private medical wing, her trained eyes immediately dropping to my midsection. “Ivy, look at you. That belly is significantly more prominent than it was with Max at this stage.”

“Trust me, I’ve noticed,” I said, settling onto the examination table

surrounded by bulletproof walls. “I feel like I’m carrying a concrete block. And I’m constantly starving. I wake up in the early morning hours demanding entire meals.”

Caleb chuckled darkly. “She devoured an entire roasted chicken yesterday. By

herself. With her bare hands.”

“Every pregnancy tells its own story,” Dr. Taylor said, preparing her equipment with surgical precision. “Let’s run some blood work first, then we’ll take a look at this little one with the ultrasound.”

As she drew blood with expert efficiency, Caleb drummed his scarred fingers against his thigh, radiating anticipation like a loaded gun. When she finally wheeled over the ultrasound machine, he practically launched himself out of

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his chair like a missile.

Dr. Taylor applied the cold gel to my belly, her expression shifting as she moved the probe across my skin. The easy professionalism faded, replaced by intense concentration. She paused, adjusted the screen, then looked again with surgical focus.

My stomach dropped like a stone. “Is something wrong?”

“Caleb, please sit down,” she said quietly, not taking her eyes off the monitor.

“What? Why? Is the baby in danger?” Caleb’s voice pitched higher with lethal edge.

“Sit down first.”

Caleb sank into the chair beside me like a controlled detonation, his hand finding mine in a desperate grip. I could feel his pulse hammering against my palm like automatic gunfire.

Dr. Taylor turned the screen toward us, pointing with her stylus like indicating targets on a battlefield map. “Do you see these two distinct sacs

here?”

“Twins?” I whispered, my throat suddenly dry as dust.

She shook her head slowly. “Not twins, Ivy. Quadruplets.”

The word hung in the air like smoke from a discharged weapon.

“Four?” Caleb’s voice cracked like splintering glass. “Four babies?”

“Four babies,” Dr. Taylor confirmed, adjusting the image with clinical precision. “Two here, two there. Two separate placentas, which is actually excellent news for their development.”

Caleb went completely still beside me, his face draining of all color. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, he erupted like a grenade.

“Four babies!” He shot to his feet, nearly knocking over his chair with explosive force. “Ivy, do you understand this? Four! We’re having four babies!”

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Tears started streaming down my face, but they weren’t tears of joy. They were tears of overwhelming panic that felt like drowning.

“How am I supposed to handle four newborns?” The words tumbled out between sobs like confessions under interrogation. “I can barely function with this pregnancy. Four babies crying, four babies needing to eat, four sets of diapers-”

“Hey, hey,” Caleb was beside me instantly, his hands cupping my face like precious contraband. “We’ll handle it together. You’re not fighting this war alone.”

“Would you like to know the genders?” Dr. Taylor asked with gentle professionalism.

Through my tears, I managed to nod.

“One boy and one girl in each placenta. Perfect balance.”

“Can we hear their heartbeats?” Caleb asked, his voice thick with dangerous

emotion.

When the rapid flutter of four tiny hearts filled the room like machine gun fire, Caleb completely lost his legendary composure. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed like his heart was breaking open with violent joy.

After we’d collected ourselves, Dr. Taylor’s tone grew serious as a death sentence. “Quadruplet pregnancies are extremely rare and high–risk. Complete bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy is non–negotiable. The babies will likely arrive prematurely, possibly quite early.”

We left the medical facility with a pharmaceutical list longer than our enemy kill count and Caleb treating me like I was made of priceless crystal. He wouldn’t even let me walk to the armored vehicle.

Back at the compound, Caleb immediately started making calls, summoning our entire inner circle for an emergency dinner. No matter how much Zoe threatened over the encrypted line, he refused to reveal the intelligence.

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“It’s classified information,” he kept saying, his grin threatening to split his dangerous face in half.

We told Max first, watching his eyes grow wide with innocent wonder.

“Four babies, Mommy? Like a whole army?”

“Something like that, sweetheart.”

He immediately pressed his ear to my belly, chattering away about all the missions they’d run together.

By dinner time, Caleb had procured a wheelchair from somewhere, refusing to let me walk even short distances through our own secured territory.

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