Chapter 1

Pain. It seared through every nerve in my body. I couldn't breathe. I instinctively wrapped my arms around my belly, but the blood kept pouring out of me.

Before I passed out, I heard Oliver tell one of the staff to take me to the hospital. He stayed behind, holding Ron and gently soothing him.

When I woke up in a hospital bed, a nurse looked at me with pity and told me they hadn't been able to save the baby.

The tears came, and I couldn't stop them.

Oliver held my hand tight. His fingertips trembled, and his voice was low and rough as he tried to comfort me. "It's okay, Selena. We're still young. There'll be other babies."

I thought he was grieving our baby the same way I was.

But a second later, he said, "The way you looked back there scared Ron half to death. Let's go see him together, okay?"

I thought I'd heard him wrong. I stared at him, swallowing a sob. "Have you lost your mind? You want me to go see Ron? He killed our baby."

I was so worked up that a sharp pain tore through my belly.

Oliver couldn't quite meet my eyes, but he still wouldn't back down. "Ron's just a little kid. He only wanted to play a Halloween prank on you. He never thought it would end like this. Luca gave his life for me. Can't we please forgive Ron?"

That excuse again! Oliver had used it more times than I could count.

He felt he owed Luca, so Chloe and Ron always came first. He'd walked out on me for them over and over.

At first I understood. I even respected him for taking responsibility, so I forgave him every single time.

But did her husband's death mean she and her kid could get away with anything?

Her husband was dead. But my baby was gone too.

My whole body sagged, and I let out a weak, bitter laugh.

Before I could answer, Oliver tugged at my hand. "Come on, Selena. Don't be difficult. We're just going to check on the kid."

I wouldn't go. I grabbed the edge of the bed and held on. Oliver's patience finally ran out. "You're weak right now, and I don't want to hurt you. But Ron is terrified. He really needs you to calm him down."

I fought him, but he picked me up and carried me to Ron's room, a private VIP suite.

Ron had only had a scare, yet he was getting the VIP treatment. I'd just had a miscarriage and was still weak, but my own husband had dragged me out of my regular room to comfort him.

When we walked in, Ron was giggling and playing with Chloe. The moment he saw me, his face crumpled and he let out a wail.

Oliver gently patted my shoulder. "Go on, Selena. Tell Ron you're okay so he won't be scared anymore."

My eyes red, I shoved Oliver away. "Don't even think about it. He knocked me down and killed my baby, and you want me to comfort him? Then who's going to comfort my baby?"

Chloe looked wounded at that.

Then she touched her earring and patted Ron, pretending to be gracious. "Ron, sweetie, your little prank upset the Donna. Go tell her you're sorry, okay?"

Oliver was upset to see Chloe looking so wronged. He frowned and turned on me. "Selena, look how understanding Chloe is. When are you ever going to be more like her?"

I gave a humorless laugh and slapped Oliver across the face. I was the one who'd lost the baby, and yet I was supposed to forgive the killer?

He was playing daddy to someone else's kid a little too well. So well that he'd forgotten how hard it had been for us to have this baby.

Throughout our marriage, we'd prayed and donated to charity, hoping I'd get pregnant soon. Some nights, I'd even hear Oliver murmur the name we'd picked for our baby in his sleep.

But now, unbelievably, all he cared about was protecting another man's son.

The slap caught Oliver off guard, and fury blazed in his eyes. He looked ready to explode, but when he saw how pale I was, he held back.

Once everyone saw that Oliver hadn't hit me back, no one dared to interfere.

"I'm sorry." Ron wiped at tears that weren't there and shuffled over to me.

Then, in a tiny voice only I could hear, he added quickly, "But Mommy says Uncle Oliver's gonna be my daddy. You're the bad lady. You were gonna have a little boy and steal my daddy away!"

Each word hit me like a blow.

So that was it. Mother and son had planned it from the start. They'd meant to kill my baby.