Chapter 3

The breaking point wasn't a slow erosion. It was a violent, shattering impact.

It happened at the Croft family's exclusive country club. The annual Episcopalian charity gala was a week away, and Julian had insisted I wear a specific designer gown. He wanted me to look the part of his perfect, pious girlfriend. I was in the club's luxurious dressing room, a sea of white marble and gold fixtures, trying on a dress that felt like a costume.

I was two months pregnant. No one knew but me. I was terrified and hopeful, planning to tell Julian after the gala. I thought a baby, his baby, would finally make me permanent in his life. It would make him choose me.

The door swung open and Claire walked in. She was holding a flute of champagne, a cruel smirk on her face.

"Still playing dress-up?" she sneered. "You can put a designer dress on a farm girl, but she still smells like dirt."

I ignored her, turning back to the mirror. "Please leave, Claire. I'm changing."

"He'll never marry you, you know," she continued, stepping closer. Her reflection appeared behind mine in the mirrored wall. "You're just a placeholder. A warm body until he can have what he really wants."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Her laughter was sharp. "Don't you?"

In a flash, her mood turned. The smirk vanished, replaced by a mask of pure rage. She lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of my hair. Before I could react, she slammed my head, hard, into the mirrored wall.

Pain exploded behind my eyes. Stars burst in my vision. I crumpled to the floor, disoriented.

"You are nothing!" she screamed, her voice hysterical. She drew back her foot and kicked me, a vicious, targeted blow, directly in my stomach.

A new, deeper pain ripped through me, a cramp so intense it stole my breath. I curled into a ball, gasping.

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Julian rushing into the room. He didn't look at me on the floor. He went straight to Claire, who was shaking her hand.

"Elle, are you okay?" he asked, his voice frantic with concern. "Did you hurt your hand?"