Chapter 1 Hadn't She Already Died

"Mr. Reynolds, your grandmother insists that no matter what happens, we must ensure the children Ms. Dixon is carrying are safe."

A rough, calloused fingertip grazed Lilliana Dixon's arm, icy enough to jolt through her haze.

Her thoughts felt sluggish, tangled, but the chill made her snap back.

The children?

What on earth were they talking about?

Her mind spun as blurry fragments tumbled together.

Then a man's voice, cold as steel, cut through the fog. "What if I don't want the children?"

The words reverberated in Lilliana's skull until, with a sharp gasp, she lurched awake.

The blade in her dream seemed to slice through her, dragging her violently back to reality. Cold sweat clung to her temples as she pressed a trembling hand to her faintly rounded belly, her eyes wide with disbelief.

From above her came a low, resonant voice. "You're awake?"

Lilliana's lashes fluttered as she slowly lifted her head, staring straight into a pair of fathomless eyes.

"Well played, Ms. Dixon. You nearly fooled me into marriage."

The man's fingertip pressed against her faintly rounded belly, sliding down in a deliberate motion. His lips curved into a mocking smile. "But if the children were to disappear..."

His tone was almost casual, yet the icy threat beneath it made Lilliana's blood run cold.

She shrank back against the pillow, clutching the sheet so tightly her knuckles whitened. Confusion swirled in her gaze, but dread sank deep into her chest.

Caleb Reynolds.

The name struck like a bell. The heir to the powerful Reynolds family-the man who was supposed to be the father of her children.

What the hell was he doing here?

Hadn't she already died?

Her pulse pounded in her ears as she scanned the all-too-familiar surroundings.

The realization hit with dizzying force. She hadn't died after all.

She had returned to three years ago, when she was pregnant.

Three years ago, fate had thrown her into Caleb's arms for a single night that changed everything.

That encounter left her carrying his twins, and when Mary Reynolds-Caleb's formidable grandmother-found out about it, she immediately pressured him to bring Lilliana home and marry her. Caleb, however, mistook it all as part of a scheme and resented her ever since.

This was the second time she had met Caleb.

Lilliana couldn't decide if she was trapped in a vicious dream.

Instinctively, she wrapped an arm protectively around her belly, her whole body trembling. "You won't," she said. "Because I'm carrying your children."

Though weak, her words were resolute.

Deep down, she trusted that Caleb would never harm their babies.

Even though he always mistakenly thought she had schemed against him, he had never laid a finger on the children.

Caleb's gaze grew shadowed as he listened, each hushed word from her lips striking him with perfect clarity.

Delicate features made her look almost ethereal, yet they awakened something dark inside him.

"My children?" His eyes swept over her belly with a sneer. "What makes you think I'd give a damn?"

A shiver rippled through Lilliana as she met his cold, unyielding stare.

Caleb's reputation preceded him-merciless, unfeeling, even toward his own family.

His striking features were nearly as notorious as his chilling indifference.

He carried the reputation of a legendary playboy, wielding power like a weapon. Women flocked to his side, yet the whispers all agreed-love was never part of his vocabulary, only lust and fleeting affairs.

Worse, he was said to have been so cold-blooded he had even had his own father thrown in prison.

For someone like him, nothing was sacred.

His hand slid lower, fingers circling Lilliana's tender neck with just enough pressure to make her breath hitch.

Lilliana's complexion turned ghostly pale, dread knotting in her chest.

For a terrifying moment, she thought she would be killed once again.

Then, the shrill ring of a phone shattered the stifling silence.

Caleb pressed the green button, his expression dark and unreadable as Mary's lively voice floated through the speaker.

"Cale, don't forget to bring your future wife home so I can meet her. I heard she's carrying boy and girl twins. Our family hasn't had more than one child per generation in decades. Don't even think about doing something foolish, and never make Lilliana suffer."

That oppressive weight hanging between Caleb and Lilliana finally loosened.

A frigid calm settled over Caleb's face, his look distant, impossible to decipher.

He ended the call without a word.

After studying Lilliana for several long seconds, he finally let go of her. His palm brushed against her cheek in a strangely tender caress, though his eyes glinted with a warning.

"When those babies are born," he said softly, voice edged like a blade. "You and I will finish what we started."