Chapter 2

I stared into his eyes—eyes I'd once thought were beautiful and full of love. Now I could see they were cold and empty.

So my "compassion" meant letting him use my child as spare parts to save another woman?

My throat burned like I'd swallowed fire. I couldn't even speak. I could only stare at him in shock.

Mason grew uncomfortable under my stare, looking away as his voice turned sharp. "Stop looking at me like that.

"This won't hurt our child. The doctors checked everything. It's perfectly safe.

"Besides, ten million dollars is enough to keep you comfortable for the rest of your life."

He paused, probably realizing how cold he sounded, then tried a gentler approach. "Jules, Chloe's life matters too. We can't just stand by and watch her die.

"You have the baby, take the money, and we go our separate ways. It works out for everyone."

Did he say it'd work out for everyone? Using my child and risking my life to save Chloe—how would that work out for everyone?

If he really thought this was fair, why had he been trying so hard to butter me up all these months?

Everything came crashing down at once. All those nights cuddled together, the home-cooked meals, every sweet gesture that had made me feel so loved and cherished. Suddenly, it was all just part of his scheme.

It made me want to throw up.

"Is that so?" I looked straight into his eyes, my voice barely a rasp. "And what if I refuse?"

The caring mask Mason had worn for several months finally cracked and fell away completely. He straightened up, looming over me with ice-cold eyes.

"Juliette, you don't have a choice in this. My wife and child are supposed to support me. That's how marriage works."

He turned and headed for the door, pausing at the threshold without looking back.

"Tomorrow, the driver will take you to the hospital at 9:00 am. You'd better not fight me on this."

I felt completely hollow inside. My body went limp as I slid down the cold desk to the floor, unable to even cry.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out with shaking hands and saw a bank notification.

Five million dollars from Mason. A down payment, of course. He was always so methodical.

I stared at those numbers and started laughing bitterly. This was the marriage I'd spent seven years trying to save. I'd loved him for seven years and been a fool for just as long.

But I was done being his fool. From now on, I was going to take care of myself.