Chapter 1

The city lights of Austin glittered below, a million tiny stars.

I leaned against the balcony railing of the tech gala, eight months pregnant, my hand resting on my swollen belly.

Ethan, my husband, founder of Innovatech Solutions, was inside, charming a group of investors.

He was charismatic, wealthy, and I loved him. Our life felt perfect.

My feet ached in the heels Ethan insisted I wear.

"You look stunning, Sarah," he'd said, his eyes bright.

I smiled, remembering.

Eleanor, Ethan' s mother, had given me a cool nod earlier.

She never thought a community health worker was good enough for her tech mogul son.

She preferred Jessica Vance, Ethan' s college ex, now some kind of social media wannabe.

I took a deep breath of the cool night air.

A sudden, hard shove from behind.

My hands flew out, grasping at nothing.

I tumbled forward, down a short flight of marble stairs.

Pain exploded in my back, my stomach.

I cried out.

Ethan was there in an instant, his face a mask of panic.

"Sarah! Oh my god, Sarah!"

He knelt beside me, his voice frantic.

"Someone call an ambulance! My wife is pregnant!"

His arms were around me, strong, reassuring.

Or so I thought.

He rushed me to a private hospital, one his family used.

Everything was a blur of pain and fear.

Doctors and nurses swarmed.

"We need to deliver the baby," a calm voice said. "It's too early, but we have to."

I squeezed Ethan' s hand, terrified.

"It'll be okay, Sarah," he whispered, his lips against my forehead. "Our baby will be okay."

They wheeled me into an operating room.

The world went dark.

I woke up slowly, the room dim.

A dull ache throbbed through me.

My belly felt strangely empty.

"Ethan?" I whispered.

No answer. I was alone.

A wave of anxiety washed over me. My baby. Where was my baby?

I fumbled for the call button.

A nurse appeared, her smile too bright.

"Mrs. Hayes, you're awake. Your baby boy was delivered. He's in the neonatal ICU. He's a fighter."

Relief, so sharp it made me gasp. A boy. Our son. He was alive.

"Can I see him?"

"Soon," she said. "The doctor will be in to talk to you. You need to rest."

She adjusted my pillows and left.

Rest. I couldn't rest.

A faint sound drifted from the hallway. Voices.

One sounded like Ethan' s.

I had to see my baby. I had to see Ethan.

My body protested with every movement, a searing pain in my abdomen.

I pushed the blanket aside, my legs unsteady.

I gripped the IV pole, using it for support, and shuffled towards the door.

The hallway was quiet, dimly lit.

The voices were clearer now, coming from an office a little way down, near the neonatal ICU.

Ethan' s voice.

"The arrangements are all set, Doctor?"

My heart pounded. What arrangements?