Beresford Empire Book 2 The New Life by Jeanne S.L at Inkitt

Chapter 1 - The Secret

Surrounded by her family and with a steady job, Lina was finally finding her balance. For the first time, she felt at peace. With herself. With everyone else.

She missed Éloïse and Tom, of course. But she’d come to accept the distance. She was focusing on herself. On her future. And more than anything, on him.

That tiny being growing inside her. This baby. Her baby. That quiet force — fragile but fierce — that made her want to believe. For real this time.

Of course, when she told her family — especially her mother — it was like dropping a bomb:

“You’re what!?”

Her mother’s voice cracked through the phone, full of shock. Lina, crouched on the bathroom floor in tears, couldn’t find the words to answer.

She just cried.

“Lina? Lina?!... Say something!”

But there was nothing but her sobs. No words. She could hear her mom, but nothing made sense anymore. Everything felt unreal.

Then suddenly, a colder tone. Calmer. Sharper.

“It’s that Tom guy, isn’t it?”

Eyes shut tight, Lina felt her heart pound — a brutal explosion in her chest.

“Yeah,” she whispered.

And the tears kept coming. Quieter now. Heavier.

Silence.

Lina tried to breathe, to calm herself. But every breath brought more sobs.

Her mother didn’t speak either.

Then, after a long sigh, tired and defeated, her mother finally said:

“Come home.”

“No way!” Audrey protested at the flea market, mock-offended.

It was a beautiful day, one of those perfect May afternoons. Lina, Anna, and Audrey had just found a bundle of secondhand baby onesies, all in great condition. But Audrey had frowned. The color? Absolutely not.

“Come on, Audrey, we’re talking about onesies. It’s not like he’s doing a fashion show,” Anna said with a smile.

Lina, meanwhile, stayed focused on the clothes, eyes gleaming.

“He’s gonna be so tiny...” she murmured, gently touching her belly. It was a gesture she repeated anytime anxiety crept in.

Her bump was barely showing, but it was enough. Enough to know she already loved him. Her love was growing as fast as her body was changing. Maybe even faster.

“Well, I hope so, considering where he’s coming out of,” Audrey joked, laughing.

As always, Anna tried to soften the mood:

“Ignore her. It’s going to be the best day of our lives. The next generation of the Cap family is on the way!”

She brushed her sister’s belly with affection. Lina smiled back at her.

Audrey, still stuck on her original point, chimed in again:

“Still doesn’t change the fact that poop-green onesies are ugly!”

The three of them burst out laughing.

Back at their parents’ house, Lina’s mom had everything set up for the family lunch. The mood at the table was light, almost joyful.

The hardest part, really, had been getting her mom to accept the news. But surprisingly, there had been no judgment. Of course, Lina knew her mom had imagined a different future for her daughter — something more traditional, more stable. But in the end... she was still a mom.

And thanks to Anna’s unexpected support, she’d finally welcomed the news. No criticism. No guilt.

It had taken Lina a while to realize it, but now she felt it clearly: having her family behind her was a real blessing.

And now, everything revolved around the baby. His future school — the one Lina had gone to. The daycare. Even selling her studio, something she was seriously considering so she could be closer to them. Slowly but surely, another life was taking shape.

The Three Musketeers WhatsApp group was still alive. But it had slowed down.They didn’t know about the pregnancy. It was easier that way. Safer.

Tom could never handle having a kid. He’d totally freak out. Better if he never found out.When the time came, she’d come up with something. A lie. Some story that would keep him from ever connecting the dots.The less he knew now, the harder it would be for him to figure things out later… That’s what she kept telling herself. It’s better for everyone, she thought.

So, the conversations stayed light.Tom shared his usual absurd adventures. Éloïse talked about her job, about Maxime. He’d kept his promise. He’d changed — for her.

Éloïse had been really disappointed when Lina told her, at the last minute, that she wouldn’t be coming to Portugal after all.Even more so when she heard the reason:

“Anna found me a position at her company… and it’s a chance to grow, to get closer to my mom, you know…”

But no, Éloïse didn’t know. Not at all.

“Lina, you just finished an insane internship at one of the biggest companies in the world… and now you’re gonna work at some random small business because… because what, exactly?”

She’d shrugged on-screen.

“Okay, sure, it’s good for your family — but throwing your whole career away for that?”

Lina had cut it off right there. Éloïse couldn’t understand. She was ambitious, brilliant, always aiming higher.But she didn’t know the whole story. And Lina had no intention of telling her.

Eventually, Éloïse had let it go. She respected Lina’s choice.

The only thing that still bugged her was how Lina always had an excuse to skip video calls.

Tom, on the other hand, didn’t take it personally.

“If you’re naked, I still wanna see,” he’d joked, laughing.

Éloïse shot him a deadly glare.

“Hold your fucking dick, Tom! Twice the same bullshit — seriously?!”

“My turgid cock,” he declared, laughing his ass off.

Even Lina had burst out laughing. Éloïse’s authority always worked. And she never let anything slide.

“We can’t see you, but we hear you, Miss ‘I’m hiding!’” she added toward Lina.

“It’s not that… The camera’s glitchy… Anyway.” Lina glanced at the time.

“I have to go.”

And that was how they left it.

That Saturday morning, she’d planned to go to the market with her mom. Anna was supposed to meet them there, then stick around for lunch at the house. Lina was still lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, her hand resting absentmindedly on her belly when her mom called her.

She rolled her eyes.“It’s not even ten o’clock yet, Mom...” she groaned, resigned.

But she got up anyway. Coming down the stairs, her heart skipped a beat.

Lily.

In the living room.

Talking with her mom.

The surprise on her mom’s face was obvious, mixed with admiration — she couldn’t hide how impressive Lily looked.

“So... you’re one of my daughter’s former coworkers?” Her skepticism barely hidden.

Lina stepped into the room. Lily stood up immediately, beaming, and flashed her a bright smile.

What the hell is she doing here?!

“Exactly,” Lily answered the question. Then, without taking her eyes off Lina, she added,“We really miss her at R.B.H.”

“We?”

“Anyway... I’m gonna head to the market with Anna,” Lina’s mom said. She sounded almost hesitant but added,“That way, you’ll have time to talk.”

Then she left the living room and yelled up the stairs,“Audrey, get up!”

Lina was still staring after her mom in the hallway. Lily’s voice snapped her back to reality:“I meant it, Lina.”

She turned to her, like Lily had just pulled her out of a daydream.“Sorry?”

“You’re missed,” Lily said.

This time, no doubt — she wasn’t just talking about herself. Or not only about herself.

Panic crept up a notch. Lina did what she always did in those moments: she slipped a hand over her belly, quietly, to calm herself.

Then they sat down, silent.

Audrey’s grumbling footsteps came down the stairs. Lina’s mom called out: Lina had a guest, and she should offer her something to drink. She added that she was heading to the market with Anna.

Audrey obeyed, though clearly not thrilled.

When she walked into the living room and saw Lily, she had exactly the same reaction as their mom — without holding back:“Whoa...”

Lily stood up right away and held out her hand with a playful smile.“You must be the famous Audrey, right?”

Audrey shot Lina a heavy look, like, who’s this bombshell?What the hell is she doing here?

Lily politely declined the drink offer, and Audrey slipped away without pushing it.

“Finally, just us,” Lily breathed, like it was a secret.

Lina wasn’t smiling. She wanted to understand.

Seeing her serious, Lily lost her light tone too.“How are you doing, Lina?”

Huh?

“I… I’m fine, thanks. You came for that?” she asked, confused.

Lily smiled softly, then looked down a little.“I was worried.”

She paused, then added, a bit disappointed:“You kind of… disappeared.”

Lina quickly looked away, suddenly interested in a shelf like she’d never seen anything so fascinating.“Honestly, I’m fine,” she said, trying to downplay it. She forced a small laugh.“All that effort just for that? You could’ve texted, and I’d have known...”

But Lily wasn’t smiling anymore.“Lina… you disappeared. You didn’t answer any of my messages. You never called me back. And about the wedding…”

Silence.

“You never replied either.”

Each sentence hit like a weight. Lina curled up inside. But she tried again to defuse the tension:“I needed time after R.B.H., you know...”

She rushed on, too fast.“And then a bunch of stuff happened, I kind of forgot everything, well… I’m disorganized… scatterbrained… lost my phone…”

Lame excuses. It was the only thing that came to her.

Lily didn’t take her eyes off her.“My wedding’s in two weeks, Lina. And I’d like you to come.”

Another silence.

The anxiety growing in Lina’s throat almost spilled out.“I’m sorry, Lily… That you came all this way for this, really… but I can’t make it.”

That was it. It was said.

Lily wanted to respond, but Lina didn’t give her the chance. She stood up suddenly to cut the conversation short. Inviting Lily to do the same.

But she got dizzy standing up too fast.

She barely caught herself on the couch, her hand instinctively going to her belly. She had protected what was there without even thinking.

Lily froze.

Lina caught her gaze.

“I… I didn’t sleep well last night. And I’m hungry. Wanna grab something? There’s a great bakery nearby… Oh! I have a new job too. It’s very different from R.B.H., but it’s okay.”

Lina tried to shift Lily’s attention. She realized her hand was still on her belly. She pulled it away.

Lily kept staring at that belly. Then she looked up at Lina. She opened her mouth, hesitated… then closed it right away.“Lina…”

She thought for another second.“I’m glad you’re okay.”

Then she turned on her heel and headed for the door.

In the days that followed, Lily lingered a bit in Lina’s mind… then, little by little, she faded away.

The next day, a much happier topic took over everyone’s minds. The baby’s gender. That night at the dinner table, everything revolved around it. Even Anna and her husband were there.“We need a girl!” Audrey said, all smiles.

Anna’s husband exchanged a knowing look with Lina’s dad, like saying “good luck.” But their dad just burst out laughing.“I gave up after Audrey was born,” he said, laughing hard.

“As long as he or she’s healthy…” Anna added, calm.

And Lina’s mom, with a half-serious, half-dramatic sigh:“And please, not her mother’s temper…”

Everyone burst out laughing. Even Lina. It was exaggerated, but deep down… not totally untrue.

Suddenly, the doorbell cut through the mood.

Lina’s mom shot a killer look at Audrey. But Audrey threw her hands up, innocent.“I didn’t do anything!”

“Your rude friends showing up at people’s houses in the middle of the night…” their mom grumbled as she got up.

Crossing the hallway, she kept complaining out loud:

“SHE’S NOT GOING OUT, IT’S NIGHTTIME!!”

Everyone laughed around the table, even Audrey, imagining which of her friends could have shown up at that hour. Which friend wanted to die tonight.

A few seconds later, Lina heard her mom calling her.

She frowned, surprised.

She was hungry, so she grabbed some fries from the plate and stuffed her mouth before getting up.