Chapter 4

Cali Massey POV:

The stylists and makeup artists descended on me like a flock of well-meaning vultures. Chase had orchestrated everything, a carefully curated image for his "beloved wife." They transformed me, painting on a mask of radiant happiness, fitting me into a shimmering gown that felt like a costume. I looked at my reflection, a stranger staring back, elegant and vacant.

Chase arrived, dressed in a sharp tuxedo, his eyes lighting up with what looked like genuine admiration. "My beautiful Cali," he breathed, reaching for my hand. "You look breathtaking."

I met his gaze, my own eyes cold and blank. He smiled, his thumb stroking my knuckles. The touch felt alien, a violation. I pulled my hand away, subtly, as if adjusting my dress.

We arrived at the grand ballroom, a symphony of crystal chandeliers and hushed conversations. The moment we stepped inside, a wave of applause erupted. Flashbulbs popped, painting the air in fleeting white. Friends, colleagues, political figures – they all surged forward, their faces wreathed in smiles, their congratulations ringing in my ears.

"You're so lucky, Cali," one of Chase's political counterparts whispered, clinking her champagne glass against mine. "Chase just adores you. It' s so obvious how much he loves you."

I smiled, a thin, brittle thing, my gaze sweeping across the room. Love. Adoration. They saw the facade. They drank the Kool-Aid. I saw the darkness churning beneath the surface, a yawning chasm of betrayal.

Chase' s arm was a steel band around my waist, his grip possessive, his smile fixed. He played the part of the doting husband with perfection. He presented me with a small, velvet box. Inside, a diamond necklace. It was from a brand I didn't care for, a style I never wore. He didn't even know me.

"Thank you," I said, the words tasting like ash. I opened my mouth to speak, to shatter the illusion, to scream the truth.

But before I could, a small body careened into my legs, almost tripping me. A child. A boy, perhaps three or four years old, with dark hair and bright, curious eyes. He looked up at Chase, his face beaming.

"Daddy!" he cried, his voice ringing clearly through the suddenly hushed ballroom.

My blood ran cold. The word hung in the air, a bell tolling the end of everything. Daddy. My heart stopped.

A collective gasp swept through the room. Whispers erupted, a low, buzzing current of shock and speculation. My perfect, carefully constructed world, Chase' s perfect image, shattered into a million pieces. Right here. In front of everyone.

Chase' s face went white. His jaw dropped, his eyes wide with pure, unadulterated terror. He tried to shush the boy, a frantic, desperate sound. "Dallas, no! Not now!"

Then, Hayden appeared. She rushed forward, her face a mask of practiced distress. "Oh, Denver, honey, I told you to stay with the nanny." She bent down, attempting to scoop the child into her arms.

But Dallas clung to Chase's leg, his little face confused. "No! I want Daddy!" He pointed a chubby finger at me, his eyes now filled with accusation. "She's the bad lady! She wants to take Daddy away!"

I stood frozen, a statue of humiliation. The child' s words, innocent but sharp as daggers, pierced through me. Bad lady. Me. The wronged wife, now painted as the villain.

My eyes fell to Dallas' s tiny wrist. A small, braided leather bracelet. The same bracelet I had bought Chase years ago, a silly, sentimental gift that now felt like a brand of shame. He had given it to his other son. My heart, already shattered, splintered further.

A raw, primal scream clawed its way up my throat. "Chase!" I choked out, my voice barely a whisper, yet it cut through the room' s stunned silence. "Is this... is this your son?!" I reached out, my hand shaking, ready to tear the bracelet from the child's arm, ready to confirm the horrific truth.

Chase' s face contorted. Not with guilt, not with sorrow, but with a pure, ugly rage. He lunged, not to protect me, but to protect his secret. He shoved me. Hard.

The force of the push sent me stumbling backward. My heel caught on the edge of the plush carpet. I lost my balance, falling with a sickening thud. My head hit the edge of a glass-topped table. The glass fractured with a sharp crack that echoed the shattering of my life. Pain, blinding and excruciating, erupted behind my eyes.

I lay there, dazed, the ballroom spinning around me. Chase didn't even glance at me. He was already cradling Dallas, his face contorted with concern. "Denver, are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

Hayden, her eyes wide with a triumphant gleam she couldn't quite hide, was already at his side, her arm wrapped around his waist. "Oh, Chase, my poor baby. Let's go."

They turned, a perfect, vile family unit, and walked away. Leaving me. Bleeding. Alone on the cold marble floor. As Hayden passed, her eyes met mine. A slow, cruel smile spread across her face. Victory.

A sharp, agonizing cramp twisted my abdomen. A new pain, deeper, more terrifying than any I' d felt before. The whispers around me, once shocked, now turned accusatory. "What a scene." "She always was unstable." "Poor Chase."

My vision blurred, the crystal chandeliers above me fusing into a hazy, shimmering mess. I felt a warm gush beneath me. My beautiful gown, once pristine white, was now stained crimson. My hand instinctively went to my belly.

No. Not my baby. Not like this.

The pain intensified, a searing, tearing agony. I squeezed my eyes shut, a silent scream tearing through my soul. My baby. Our baby. Gone. Drained away with the blood on the floor.

Then, the world went black.