Chapter 1

The snow fell in thick, wet flakes, sticking to Scarlett Hayes' s thin nightgown and melting against her skin, the cold seeping straight into her bones.

She knelt on the frozen ground of the villa's courtyard, her body trembling uncontrollably, her gaze fixed on the man standing before her.

Julian Thorne. Her husband. The man who once claimed he couldn't live without her.

Just a few hours ago, he had been a different person, or maybe, he had been the same person she just refused to see. He had once looked at her with so much love it felt like the sun was shining only on her. He found her, a nobody, busking on the streets when she was eighteen.

For ten years, from eighteen to twenty-eight, he had been her whole world. He was a giant in Silicon Valley, a name that made markets tremble, yet he treated her like she was the most precious thing in existence.

When she told him she wanted to study astrophysics, he didn' t just support her, he put his entire multi-billion dollar company on hold to go with her to a top university overseas. He laughed when his company' s stock dropped by millions, telling her that no amount of money was worth a single day away from her.

He proposed to her every single day for 999 days, each proposal a public spectacle on a livestream, making her a household name. He gave her gifts that were so extravagant they made headlines.

To marry her, a girl with no family and no fortune, he fought his own powerful family. He endured a three-day ordeal they set for him, breaking through their rigid social rules to give her a wedding that was like something out of a fairytale. She became the envy of every woman in the country.

That was the man she married.

The man standing in front of her now was a stranger. His face, once so full of warmth for her, was now a mask of cold fury. His love had been replaced by a new obsession, a woman named Bethany Greene. He had only known Bethany for six months. Six months was all it took to erase ten years of devotion.

"Where is she?" Julian' s voice was low and dangerous, cutting through the quiet fall of snow. "Bethany blocked my number. She's gone. You did this, didn't you?"

Scarlett shook her head, her teeth chattering. "No, Julian. I didn't. I don't know where she is."

"Liar," he spat the word, his eyes filled with disgust. "She's a strong girl, but you're manipulative. You must have said something to her, threatened her to make her leave me."

"I wouldn't," Scarlett whispered, her voice cracking. "I never even spoke to her."

Julian let out a short, cruel laugh. "You're always playing the victim, Scarlett. I'm tired of it."

He pulled out his phone and played a video. The screen lit up the dark courtyard, showing a hospital room. Scarlett' s younger brother, Finn, lay in the bed, machines breathing for him. He was her only family left, the reason she was still holding on.

"You have ten minutes," Julian said, his voice flat and emotionless. He pointed the phone's camera at her. "Call Bethany. Tell her you drove her away because you're a jealous, petty woman. Convince her to come back. If you don't, I' ll call the hospital and tell them to stop Finn's life support. The payments stop tonight."

Tears streamed down Scarlett's face, freezing on her cheeks. The threat was a physical blow, knocking the air from her lungs. This was her weak spot, her Achilles' heel, and he was pressing on it with all his might.

"Julian, please," she begged, her voice a raw plea. "Don't do this. He's my brother."

"He's a vegetable that's costing me a fortune," Julian said coldly. "And you are the one who is forcing my hand. Ten minutes, Scarlett. Make the call."

Her hope shattered. The man she loved was gone, replaced by this monster. Her heart, which had been breaking for months, now felt like it was being ripped into tiny pieces. With trembling hands, she took the phone. She knew Bethany wouldn't answer her call. She had to lie. She had to confess to something she didn't do to save her brother.

She found Bethany' s number and dialed. As she expected, it went straight to voicemail.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she started to speak, her voice thick with unshed tears. "Bethany... it's Scarlett. I'm sorry. It was me. I told you to leave Julian. I was jealous... I couldn't stand seeing him happy with you. Please, come back to him. He needs you."

She hung up, her hand falling limply to her side. The lie felt like poison on her tongue.

Julian watched her, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came. He didn't seem satisfied. He just seemed... bored.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over Scarlett. A sharp, cramping pain shot through her lower abdomen. She gasped, pressing a hand to her stomach. A warm wetness spread through her thin nightgown, a terrifying and unmistakable feeling.

She looked down. A dark stain was blooming on the white fabric, stark against the pure snow on the ground.

"Julian," she whispered, her voice trembling with a new kind of fear. "Something's wrong. I'm bleeding. Please... help me."

He glanced down at her, his expression dismissive. "Stop the drama, Scarlett. You think a little act like this will get my attention?"

At that moment, his phone rang. He looked at the screen and a wide, genuine smile spread across his face. It was the smile she used to dream about, the one that used to be only for her.

"Bethany," he answered, his voice instantly warm and gentle. "You're okay. Thank God. Where are you?"

He listened for a moment, his smile growing. "Okay. Okay, I'm on my way. Don't move. I'll be there right away."

He hung up and turned to leave without a second glance at Scarlett, who was now doubled over in pain.

"Julian, wait!" she cried out, desperation clawing at her throat. "The baby... I think I'm losing our baby!"

He paused, but he didn't turn around. "We'll talk about your latest lie when I get back," he said over his shoulder, his voice cold and distant. "Don't try to run."

He instructed the butler, "Lock her in the meditation room. Don't let her out until I return."

The pain was overwhelming, a tearing, ripping sensation that stole her breath. She watched him walk away, his back straight and unconcerned, disappearing into the falling snow to go to his new love. The butler and two guards approached her. They didn't help her up, they dragged her.

They forced her into the small, bare meditation room at the back of the villa. The door slammed shut, the lock clicking into place. She pounded on the heavy wood, screaming his name, screaming for help. But no one came.

Alone in the cold, dark room, the pain intensified. It felt like her body was being torn apart from the inside. She could feel the life she had been carrying, the tiny, secret bond that had been her last sliver of hope, slipping away.

"Baby," she sobbed, curling into a ball on the hard floor. "I'm so sorry. Mommy can't protect you."

The last thing she felt was an agonizing wrenching inside her, a profound sense of loss that was more painful than any physical torment. As her consciousness faded into black, she whispered one last thing into the darkness.

"The baby's gone... Julian... I don't want you anymore."

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