Chapter 1 1

Darkness encroached from the edges of her vision, swallowing the room, swallowing the pain. Her hand stayed clutched over her stomach, holding onto a life that was already slipping away. Ivy Hogan pushed open the heavy oak doors to the master suite, her fingers trembling against the smooth, cold wood. Inside her pocket, the plastic stick felt like it was burning a hole through the fabric of her dress. Two lines. Positive.

She took a breath, trying to steady the frantic rhythm of her heart. This was supposed to be the moment that changed everything. The moment that fixed the cracks in the foundation of her relationship with Braeden.

The room was dark, the curtains drawn tight against the afternoon sun. The air was thick, suffocating. It smelled of expensive scotch and stale cigarette smoke-a scent that made her stomach turn violently.

"Braeden?" she called out, her voice barely a whisper.

She took a step forward, her heels sinking into the plush carpet. A shadow moved near the window. Braeden Randall stood there, a silhouette against the sliver of light bleeding through the drapes. He didn't turn around. The tension in his shoulders was palpable, a coiled spring ready to snap.

"I have news," Ivy said, forcing a smile she didn't feel. She reached into her pocket, her fingers brushing the plastic test. "It's-"

"Shut up."

The words were low, venomous. Ivy froze.

Braeden turned slowly. Even in the dim light, she could see his eyes. They were bloodshot, manic, filled with a hatred so pure it stole the breath from her lungs. He held a heavy manila envelope in his hand.

"Braeden, what's wrong?"

He didn't answer. He just threw the envelope.

It flew through the air, a blur of beige, and struck her square in the chest. The sharp edge of the paper sliced against her lower lip as it fell, a stinging, precise pain. Ivy flinched, her hand flying to her mouth. When she pulled it away, there was a smear of bright red blood on her fingertips.

Photos spilled from the envelope, scattering across the floor at her feet.

Ivy dropped to her knees, confusion clouding her vision. Her hands shook as she reached for the glossy prints.

They were grainy, taken from a distance, but the subjects were clear. A woman who looked exactly like her-same hair, same profile, same dress-walking into a seedy motel room. A man's arm was draped around her waist. A man who was definitely not Braeden.

"What is this?" Ivy's voice cracked. She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Braeden, this isn't me."

"Don't lie to me!" Braeden roared. The sound shattered the silence of the room. He crossed the distance between them in two long strides.

He grabbed her jaw, his fingers digging into her skin with bruising force. He forced her head up, making her look at him. The smell of alcohol on his breath was overpowering.

"I have the logs, Ivy. I have the witnesses," he spat. "Brittny told me everything. How you sneak out at night. How you meet him. A gigolo? Really? Is the Randall fortune not enough for you?"

"Brittny is lying!" Ivy screamed, tears spilling over her lashes. "I've never been there! I swear, Braeden, please!"

He released her jaw with a shove, sending her sprawling backward onto the carpet. He looked down at her as if she were something he had scraped off his shoe.

"You're disgusting," he said, wiping his hand on his trousers. "I actually thought you were different. I thought you were pure."

"I am!" Ivy scrambled to sit up, her hand instinctively going to her flat stomach. The secret she carried suddenly felt heavy, dangerous. "Braeden, listen to me. I'm pregnant. It's yours. We're having a baby."

The silence that followed was deafening. It wasn't the silence of shock or joy. It was the silence of a predator assessing its prey.

Braeden stared at her stomach. Then, a laugh bubbled up from his chest-a cold, hollow sound that chilled Ivy to the bone.

"A baby," he repeated. "You think I'm stupid? You sleep with a whore-monger and then try to pin the bastard on me?"

"No!" Ivy sobbed, shaking her head frantically. "It's yours! It's the heir! Check the dates! Please!"

"It's evidence of your filth," Braeden snarled.

He stepped forward. Ivy saw his leg draw back. She saw the shine of his polished dress shoe. Instinct took over. She curled into a ball, wrapping both arms tightly around her abdomen to shield the tiny life inside.

"Don't!" she screamed.

The kick landed with sickening precision.

His shoe connected with her side, just below her ribs. The force of it lifted her off the ground. Ivy was thrown backward, her body a ragdoll against his rage.

She crashed into the glass coffee table behind her.

The sound of shattering glass was explosive. Shards sliced through the thin fabric of her white dress, digging into the flesh of her back and arms. Ivy screamed, a raw, guttural sound of agony.

But the pain in her back was nothing compared to the sharp, blinding cramp that exploded in her lower abdomen.

It felt like something inside her had been brutally torn.

She lay amidst the broken glass, gasping for air, her vision swimming with black spots. A terrifying warmth spread between her legs, soaking through her dress, staining the white carpet crimson.

"My baby..." she wheezed, her hands trembling as she reached down. Her fingers came back wet with blood.

Braeden stood over her, panting. He looked at the blood spreading around her. There was no regret in his eyes. Only disgust.

"Clean this mess up," he muttered to the empty room.

He turned his back on her, adjusting his cufflinks in the mirror as if he had just finished a business meeting.

"The engagement is over, Ivy. Get out of my house before I have security drag you out."

He walked toward the heavy oak doors, not looking back once.

"Help me..." Ivy whispered, her voice failing. She tried to crawl toward him, dragging her bleeding body over the glass, leaving a trail of red in her wake. "Braeden... please... save my baby..."

The door clicked shut.

Ivy collapsed, her cheek pressing against the cold, blood-soaked carpet. The last thing she felt before the darkness took her was a faint, desperate flutter deep within her womb.