Chapter 1 A Night With Her Ex-Husband

Fate threw Melinda Dawson back into her ex-husband's world on the night she sold herself.

In the pitch-black room, she pressed her lips awkwardly to the man's throat, words catching in her shyness. "Sir, I promise I'll get pregnant soon. Can you pay a million in advance? I need it-badly."

Intensity radiated from the man above her, his movements unyielding. Melinda, untested in such things, found herself barely able to keep up.

Rough hands took control, bending her legs and shifting her as if he meant to teach her a lesson.

Only when Melinda thought she might break, a cold, muffled sound escaped him, signaling this bizarre bargain's conclusion.

A wave of regret washed over Melinda. But desperation ran deeper than regret. Her father was in a vegetative state, their fortune lost, and this was the only path left.

Deanna Riley, her boss from the bar where she worked as a bar girl, had introduced this client to her, saying he was the city's most powerful man. He needed a child, and she agreed because pregnancy would bring her five million.

A sharp flicker of light flashed-the man lit a cigarette.

Without warning, a strong hand captured her chin. His voice, low and rough, drifted down. "You really gave it your all. Still hanging on so tight."

Something in the tone-cold, deep, strangely familiar-sent a chill through her.

The lighter's flame stung her eyes, and Melinda froze. Blinking, she finally saw the man's features so close above her.

The man looming over her was nothing like the client she'd imagined-some balding, middle-aged man. No one could deny his striking looks that made hearts race everywhere he went. But...

All color drained from Melinda's face, and she pushed him back. "Why is it you? Declan!"

"Surprised?" Declan Gibson's fingers tightened around her chin. With cold eyes boring into her, he gave a cruel smile. "So, three months post-divorce, my former wife sinks this low and starts selling herself. Should I not step in to help?"

How ironic. Bitterness surged inside Melinda, as if she were being pulled under water, every breath a struggle. Discovering that her client was her ex-husband felt like a twisted joke. There was no shame quite like this.

One fist clenched the ripped fabric at her chest, sarcasm gleaming in her gaze. "Yes, I'm surprised. The poor guy rose to riches after divorce, even buying a night with his ex. Can't Claire Barrett satisfy you in bed?"

Danger glimmered in Declan's cold, perfectly measured smile.

Melinda's gaze followed him as he rose, smoothly zipping up his pants with practiced ease. Not a wrinkle marred his shirt or trousers, highlighting just how chaotic and undone she looked by comparison.

There was nothing lacking in this man. Lean muscle, still glistening from their encounter, pressed against the fabric of his clothes, every movement radiating both discipline and raw strength.

Even when Declan was down and out, he was hailed as the city's most striking man.

She had fallen hard for that allure, pushing him to break ties with his childhood love and marry her instead.

Back then, Melinda never guessed at the steel and ambition beneath his surface.

Declan played the part for two years-a dutiful husband, albeit somewhat aloof.

Then, three months ago, her entire world flipped. The Dawson name lost its shine, her father-once the city's richest man-threw himself from a rooftop. Declan joined forces with outsiders to strip the Dawson family of everything, then ended their marriage without hesitation.

The aftermath left her father trapped in a hospital bed, her brother desperate for dialysis, and her little sister forced to leave school.

Declan walked away, never sparing her a penny.

Rock bottom became her new normal. The bills drove her to desperate lengths, even agreeing to sell her body as a surrogate.

Tears threatened to spill from her reddened eyes as Declan's next words cut through the silence. "If I had any real interest in you, you wouldn't have been still a virgin after two years of marriage, would you?"

Shock left Melinda's thoughts spinning, her heart shivering in her chest.

Two years bound by marriage, and he never once claimed her.

No matter how she tried to bridge the distance, his rejection was always ice-cold. He recoiled, avoiding her every advance.

Yet after their split, he was willing to spend five million just to humiliate her.

The sting of that insult was almost too much to bear.

Fixing her gaze on his flawless features, Melinda let out a mocking laugh. "Declan, I once offered you children without asking for a cent, and now you're ready to throw a fortune at me for the same thing. Have you lost your mind?"

A storm cloud finally crossed Declan's face. Without warning, he gripped her waist, forcing her down onto the sofa with unyielding strength.

A crisp contract and a hefty check landed on the table with a slap. He took a slow drag from his cigarette, his words sharp and glacial. "Here you go. One million now. You'll play the part of my lover until you're pregnant. When the baby arrives, Claire will raise it as her own."

Shock thundered through her. He wanted her to carry his child, only to hand it over to the woman he loved?