Chapter 1 Blood Betrayal

ALEXIS

"Be my pretend partner for six months, divorce your husband, and I'll compensate you generously."

Nathan Cole's words echoed through my mind like thunder as I gripped the leather steering wheel of my Toyota Corolla, my knuckles turning white. The morning sun glinted off the dashboard, momentarily blinding me – much like his outrageous proposal had done to my sensibilities.

"How disgusting!" I spat, my voice bouncing off the leather interior of my car as I pressed harder on the accelerator. The purr of the engine did nothing to calm my racing thoughts.

The absolute audacity of that man. Nathan Cole, billionaire CEO of Cole Industries, my boss of three years, had just propositioned me as if I were some commodity to be bought and sold. The worst part? He'd done it with that infuriatingly composed expression of his, those steel-gray eyes watching me as if he already knew my answer. As if my marriage meant nothing.

The same marriage I'd been forced into.

I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror – Alexis Pierce, twenty-seven, perfectly coiffed brown hair, designer suit, and eyes that held more secrets than I cared to admit. Including one that not even my husband knew about yet: the tiny life growing inside me.

My hand instinctively moved to my still-flat stomach. "What would the world say?" I whispered to myself, easing off the accelerator as I approached a red light. "That I'm just another gold-digger? That I divorced my husband for a better offer?" The thought made me sick.

But Nathan's offer tugged at something deep inside me. Was it desperation? Curiosity? Or perhaps it was the way he'd looked at me when he made the proposal – not with lust or greed, but with something else entirely. Something that reminded me of how he used to look at me before my marriage to Logan, when I was just his secretary with dreams bigger than my paycheck.

"He could have spoken up then," I muttered, accelerating as the light turned green. "Before my parents..." My throat tightened at the thought of them. Gone now, but their final act had been to ensure my marriage to Logan Pierce. "May their souls rest in peace," I whispered, even as bitterness coated my tongue.

A horn blared, shocking me back to reality. I'd drifted into the wrong lane, lost in my thoughts.

"Oh my goodness!" I jerked the wheel, heart pounding as I swerved back into my lane. "Focus, Alexis. Focus!"

The rest of the drive home was a blur of self-recrimination. How could I have forgotten such an important document? What was wrong with me today? First Nathan's proposal, now this near-accident – the universe seemed determined to throw me off balance.

I pulled up to my house – a modern mansion in the city's most exclusive neighborhood, all glass and steel and hollow luxury. The security guard bowed slightly as he opened the gates. "Welcome home, ma'am."

I barely acknowledged him, my mind already racing ahead to the documents I needed. But something felt off as I entered the house. Logan's Italian wool coat hung carelessly over our imported leather sofa, his signature cologne lingering in the air like an accusation.

My steps faltered. He was supposed to be on a business trip – I'd dropped him at the airport myself last night, watching as he'd boarded his private jet wearing that exact suit.

"Let me just grab what I need and go," I muttered, heading for the stairs. "I'm already running late."

As I approached our bedroom – our matrimonial bedroom, as Logan liked to call it – I heard it. The sound was unmistakable, but my brain refused to process it.

"Ah fck! You're fcking tight." Logan's voice, rough with pleasure.

"Easy daddy. It's my first time, I haven't..." A familiar female voice, cut off by Logan's shushing.

My blood turned to ice in my veins. That voice – it couldn't be. Not her. Not Abigail.

My feet carried me downstairs to my sister's room, even as my mind screamed at me to run, to pretend I'd heard nothing. The empty room confirmed my worst fears.

I climbed back upstairs, each step feeling like I was walking to my own execution. My hand trembled as I pushed open the bedroom door.

The scene before me burned itself into my retinas like acid: My husband and my sister, tangled in our marriage bed, their naked bodies illuminated by the morning sun streaming through our floor-to-ceiling windows. The same windows I'd spent hours choosing, imagining peaceful mornings watching the sunrise with my husband.

"She's my sister for crying out loud!" The words tore from my throat, hot tears streaming down my face. The betrayal was a physical pain in my chest, squeezing my lungs until I could barely breathe.

They froze like guilty statues. Abigail grabbed at the Egyptian cotton sheets – sheets I'd picked out during our honeymoon in Milan – to cover herself, her face a mask of terror. Logan sat there, head in his hands, not even trying to explain.

With trembling hands, I walked to my walk-in closet, methodically stripping off my corporate suit. I chose a black jumpsuit – funeral appropriate, I thought with bitter humor – and matched it with my highest Louboutins. The hat and dark sunglasses completed my armor.

I retrieved the documents from my desk, my movements mechanical, divorced from the chaos in my mind.

"I'm sorry babe, it's... not... what... you think," Logan stammered, reaching for my hand. His touch felt like a brand on my skin.

I lowered my sunglasses slightly, letting him see the death of every feeling I'd ever had for him in my eyes. "You two can continue with your sin," I said, my voice arctic. "I've got work to do. And don't worry – we'll settle this once and for all when I return. Enjoy!"

The drive back to the office passed in a blur of tears and rage, my mind already formulating plans. By the time I walked into Nathan's office, my decision was made.

"Sir... I've reconsidered, and I'm ready to take your proposal."

Nathan's response was immediate, as if he'd been waiting for this moment. He slid an envelope across his mahogany desk, his signature already bold across the bottom. "Go through them and sign."

I signed without reading, my hand steady now, my purpose clear. When he commented on how beautiful I looked in my hat, I managed a smile that didn't reach my eyes behind my sunglasses.

Back in my office, I called Ava, my lawyer and confidante. Her cheerful "Hello there, Mrs. Pierce" felt like another twist of the knife.

"Spell me that Alexis," I corrected her, my voice hollow.

"Are you not Mrs. Pierce?"

"Let that slide for now," I said, then got straight to the point. "I want a divorce agreement drafted and on my desk by 5 PM sharp. Every last one of Logan Pierce's assets – every property, every share, every last penny – transferred to his unborn child." My hand rested protectively over my stomach. "Make it ironclad, Ava. I want him left with nothing but the clothes on his back and the shame on his face."

"What happened?" Her concern was evident. "Did you have a misunderstanding?"

I laughed, the sound brittle as glass. "Someone told me they caught Logan cheating," I lied, the truth too raw to share even with her.

"Are you sure divorce is the solution?"

"Oh, I'm more than sure." My smile was all teeth. "I want to make sure Logan has nothing left to give his... new friend."

Ava's hesitation was palpable. "Come to my office tomorrow at 3 PM. We should discuss this properly."

"Fine," I agreed, though my mind was made up. Nothing would change my course now.

"Don't overthink it, please. And be safe!" She hung up before I could respond.

I sat back in my chair, one hand still on my stomach, the other clutching Nathan's contract. The morning sun caught the diamond on my wedding ring, throwing rainbow patterns on the wall. Soon, that ring would join the rest of my illusions in the trash.

Let Logan keep Abigail. I would take everything else.