Chapter 1

I woke up in the hospital to a nurse telling me that I had suffered a miscarriage. Ignoring the pain radiating through my body, I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the messages from the police.

Beck Wilder hadn't drowned. His location tracker confirmed that he was at Rosehill Villa. The tension in my chest finally eased.

I didn't wait for the IV drip to run its course. I ripped out the needle and rushed out to hail a taxi.

By the time I reached the villa's entrance, I could hear Beck inside, laughing with a group of young elites.

"Maren had a child with Emmett Olson. Who knows if she's really over him?"

My hand froze in mid-air.

I stepped quietly to the window and watched Beck slowly swirl his wine. He let out a weary sigh. "I had my pick of decent women to marry, but I chose to be engaged to her. I gave too much of myself, and now all I carry is a bitterness I can't let go of."

Someone asked, "So, Mr. Wilder, did you pretend to drown just to see how much Maren cares about you?"

Beck took a sip of his drink. "Maren's terrified of water, yet she went through the effort to get a diving license for Emmett. After their divorce, she never went diving again. Even when I begged her to go snorkeling with me in Sanmore, she flat-out refused.

"It's just thalassophobia, isn't it? If she could overcome that fear for Emmett, why won't she do the same for me? That kind of double standard is impossible to overlook. Doesn't it just prove that she still cares for her ex?"

A ripple of murmurs spread across the room.

Without warning, someone pulled out their phone and shoved the screen in Beck's face.

"Mr. Wilder, check this out. It's drone footage from yesterday. Doesn't the woman in the black wetsuit on the shore look just like Maren?"

Beck studied the screen intently, his expression shifting from gloom to amusement. "It looks like she's got a conscience after all."

"Mr. Wilder, aren't you worried she'll catch on to your little trick and maybe even call it quits?"

Beck casually fiddled with the engagement ring on his finger, a sly grin creeping across his face.

"What's there to worry about? She's easy to coax. After all, she risked her life diving in to save me. The least I can do is return the favor and make it official. Believe me, she'll move past this soon enough."

The room exploded with laughter and jeers.

"Seriously, Mr. Wilder. Only you could keep Maren so tightly under your control."

"Keep in mind, she's been pregnant before. A woman like her should count herself lucky to marry you. She ought to know her place and be completely devoted."

Beck kept sipping his wine, saying nothing in response to the harsh words aimed at me.

His silence was deafening. It was a quiet betrayal that twisted the knife deeper, leaving my heart raw and bleeding.

I glanced down at the hospital gown clinging to me.

Holding my aching abdomen, I brushed away the tears streaming down my face and slipped away without making a single sound.

I felt like a clown, shuffling offstage after a bitter, humiliating fall.