Chapter 3

The fifth anniversary of my parents' death arrived on a cold, gray morning. It was our tradition to visit their graves together, but Liam was gone. He' d left a note on the kitchen counter.

"Urgent meeting. Can' t be helped. Go without me. I love you."

A strange feeling, cold and sharp, went through me. He had never missed this day. Never.

I decided to surprise him, to bring him lunch at his downtown office. Maybe we could go to the cemetery afterward. The idea made me smile. I had news for him, wonderful news that I' d been waiting for the perfect moment to share. I placed a hand on my still-flat stomach. I was pregnant.

The receptionist at his firm looked flustered when she saw me. "Mrs. Maxwell! I... I didn' t know you were coming."

"Is Liam in his office?" I asked, holding up the lunch bag. "I wanted to surprise him."

She paled. "He' s on a call. A very important one."

I walked past her, my heels clicking on the marble floor. The door to his office was thick oak, but it wasn' t completely closed. I could hear his voice, smooth and confident.

He wasn' t on a call. He was talking to his executive assistant.

"Make sure the car is ready. I' m heading to the hospital to see Chloe after this."

The assistant' s voice was lower, sycophantic. "Of course, Mr. Maxwell. She' ll be so happy. You' re a genius, sir. A true master planner."

Liam laughed, a sound that suddenly made my blood run cold.

"It was a necessary evil. Harrison had to die. That lung was a one-in-a-million match for Chloe. And ruining Ava? That was the only way to get Ethan to break the engagement. Chloe always gets what she wants."

My breath caught in my chest. The lunch bag slipped from my fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud.

The assistant continued, "And marrying her? That was the masterstroke. Five years of playing the perfect husband."

"It was a debt repaid," Liam said, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Her father paid for my education. I paid him back by ensuring his legacy... and his daughter... were well taken care of. Now, I can' t bring that cemetery juju back to Chloe and our unborn child. It' s bad luck."

Our unborn child.

The world tilted. The air in my lungs turned to poison. I stumbled backward, knocking over a tall porcelain vase in the hallway. It shattered, the sound echoing like a gunshot.

The office door flew open. Liam stood there, his face a mask of concern.

"Ava! Darling, what are you doing here? You' re pale. Are you alright?"

He rushed to my side, ignoring the broken vase. He turned to his terrified assistant. "What is wrong with you? Why didn' t you tell me my wife was here? Why is she so distressed? You' re fired!"

He was performing, just like he had for five years.

"Don' t worry, baby," he cooed, wrapping an arm around me. "I' ll take care of you. Let' s get you to a doctor. Just to be safe."

He steered me toward the elevator, my feet dragging. My mind was screaming. He was taking me to the hospital. The same hospital where my father died. The same hospital where Chloe was waiting for him.