Hera was at a loss for words. She sorely wanted to forgive him just like that and pounce into his arms because her heart ached for him so badly. However, she pushed it to the side and decided to think about it later. For now, she'd tell him what she initially came here for and then gradually decide what to do.

"I..." she began softly and slowly, "I need to tell you something."

Daman was all ears hoping and praying that she'd give him a second chance.

"Uhm.." Hera began but stopped and walked back to the bedroom with Daman following. She figured she'd rather show him than tell him.

Hera waited for him to enter and closed the door ensuring that nobody else was nearby. She wanted to keep it to herself until things got sorted out with Daman.

Rummaging through her handbag, she found the little stick and held it tightly mustering up the courage to turn around and give it to the duke. For the beginning years of her adulthood she always thought conception was going to be so difficult for someone like her with PCOS but here she was carrying Daman's baby. That too without even trying. She'd forgotten to renew her prescription for the pill and figured that it would be alright even if she skipped two or three days. They hadn't really talked about children and Hera was unsure as to how he'd take the news.

Swiftly turning around while she was brave enough, Hera gulped and fidgeted with the test in her hand and then held it out to Daman.

The duke's face was void of any emotion as he made sense of the two pink lines. He looked down at the stick and then back to Hera who looked up at him nervously.

"I just brought one... but I took 5 to be sure. And I haven't been to a doctor yet..." Hera said feeling the need to fill the silence.

Daman's face contorted to many things during those 10 seconds and he blinked rapidly. Hera would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

Still, Daman didn't say anything but after a while he did take a step closer to Hera and placed his hand over her little round tummy. Daman leaned forward and planted his lips to Hera's in what felt like forever. Hera couldn't help but kiss him back, he was the man she loved and gave herself to completely.

"You're really pregnant. We're having a baby?" Daman asked in shock unable to process the news. Hera nodded slowly trying to understand what was going through his head. The duke seemed so forlorn, so sorrowful yet at the same time happy and as much as she was mad at him, she was worried.

"Thank you my qiTa. This is the best news I've received in a very long time." Daman again delved in to kiss his wife whom he so badly missed. He was so relieved to see her sleeping in his bed earlier and now she gave him news that made him proud to be a man.

Reluctantly pulling away, Daman caressed his wife's face lovingly and now he was sure all those pent up emotions that were buried deep down were going to resurface and explode.

Therefore it came as a total and unexpected shock to Hera to see the tears escape from him the very next second.

Daman was a mess breathing heavily and Hera was concerned. "I wish my grandmother was here to see her great-grandchild. I miss her Hera, and I missed you so much." Hera didn't say anything figuring that he needed to let out what he was feeling. It has been hell for them during these past 3 weeks.

"I can't believe we're having a baby. You're going to be a mum and I'm going to be a dad. We have so much to do, to prepare for," Daman smiled as he thought about himself carrying and playing with a little baby that looked like him or Hera. "You're carrying the future king or queen of the islands."

"This is going to be amazing, Hera. We need to make your formal introduction to the nation as the duchess and we need to get you inaugurated. Afterwards you'll have your sectors assigned to you so then our baby can-"

"Woah, Daman," Hera shook her head vigorously and cut him off. "I don't... I just... Can we work on us first please? Our marriage?"

Daman thought about for a second and realised that it would take a bit for Hera to trust him again. He knew he had his work cut out for him, but like always, he knew he deserved it. "I'll do better, Hera." A baby didn't solve their problems, but it was a great bonus going forward.

Hera bit her lip unsure about how to approach the topic, "I hate it here," she whispered.

"Hate what where?"

Hera gestured all around her, "Here, Daman. This palace building, whatever it is. It's so cold and eerie. I don't want to live here with so many people around us."

Daman nodded completely understanding her point of view and put his mind to work, "Well... you do own 2 other houses on this island now," he said and reminded his wife that she now owned what was his.

Surprisingly Hera grimaced at that momentarily forgetting that he gave her everything. She settled for a nod but knew that she would return everything to him. It wasn't hers and to be honest she didn't want anything although she appreciated the apologizing gesture.

"Okay," Hera began deciding to take the reigns because she wanted something and she was going to now be selfish and get it, "Tomorrow we move there." She said and left it at that daring him to refuse but was satisfied when he didn't.

The duke pulled his duchess down to sit with him on the bed and he took her hands in his rubbing his thumbs on her skin. "I'll earn you trust back, Hera. I can guarantee you that. What else do you need from me?" Daman asked clearly wanting so desperately to make things right.

Hera wasn't exactly sure what else she needed from him. Daman was so good to her and so perfect in everything else and right now his way of apologizing was slowly working through. He was genuine and the looming second chance was dangling close by. "I'm just scared," she whispered and looked down.

"Why be horrible if you were going to be this good, Daman?" All Daman could do was stare at her as an answer. He felt shame and guilt and forgiving himself was proving to be just as difficult as Hera forgiving him.

After a period of silence, Daman leaned over and captured her soft lips in his. Hera was always so desirable to him before but now she was even more desirable that she was carrying his child. Daman kissed her for a bit enjoying the taste of his wife after being deprived for a long time but there was something he needed to get off his chest first.

"I remember back when we were in Bahrain, the night you got high... You said that children were your biggest fear because you'd bind yourself to a man and that he'd have endless opportunities to hurt you. Do you feel that way about our baby now? About me?" If Hera said yes, Daman was so sure he'd never forgive himself for what he had done then.

"Of course not! I love you, Daman and that's enough for me." Just the thought of having her own family, her own baby now with Daman out of all people made her excited. Hera didn't think Daman was a stupid man, but he sure made a stupid decision.

Daman smiled at that so incredibly happy that she still loved him. There was a lot for him to make up but he was hopeful with good time they'd get through it. The duke went for it and kissed Hera. His hand went around her and he kissed her with whatever he could offer her, pouring his love out for her. Hera brought her hands up to his neck and held on kissing him back with the same amount of force.

Daman's tongue licked the seam of her sweet lips and she opened it allowing him entry to explore her after being deprived. The duke laid her down gently on the bed not breaking the kiss. Slowly Daman left a trail down to her neck knowing that was where Hera's sweet spot was sucking gently yet roughly at the same time. Hera's hands tugged at his hair missing this just as much as he did.

"God, Hera, I can't believe you're here. Back in my arms..." Daman whispered in the crook of her neck just so happy that he got his wife back and now a child too. Hera groaned in frustration wanting him badly, "Please Daman!"

The duke brought his fingers to the zipper of her dress and pulled it down slowly drinking in her appearance once again as if was the first time he ever saw her naked. The sexy curve of her hips, the definition of her waist, her thick thighs and her beautiful swollen breasts with her nipples as hard as ever caused him to come to life. Daman gulped hard at the sight and then his mouth had a mind of its own making its way towards her perky breasts, sucking hard and hot.

"Yes, Daman... just like that." Hera was now very aware that her pregnancy hormones caused her to get so much more turned on and she was loving it.

Hera hastily opened the buttons on the duke's shirt and removed it altogether. Daman thought she looked like an angel laying there in only her panties with her dark curly hair sprawled out on the pillow. Hera's eyes looked at Daman with such intense emotions that he could physically feel it. "I love you, Hera. I love you more than I have anything in my life."

Immediately Daman was on top of her ripping her panties away. His hand went to her core leaving feather like touches with his fingers before rubbing hard and feeling the wetness seep through. Hera squirmed with pleasure, craving his touch. She removed Daman's boxers and took him into her hands all the while their lips were still connected.

Breaking away from the kiss, Daman removed her hand from him and started going lower. His lips caressing her everywhere he could. He just wanted to love her. Leaving hot, wet kisses everywhere he could. First her silky legs, then going up to her thigh followed by her womanly hips, then onto the slimness of her waist, in between the valley of her breasts, in the crook of her neck up to her earlobe and then all the back down once again.

Hera eyes closed in pleasure and her hands tugged hard at his hair making Daman groan. Her moans filtering the room with sounds ever so sweet.

Again, Daman's hand made its way to her entrance and without thinking, he ferociously started rubbing until she was dripping with her juices, her body writhing in ecstasy and her back arched up with her breast right into his face.

"Oh Hera, you're fucking beautiful. So gorgeous."

She smiled at him through her moans and pulled his face right into her breasts. Just as she climaxed, Daman lost it and could take it no more. Hastily he removed his fingers from her. "Look at me Hera, open your eyes." For some reason he needed her to watch him make love to her. He wanted her to feel how much he cared about her.

Daman thrust into her feeling her extremely tight walls envelope him and he couldn't help but think that he was home right then and there. It was so right to wait for her all his life. They were each other's first and for sure be each other's last.

Hera's moans were insatiable as the duke thrust in and out of her making her entire body go on fire. Hera laced her hands through Daman's hair and pulled his head back so that his eyes met hers. 

Together they reached their peak and by the end of the multiple rounds that had occurred, Hera laid in his arms feeling so satiated yet at the same time she was a melting pot of emotions hence the tears that streamed down her face. 

Daman let her be understanding where she was in this moment and what she was feeling. He held her tight letting the warmth radiate off him. 

Hera wanted to chide herself for being weak, for wanting to forgive him. A betrayal like that deserved a big punishment, but all her heart was telling her was to grant him a second chance. Everybody made mistakes and deserved second chances and it was important that they learn from those mistakes. Daman was ticking the boxes there for sure and no matter what, she was happy with him. 

She'll learn to trust him again, and he'd learnt his lesson of never ever going down the road of doing things sneakily again. They had a lot to work on still.