MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat - Chapter 511

Chapter 511: Chapter 511: A New Reality
Damon stood at the door, his hand resting on the handle.

He didn’t move right away.

For a few seconds, he just stood there, staring at the number on the plaque.

214.

Then, finally, he twisted the handle and stepped inside.

The air in the room was different, cooler, fresher than the hallway.

It wasn’t the usual sterile hospital atmosphere.

This was a high-quality room, the kind reserved for private patients.

Svetlana lay on the bed, her breathing slow and steady. The sheets were tucked neatly around her, the monitors nearby giving soft beeps at a steady rhythm.

Damon walked toward her, his steps careful, controlled.

He wasn’t sure why he was moving so slow, but he didn’t rush.

He stopped beside the bed, standing over her for a moment.

Then he reached out, brushing his fingers along her cheek.

She looked peaceful.

No strain on her face, no tension.

Just resting.

His eyes lowered slightly, unconsciously shifting to her stomach.

He hadn’t even processed it fully before a small, almost involuntary smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

He exhaled softly, shaking his head slightly.

A baby.

Their baby.

It still didn’t feel real.

But it was.

His smile faded slowly as reality settled back in.

Damon lowered himself into the chair beside the bed and took her hand gently in his.

Her skin was warm, her fingers resting limp but soft against his palm.

He ran his thumb slowly across her knuckles, his eyes fixed on her face as he exhaled.

“You know,” he said quietly, his voice steady but low, “a baby, huh?”

The words hung in the air for a moment.

“I’m happy. I really am.”

He gave a small nod, even if it was more for himself.

“I was going to propose tonight. That’s why we came here. This was supposed to be a big night.”

He chuckled faintly, though there wasn’t much humor in it.

“But this happened instead.”

He squeezed her hand lightly, staring at the faint rise and fall of her chest.

“I still want to. I will. But I’ve gotta be honest, I’m scared.”

He sat back in the chair a little, his eyes never leaving her face. “I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be a dad.”

His voice stayed even, but there was a weight to it. “I didn’t have the best example. Hell, I didn’t have an example at all.” He shook his head slowly.

“But I want to try. For you. For her–him. I don’t know.”

He gave her hand another small squeeze.

“I just… hope that’s enough.”

Suddenly, he felt her fingers squeeze back.

It was faint, but it was there.

Damon’s eyes shot to her hand, then quickly to her face.

Svetlana’s lips curled into a weak smile as her eyes slowly opened, still heavy with sleep but focused on him.

For a second, he just stared, making sure he wasn’t imagining it.

Then he leaned in closer, relief washing over him in a way he hadn’t expected.

“You’re awake,” he said softly, a small smile breaking through. “I was worried about you.”

She took a slow breath, her voice faint but steady as she spoke.

“I was gonna tell you… tonight.”

Her eyes drifted down toward her stomach for just a second before returning to his.

He could see the apology in her look, like she felt guilty for how it happened.

As she tried to shift, to sit up, Damon gently placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

“Hey,” he said quietly, his tone soft but firm. “Just rest for now.”

She gave him a tired nod, settling back into the pillows.

He stayed close, his hand still wrapped around hers, not letting go.

Svetlana’s breathing steadied a little more with each passing second. Her color was better, and though she still looked tired, there was more focus in her eyes now. She gave Damon a faint but knowing smile.

“You were gonna propose,” she murmured.

Damon chuckled under his breath, shaking his head as he leaned in a little closer.

“So you heard that, huh?”

She nodded slowly, her fingers tightening just a little more around his hand.

“I wanted it to be special,” Damon said, his voice quieter now, steadier. “I thought I had it all figured out. The perfect place, the perfect night.”

Svetlana’s smile softened, and she watched him with that same calm she always had. The kind that made everything else quiet down when he needed it to.

“You did,” she said.

He exhaled slowly, thinking about that.

Maybe it hadn’t gone the way he planned.

Maybe everything got flipped upside down.

But looking at her now…

What was more real than this?

Her lying there, tired but alive, carrying their future.

Him sitting at her side, not wanting to be anywhere else.

Damon sat back for a moment, running his thumb gently over the back of her hand.

“I don’t need perfect,” he said. “Not anymore.”

He glanced toward the small bag he’d brought in with him.

He reached for it without a word and unzipped the side pocket, pulling out the small box he’d carried halfway across the world.

When he turned back, Svetlana was watching him, wide-eyed but silent.

He stood up slowly, took a breath, and then lowered himself to one knee beside the bed, not letting go of her hand.

It wasn’t fancy. There wasn’t a crowd. No photographers.

Just them.

“I was gonna wait for the right moment,” Damon said, meeting her eyes. “But this… this is better.”

He opened the box, revealing the simple, beautiful ring inside.

“I love you. More than I ever thought I could love anybody. And I want you in my life, forever. So…”

He smiled, just a little.

“Will you marry me?”

He could’ve waited.

Another dinner.

Another perfect setting.

Another moment where everything was planned and flawless.

But sitting here now, looking at her, pale but alive, tired but still smiling, he realized this was perfect in its own way.

He’d told himself over and over he wasn’t going to wait any longer.