Chapter 1

Elara’s POV

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

I pressed the thin white envelope tightly against my chest like it might disappear if I loosened my grip. The bold words on the medical report blurred as tears filled my eyes again.

Pregnant.

A breathless laugh escaped my lips, half disbelief and half overwhelming happiness.

“Karl… you’re going to be a father.”

For three years, I had waited for this moment.

Three years of trying.

Three years of hoping.

Three years of enduring cold silences, lonely nights, and a marriage that felt more like an obligation than love.

But none of that mattered now because this changed everything.

I wiped quickly at my eyes before anyone in the hospital lobby could notice me crying. Tonight was supposed to be different. Tonight, Karl would finally look at me as more than the unwanted woman his grandfather forced him to marry.

Maybe this child would finally become the bridge between us.

My heart pounded painfully as I stepped outside the private hospital.

The cold night air brushed against my skin, but I barely noticed it. All I could think about was Karl.

Karl Varek, CEO of Varek Group. The man every woman in the city wanted and my husband.

A small nervous smile tugged at my lips as I imagined telling him the news. He probably wouldn’t react dramatically. Karl was never expressive. Even after three years of marriage, he remained distant and unreadable.

But deep down, I knew this mattered to him.

An heir mattered to the Varek family especially after Chairman Varek’s declining health.

The black luxury cars lining the front of Noir Lounge came into view, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Music echoed faintly from inside the exclusive rooftop bar while photographers lingered near the entrance hoping to catch celebrities and socialites leaving the party.

I slowed slightly.

Earlier, one of the staff at the Varek mansion mentioned Karl would be here tonight hosting a welcome party for someone important returning to the city.

I didn’t care about any of that. I just wanted to tell my husband that we were finally going to have a baby.

The glass doors slid open as another group entered the lounge, and my steps froze instantly.

Through the golden lights of the VIP section, I saw him.

Karl sat at the center of the private lounge, his dark suit perfectly tailored to his broad frame. One arm rested lazily along the back of the couch while expensive whiskey glowed in the crystal glass between his fingers.

And beside him was Lilith Laurent.

My breath caught painfully.

Lilith leaned comfortably against Karl’s shoulder, her manicured fingers tracing slowly along his chest while she laughed softly at something he said.

The medical report slipped slightly in my grasp.

No, there has to be another explanation.

I forced myself to breathe even as my chest tightened painfully.

Someone suddenly raised a champagne glass.

“To Lilith’s return!”

Laughter and applause followed immediately.

Lilith smiled beautifully, tilting her head toward Karl. “Thank you for throwing this party for me, Karl. It’s been too long. Did you miss me?”

My stomach twisted painfully when Karl didn’t move away from her.

“I’ve been busy,” he answered indifferently.

But he still didn’t push her away.

“They still look perfect together,” one woman whispered nearby.

“They always did,” another replied casually. “Honestly, Karl should’ve married Lilith from the beginning.”

A few people murmured in agreement.

I stood frozen outside the glass doors then someone laughed softly.

“What about his wife?”

The group burst into amused laughter.

“She?” another woman scoffed. “Please. Everyone knows Chairman Varek forced Karl into that marriage.”

“I still can’t believe he married some random orphan girl.”

“She was a nobody before entering the Varek family.”

“Apparently she saved the chairman once,” another voice added mockingly. “And he rewarded her with a marriage contract.”

“How pathetic.”

“She’s completely obsessed with Karl,” someone else said. “Even after he ignores her publicly, she still follows him around like a lost puppy.”

“She has no dignity.”

My fingers tightened around the report until the paper crumpled.

Another woman smirked. “Honestly, Lilith suits him more. At least she matches his status.”

Their laughter blended into something sharp and suffocating.

Then someone turned toward Karl with amusement in their eyes.

“Mr. Varek, you’ve never denied any of this before.”

Karl swirled the whiskey in his glass slowly, his expression calm and unreadable.

He said nothing.

My chest tightened.

Then another man leaned forward slightly.

“So it’s true?” he asked casually. “You only married Elara because your grandfather forced you to?”

My breath caught.

Please, don’t say it.

Karl finally set his glass down.

“Yes.”

That single word shattered something inside me.

“She’s like a stubborn roach that wouldn't die,” he continued coldly. “Nothing more.”

The world tilted around me.

“She was never suitable to be my wife,” he added calmly. “And she certainly isn’t someone I would’ve chosen myself.”

The pain hit so hard my knees nearly gave out. Instinctively, my hand moved toward my stomach.

The child I had been so desperate to tell him about. The child I believed would finally make him accept me.

A soft broken sound escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Silence immediately fell across the VIP section.

Every head turned toward me. For one horrible moment, nobody spoke.

Then someone laughed awkwardly.

“Well… this is unfortunate."

“She heard everything.”

Another woman shrugged dismissively. “So what? It’s not like she’ll leave.”

“She never does even when Karl sleeps with different women she still stays beside him.”

“Of course, she's a pathetic mutt with no home and money, she'd stay beside Karl as his loyal dog even if it means getting some scraps of attention from him,” someone else added mockingly.

Their eyes remained fixed on me with curiosity, amusement, and laughter. Like I was entertainment instead of a human being.

And suddenly, every moment from the last three years crashed into me all at once.

The quiet humiliation, the cold dinner, the endless waiting. The way Karl never once introduced me proudly as his wife, the way people looked at me during elite events with disgust, as if I was beneath them.

I had spent three years convincing myself that if I loved him enough, if I stayed patient enough, if I became good enough one day Karl might finally love me back.

And tonight, I came here believing the baby growing inside me would change everything.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to Karl. Just once, I waited for him to say something.

Anything to defend me. To deny their words and acknowledge me as his wife.

But his expression never changed. His gaze remained cold, distant, and utterly indifferent.

And in that moment, I finally understood. Karl Varek never loved me, not even a little.

I turned around and walked away. Nobody stopped me.

Behind me, the music resumed again as though nothing had happened.

The cold night air hit my skin sharply as I stepped onto the empty street.

My vision blurred and breathing felt uneven but I kept walking anyway.

Then faintly behind me, I heard another voice.

“Should someone go after her?”

Karl answered without hesitation.

“Forget it.”

My chest tightened painfully.

“She’s always like this,” he said dismissively. “Maybe now she’ll finally understand her place.”

Understand my place. The words echoed hollowly inside my head.

I kept walking, barely aware of where I was going. Everything around me felt distorted.

The city lights blurred together. The sounds of traffic faded into distant noise.

Then suddenly a loud horn blared.

My head snapped upward as bright headlights rushed toward me at terrifying speed.

My body froze.

For one brief moment, the world slowed completely then the impact came.

Pain exploded through my body violently and everything went dark.