Chapter 2

The sterile scent of disinfectant hung heavy in the air, a stark contrast to the cloying perfume that still lingered in my mind. I was in a hospital bed, the white sheets a cold comfort against my bruised body. My body ached, a symphony of pain from the night before, but it was the dull ache in my soul that truly crippled me.

My phone, miraculously unharmed, vibrated on the bedside table. I picked it up, my fingers clumsy. An unfamiliar number. I almost ignored it, but something compelled me to answer.

"Hello?" My voice was raspy, barely a whisper.

"Abigail? Is that you?" A deep, familiar voice. Grayson. Grayson Fowler. My childhood friend. The tech billionaire I hadn't seen in years.

"Grayson?" My mind spun. Why was he calling now?

"Abigail, I know this is going to sound crazy, but... it's about your baby." His voice was urgent, strained.

My hand flew to my belly, a protective instinct. "What about my baby?" A cold dread seeped into my bones. Had Charles done something else?

"That baby... is mine, Abigail." His words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. "Eight months ago, that night at the charity ball... you were so upset, so drunk. You thought I was Charles. I... I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stop myself."

My world tilted. My baby? Charles's baby? No. Grayson's? The memories of that night were a blur of champagne and tears, a desperate attempt to numb the pain of another miscarriage. I remembered being comforted, held, a fleeting sense of warmth against the cold emptiness. But I had been so sure it was Charles.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head, even though no one could see. "That's impossible. It's Charles's."

"I know it's hard to believe," he said, his voice softening, "but I have proof. DNA tests. I've been monitoring you, Abigail. I know everything they've put you through. I know about the miscarriages, about Haylee, about Charles. I just... I wanted to wait until you were safe to tell you. I couldn't bear the thought of them hurting our child."

A choked sob escaped my lips. Our child. Not Charles's. Not a child that would be tainted by their cruelty. A flicker of hope, fragile yet insistent, ignited within me. This baby, this precious life I had fought so hard to protect, was truly mine. And Grayson's.

"I was... I was going to terminate the pregnancy," I admitted, the words tasting like ash. "I couldn't bear for it to be Charles's. Not after everything." I thought about all the losses, all the tears. This was the only one I had carried this far. The only one that felt real, vital, alive.

"Don't," Grayson pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion. "Please, Abigail. Don't. We'll go to Europe, far away from all of this. I'll protect you, both of you. Just tell me you'll be okay. Tell me you'll leave him."

A profound sense of relief washed over me, hot tears streaming down my face. My baby was safe. My baby was loved, truly loved, by someone who cared. "Yes," I choked out. "Yes, Grayson. I'll leave him. And I'll make them pay for everything."

The call ended, leaving me in stunned silence. But this time, it wasn't the silence of despair, but of a fierce, unyielding resolve. I had a reason to fight, a new future to build. And a new ally. Grayson. And my baby.