Chapter 3 WHAT HE CLAIMS

Serena didn't sleep.She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling while the city hummed outside.

The pregnancy test sat face down in the trash can.She knew what it said.

Turning it over wouldn't change anything.

Her phone vibrated again.

She ignored it.

Another vibration followed.

Then another.

Finally, she grabbed the phone, her hands unsteady.

Lucas: We need to talk.

Lucas: This isn't optional.

Her chest tightened.

Serena: You don't get to decide that.

Three dots appeared immediately.

Then disappeared.

She exhaled shakily.

Her door creaked open.

"Serena?" Eli's voice was soft.

"You're pacing."

"I'm fine," she said too quickly.

He leaned against the doorframe.

"You always say that when you're not."

She forced a smile.

"Just tired."

Eli studied her, then nodded.

"Don't forget to eat."

"I will," she lied.

When he left, she sank onto the bed.

She pressed a hand to her stomach.

Nothing felt different.

Yet everything was.

Lucas arrived at Blackwood Holdings before sunrise.

The boardroom lights were already on.

Faces turned toward him as he entered.

"You're late," one man said.

Lucas took his seat.

"Continue."

Numbers flashed across the screen.

Profits.

Acquisitions.

Normally, this centered him.

Today, it didn't.

His phone buzzed under the table.

Hawthorne: She hasn't responded.

Lucas's jaw tightened.

"She will," he muttered.

"What was that?" a board member asked.

"Nothing," Lucas replied coldly.

The meeting dragged.

He ended it early.

As the room emptied, Hawthorne approached.

"You're distracted," Hawthorne said carefully.

Lucas straightened his cuffs.

"I don't like loose ends."

"Is she a loose end?" Hawthorne asked.

Lucas's eyes hardened.

"No."

That answer surprised them both.

Serena skipped her morning shift.

She couldn't face customers.

Couldn't pretend her world hadn't cracked open.

She walked instead.

The city felt sharp.

Every sound too loud.

Her phone rang.

Unknown number.

She stopped walking.

Her thumb hovered.

Then she answered.

"Serena."

His voice slid through her defenses.

Low.

Controlled.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"To see you."

"I said no."

"You don't mean it," Lucas replied.

Her grip tightened.

"You don't know what I mean."

A pause.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"That's none of your business."

Another pause.

Longer.

"I'm coming to you," he said.

Panic flared.

"Don't," she whispered.

"You'll ruin everything."

"Then tell me what's wrong," he demanded.

Her throat burned.

"There is nothing wrong," she lied.

Silence stretched.

"Serena," Lucas said quietly.

"I don't chase women."

"I'm not something to chase," she snapped.

The line went dead.

Her hands shook.

She returned home to find Eli gone.

Relief washed over her.

She locked herself in the bathroom.

The test stared up at her from the trash.

Slowly, she picked it up.

Two lines.

Her knees buckled.

"How am I supposed to do this?" she whispered.

She thought of Lucas.

His world.

His control.

"No," she said firmly.

"He doesn't get this."

She flushed the test and watched it disappear.

Lucas stood outside her building less than an hour later.

The neighborhood was wrong.

Too small.

Too worn.

"This is where she lives?" he asked Hawthorne.

"Yes."

Lucas's chest tightened unexpectedly.

He stepped inside.

The stairwell smelled damp.

Paint peeled from the walls.

He climbed the stairs anyway.

When he knocked, the sound echoed too loudly.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Still nothing.

"Serena," he called.

A door across the hall opened.

An elderly woman peered out.

"She's not home," the woman said.

"But if you're looking for trouble, you've found it."

Lucas ignored her.

He turned to leave.

The door behind him opened suddenly.

Serena froze when she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Lucas turned slowly.

"You stopped answering," he said.

"I told you to stay away."

"You don't get to disappear after what happened," he replied.

Her eyes flashed.

"It was one night."

His gaze dropped to her face.

Her pale skin.

"You don't look fine," he said.

"That's none of your concern."

He stepped closer.

"Everything that happens between us is my concern."

Her breath caught.

"You don't own me," she said.

"No," he agreed quietly.

"But I don't walk away either."

Eli's voice cut through the tension.

"Serena?"

She stiffened.

Lucas looked past her.

A young man stood in the hallway, confusion on his face.

"Who's this?" Eli asked.

Serena swallowed.

"No one," she said quickly.

Lucas's eyes darkened.

"No one?" he repeated.

Eli frowned.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," she insisted.

Lucas studied them both.

Something clicked.

"You're supporting him," Lucas said.

Serena's heart dropped.

"That's not your business."

"It is when it explains why you ran," he replied.

Eli shifted uncomfortably.

"Serena, who is he?"

She opened her mouth and closed it.

Lucas stepped forward.

"Lucas Blackwood," he said.

"And I'm not leaving."

Serena's pulse roared.

"Get out," she whispered fiercely.

Lucas leaned closer, his voice low.

"You're hiding something," he said.

"And I will find out what it is."

Her stomach twisted violently.

She turned suddenly and ran for the bathroom.

The door slammed shut.

She barely made it to the sink before she retched.

Lucas followed, stopping short when he heard it.

The sound froze him.

His expression changed.

Slowly, realization dawned.

The door opened.

Serena wiped her mouth, her face drained of color.

Their eyes locked.

Lucas's voice was dangerously calm.

"Serena," he said.

"Are you pregnant?"

Her silence was enough answer.

WHAT HE CLAIMS

Serena didn't sleep.

She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling while the city hummed outside.

The pregnancy test sat face down in the trash can.

She knew what it said.

Turning it over wouldn't change anything.

Her phone vibrated again.

She ignored it.

Another vibration followed.

Then another.

Finally, she grabbed the phone, her hands unsteady.

Lucas: We need to talk.

Lucas: This isn't optional.

Her chest tightened.

Serena: You don't get to decide that.

Three dots appeared immediately.

Then disappeared.

She exhaled shakily.

Her door creaked open.

"Serena?" Eli's voice was soft.

"You're pacing."

"I'm fine," she said too quickly.

He leaned against the doorframe.

"You always say that when you're not."

She forced a smile.

"Just tired."

Eli studied her, then nodded.

"Don't forget to eat."

"I will," she lied.

When he left, she sank onto the bed.

She pressed a hand to her stomach.

Nothing felt different.

Yet everything was.

Lucas arrived at Blackwood Holdings before sunrise.

The boardroom lights were already on.

Faces turned toward him as he entered.

"You're late," one man said.

Lucas took his seat.

"Continue."

Numbers flashed across the screen.

Profits.

Acquisitions.

Normally, this centered him.

Today, it didn't.

His phone buzzed under the table.

Hawthorne: She hasn't responded.

Lucas's jaw tightened.

"She will," he muttered.

"What was that?" a board member asked.

"Nothing," Lucas replied coldly.

The meeting dragged.

He ended it early.

As the room emptied, Hawthorne approached.

"You're distracted," Hawthorne said carefully.

Lucas straightened his cuffs.

"I don't like loose ends."

"Is she a loose end?" Hawthorne asked.

Lucas's eyes hardened.

"No."

That answer surprised them both.

Serena skipped her morning shift.

She couldn't face customers.

Couldn't pretend her world hadn't cracked open.

She walked instead.

The city felt sharp.

Every sound too loud.

Her phone rang.

Unknown number.

She stopped walking.

Her thumb hovered.

Then she answered.

"Serena."

His voice slid through her defenses.

Low.

Controlled.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"To see you."

"I said no."

"You don't mean it," Lucas replied.

Her grip tightened.

"You don't know what I mean."

A pause.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"That's none of your business."

Another pause.

Longer.

"I'm coming to you," he said.

Panic flared.

"Don't," she whispered.

"You'll ruin everything."

"Then tell me what's wrong," he demanded.

Her throat burned.

"There is nothing wrong," she lied.

Silence stretched.

"Serena," Lucas said quietly.

"I don't chase women."

"I'm not something to chase," she snapped.

The line went dead.

Her hands shook.

She returned home to find Eli gone.

Relief washed over her.

She locked herself in the bathroom.

The test stared up at her from the trash.

Slowly, she picked it up.

Two lines.

Her knees buckled.

"How am I supposed to do this?" she whispered.

She thought of Lucas.

His world.

His control.

"No," she said firmly.

"He doesn't get this."

She flushed the test and watched it disappear.

Lucas stood outside her building less than an hour later.

The neighborhood was wrong.

Too small.

Too worn.

"This is where she lives?" he asked Hawthorne.

"Yes."

Lucas's chest tightened unexpectedly.

He stepped inside.

The stairwell smelled damp.

Paint peeled from the walls.

He climbed the stairs anyway.

When he knocked, the sound echoed too loudly.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Still nothing.

"Serena," he called.

A door across the hall opened.

An elderly woman peered out.

"She's not home," the woman said.

"But if you're looking for trouble, you've found it."

Lucas ignored her.

He turned to leave.

The door behind him opened suddenly.

Serena froze when she saw him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Lucas turned slowly.

"You stopped answering," he said.

"I told you to stay away."

"You don't get to disappear after what happened," he replied.

Her eyes flashed.

"It was one night."

His gaze dropped to her face.

Her pale skin.

"You don't look fine," he said.

"That's none of your concern."

He stepped closer.

"Everything that happens between us is my concern."

Her breath caught.

"You don't own me," she said.

"No," he agreed quietly.

"But I don't walk away either."

Eli's voice cut through the tension.

"Serena?"

She stiffened.

Lucas looked past her.

A young man stood in the hallway, confusion on his face.

"Who's this?" Eli asked.

Serena swallowed.

"No one," she said quickly.

Lucas's eyes darkened.

"No one?" he repeated.

Eli frowned.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," she insisted.

Lucas studied them both.

Something clicked.

"You're supporting him," Lucas said.

Serena's heart dropped.

"That's not your business."

"It is when it explains why you ran," he replied.

Eli shifted uncomfortably.

"Serena, who is he?"

She opened her mouth and closed it.

Lucas stepped forward.

"Lucas Blackwood," he said.

"And I'm not leaving."

Serena's pulse roared.

"Get out," she whispered fiercely.

Lucas leaned closer, his voice low.

"You're hiding something," he said.

"And I will find out what it is."

Her stomach twisted violently.

She turned suddenly and ran for the bathroom.

The door slammed shut.

She barely made it to the sink before she retched.

Lucas followed, stopping short when he heard it.

The sound froze him.

His expression changed.

Slowly, realization dawned.

The door opened.

Serena wiped her mouth, her face drained of color.

Their eyes locked.

Lucas's voice was dangerously calm.

"Serena," he said.

"Are you pregnant?"

Her silence was enough answer.