Chapter 1
Ethan Cross was getting married, and I was the last to know.
His friend smirked, raising his beer.
“Dude, Mia’s been devoted to you for four years. You suddenly want to marry someone else-can she handle that?”
Ethan swirled his drink, completely unbothered:
“She has no clue. Emma’s terrified of childbirth and refuses to have kids.
So I’ll wait till Mia delivers first.”
The guys cracked up, calling him a total dick. He just shrugged:
“I’m only an asshole to people who don’t matter.”
I stood outside the door, tears streaming down my face. The pregnancy test results crumpled in my shaking hands. Their voices cut deeper.
“Bro, you literally crushed her family’s company and killed her parents. And she still thinks you saved her? That’s some next-level stupidity.”
Ethan’s laugh was cold:
“Right? Mia’s pathetic. Honestly, I’m bored out of my mind.”
My chest felt like it was caving in. Every breath hurt
I thought he was my savior. Turns out he was my destroyer.
But when I finally walked away, he came running back, begging me to stay.
“So you bailed on Mia’s ultrasound to bring Emma cupcakes?”
The dim lighting made Ethan’s smug grin look even more twisted.
He answered: “She was craving them. Worth every second.”
At his words, I couldn’t take another second. I bolted.
Rain hammered down, each drop feeling like a slap.
My tears disappeared into the storm.
I ended up at the cemetery outside town, stumbling through the dark until I found my parents’ graves.
Collapsing in front of the headstones, I sobbed apologies to my parents over and over.
Tm so sorry. I’m so fucking stupid!”
Four years. Four years of being Ethan’s devoted little pet, watching him swallow up everything my family built.
I was such an idiot. I actually thought he loved me. That he was protecting my parents’ legacy.
He’d held my face in his hands, looking so sincere
Chapter 1
“Babe, you can’t give up. Your parents would want you to fight for this.”
“I’ve got your back. I’ll protect the company until you’re strong enough to run it yourself.”
I believed every word. Even thought he was my hero.
So I worked myself to death. Drew blueprints until my hands cramped. Landed him deal after deal, helped him climb to the top of his family’s empire.
Tears streamed continuously for an extended period, eventually leading to a state of blurred consciousness.
When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed.
Seeing me awake, the fire
thing the nurse said was:
“I’m sorry. You
the baby.”
Hearing that, weirdly, I felt… relief. Like the last chain holding me to Ethan just broke.
I looked up at her.
“Who brought me here?”
She pointed to a guy sleeping in the visitor’s chairs
by the door.
“You don’t know him? He paid your bills I everything. I just assumed…”
She trailed off as the man’s eyes opened.
He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. My head was pounding.
“Thanks for helping me out. What do I owe you?”
He got up, came over to my bed. Opened his mouth like he was gonna say something, then my phone started buzzing.
His eyes dropped to the screen. “My Ethan” was flashing.
He went dead quiet, tossed his business card on my nightstand, and walked out.
I stared after him, then picked up the call.
Ethan’s voice was all lazy and relaxed on the phone.
“Why aren’t you home? You’ve been radio silent all night. Still pissed I missed your appointment?”
“Look, I fucked up, okay? Yesterday was crazy, but I swear I won’t miss another one.”
Same old Ethan. For four years, whenever I got upset, he’d sense it immediately and sweet-talk his way out of trouble.
He knew exactly how to play me. But this time? I only felt sick.
His voice came through the phone: “Where are you? I’ll come get you. You didn’t forget what today is, right?”
How could I forget? Our four-year anniversary. That’s why I’d shown up at his place at midnight with the ultrasound – I was so excited to share the news.
Twins. The report showed twins. I couldn’t wait to surprise him.
Turns out the universe had a bigger surprise waiting for me.
Chapter 1
My voice calm. “Don’t bother. I’ve got something for you too. I’ll be home soon.”
I grabbed yesterday’s ultrasound report and caught a cab back to the apartment we’d shared for four years.
He was waiting on the couch, looking perfect in his tailored suit. Every hair in place.
When he saw me, his face lit up like I was his whole world.
“Still mad at me, princess? Check out what I got you.”
He opened a jewelry box like he was presenting the crown jewels. Inside was a diamond butterfly necklace.
My heart turned to ice.
Half a month ago, someone at the auction house tipped me off that Ethan had dropped serious cash on the night’s showstopper.
I figured it was for our anniversary. I was so hyped, I asked around to find out what he’d bought.
A vintage emerald bracelet. The real deal.
But sitting in front of me? Some basic-ass necklace you could grab at any mall jewelry store.
As a designer, I could spot cheap shit from a mile away. This was insulting.
I actually laughed.
“Oh, this is nice. For a second I thought you might give me that bracelet you bought at auction. Silly me.”
