Chapter 5 The Perfect Deception

Grace Bryce stepped off the bus. The towering skyscrapers, the fast-paced pedestrian and the constant hum of traffic were a different world from the life she had left behind in New York City.

She pulled her coat tighter around her body, a gust of wind cutting through her.

She had left.

Alone.

Christina's threats had been real, and with Derek oblivious to everything, there was no one to protect her. So she has to leave.

Taking a deep breath, she moved forward. She had already found a tiny apartment through an online listing, and she had just enough savings to survive until she found work.

A yellow cab honked loudly as she crossed the street, startling her. "Watch it, lady!" the driver yelled, but Grace barely heard him.

Her mind was spinning. The reality of her situation was sinking in; she was alone in a new city, pregnant with the children of a man who didn't even know they existed. A man she had once admired but could never trust again.

By the time she reached the run-down apartment building, exhaustion weighed heavily on her shoulders. She climbed the narrow stairs to the second floor and unlocked the door to her new home.

She set her suitcase down by the bed and sat on the edge, wrapping her arms around herself.

Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

She had made her choice.

--

Reed woke up with a pounding headache, he looked around the room and noticed everywhere was different.

He jolted up. Just as he was about to get off the bed, the door opened.

Christina stepped in, dressed in a silk robe, her blonde hair perfectly arranged as if she had been up for hours.

"Good morning," she said with a small smile, carrying a tray with coffee and toast.

"Christina? Why am I here?"

"You don't remember?" She placed the tray on the nightstand and sat beside him, feigning concern.

Reed stiffened. "Remember what?"

He tried to rack his memory but could only remember he had a drink with Christina. Nothing after that.

She sighed dramatically. "You had too much to drink last night. You passed out on the couch, so I helped you to the bed. That's all."

His brows furrowed. That didn't sound like him. He knew his limits, and he hadn't been drunk; not until now.

"I passed out?" He asked slowly.

Something wasn't right. He didn't feel hungover, just off. His body ached, but not in the way it would after a night of drinking. It was as if he had been drugged.

Reed swallowed hard, his gut telling him something had happened.

But what?

Christina stood, stretching lazily. "Anyway, I'll leave you to freshen up. You should head home."

She walked toward the door, pausing just before stepping out.

"And, Reed?" She glanced at him over her shoulder, her lips curling. "Don't overthink things."

Then she was gone, leaving him sitting there with an uneasy feeling that he couldn't shake.

Reed stared at the door for a while, dressed up and left. He kept convincing himself that nothing had happened besides a pregnant woman would not do anything silly to him.

Christina looked at him from her window, with a wicked smile on her face.

She walked over to her purse, pulling out a tiny vial of clear liquid; the remnants of the sedative she had slipped into Reed's drink.

A triumphant smirk spread across her face.

Reed might not remember, but soon enough, she'd have all the proof she needed.

Now, all she had to do was wait.