Chapter 1 No.1

The thunder over the Hamptons didn't roll; it cracked, like a spine snapping.

Seraphina Sterling stood at the top of the grand marble staircase of the Silver Sands estate. Her hands were shaking. Not a subtle tremor, but a violent vibration that rattled the diamond bracelet on her wrist-a bracelet Julian had given her for their first anniversary.

Below her, the scene was a tableau of ruin.

Elena Sharp lay in a twisted heap on the white-veined marble of the foyer. Her hands were clutched around her stomach. A low, guttural wail tore from her throat, echoing off the vaulted ceilings.

"She pushed me!" Elena screamed, her voice shredding the air. "Seraphina tried to kill my baby!"

The staff had already gathered. The housekeeper, Mrs. Higgins, covered her mouth with a hand that smelled of lemon polish. The security team stood like statues, their eyes wide, judging.

Then the heavy oak front doors slammed open.

Julian Vanderbilt strode in. He was soaked. The rain had plastered his dark hair to his forehead, and water dripped from the hem of his trench coat, leaving a trail of dark spots on the floor. He brought the storm inside with him.

He stopped.

His eyes went to Elena. He saw the way she curled into herself. He saw the smear of red on the white floor-blood, or perhaps wine, it was impossible to tell in the dim light of the chandelier.

Then, slowly, terrifyingly, he looked up.

His gaze locked onto Seraphina.

There was no warmth. There was no question. There was only a wall of ice so thick, so impenetrable, that Seraphina felt the air leave her lungs. It was a look of absolute erasure. He wasn't looking at his wife. He was looking at a cancer that needed to be cut out.

"Julian," she whispered. The word scraped her throat. "I didn't touch her. I was nowhere near-"

He raised one hand. Palm out. A stop sign.

"Don't," he said. His voice was low, a rumble of thunder contained in a human chest. "Do not speak."

Paramedics rushed past him, their boots squeaking on the wet floor. They loaded Elena onto a stretcher. She was sobbing now, loud, theatrical cries about Harrison's legacy, about the last piece of Julian's comatose brother being destroyed.

Julian didn't follow the stretcher. He turned and marched up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He didn't look at Seraphina until he was right in front of her. He gripped her upper arm. His fingers were like steel bands, digging into her flesh through the silk of her blouse.

He dragged her. Not led. Dragged.

He pulled her into the library and kicked the door shut behind them. The sound was like a gunshot.

He shoved a document across the mahogany desk. It slid over the polished wood and came to a stop inches from her hip.

"Sign it," he said.

Seraphina looked down. The header was bold, black, and final: Separation & Relocation Agreement.

She looked up, her vision blurring. "You had this ready?"

"I have contingencies for every liability," Julian said. He walked to the bar cart and poured a scotch. His hand didn't shake. "And that is what you are, Seraphina. A liability. You were jealous of Harrison's memory. You were jealous that Elena carried the heir this family needs while Harrison lies in that hospital bed, fighting for every breath. But I never thought you would be a murderer."

"I didn't push her!" Seraphina screamed, the sound raw. "She fell! She saw me on the landing and she threw herself down!"

Julian turned. He held the crystal glass in his hand. For a second, she thought he might throw it. Instead, he smashed it into the fireplace. The sound of shattering glass punctuated the end of her life.

"Lies," he hissed. "I am sending you away. You will go to Philadelphia. You will be stripped of the Vanderbilt name. You will receive a monthly stipend contingent on your silence and your distance. If you ever step foot in New York again, I will destroy you."

"If you think I did this, why not call the police?" she challenged, her voice trembling. "Why not arrest me?"

"Because Harrison is clinging to life by a thread," Julian said, his voice devoid of emotion. "The press is already circling like vultures. I will not have the headlines read that his wife tried to kill his unborn child while he lies in a coma. We handle this internally. You disappear. That is the mercy I grant you."

"I am your wife," she whispered, tears finally spilling over, hot tracks on her cold cheeks.

"In name only," Julian said. He pressed the intercom on his desk. "Liam. Logan. Get in here."

The security guards entered.

"Escort her," Julian commanded, turning his back to look out the window at the rain. "Ensure she takes nothing of value. No jewelry. No family heirlooms. Just her clothes."

They marched her to her room. They watched as she packed a suitcase. When she tried to take a framed photo of her and Julian from their honeymoon in Como, Liam gently but firmly took it from her hand and placed it face down on the dresser.

Ten minutes later, she was shoved into the back of a black SUV.

The car sped away, gravel crunching under the tires. Seraphina twisted in her seat, looking back through the rain-streaked rear window.

She saw a figure in the library window. Julian. He was watching the car leave. He stood perfectly still, a silhouette against the golden light of the room she was no longer welcome in.

The nausea hit her then. It wasn't just grief. It was a physical wave of sickness that rolled from her stomach to her throat. She placed a hand on her flat belly, unaware that the gates closing behind her weren't just locking her out.

They were locking him out, too.