Chapter 1

The day Savannah Cox moved into our home, her belongings filled the entire living room as though she were staking her claim.

Alex Stewart had an arm wrapped around her waist as he carefully draped a knit cardigan over her shoulders.

"She just got out of the hospital and can't handle the cold," he said. "Besides, she has nowhere else to go right now. Taking her in is the least we can do.

"She's had no one to rely on all these years. She's been through enough already."

I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

"Alex, this is our home..."

"Autumn, since when did you become so unreasonable?" he cut in. "Savvy's only staying here temporarily. She just got divorced. This is when she needs support the most."

He gently took Savannah's hand, his promise carrying the weight of an oath.

"Savvy, don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one is going to make you leave."

After settling her in, he stood by and watched while Savannah shredded my dresses and slashed the paintings I'd carefully preserved for years.

She claimed my cat had scratched her, so she grabbed Mochi by the neck and hung her upside down from a tree.

When I confronted her, Alex answered with a hard slap across my face. The blow landed directly on the scar beside my eye, making it look even more jagged and ugly afterward.

I remembered that scar. It was a reminder of the accident three years ago.

Over the years, Alex had handled plenty of disputes and made enemies everywhere he went. More than a few people wanted him dead.

I was the one who took the fatal blow meant for him.

The scar beside my eye wasn't the only reminder. There was another one on the bones of my right hand.

Back then, his hands had trembled harder than mine, and he'd cried even more than I had.

"Autumn, I'm sorry," he'd said. "I destroyed your dreams."

He told me he loved me and wished he could have taken the injury in my place. He said it broke his heart to think about everything I'd endured. Again and again, he pressed kisses to that scar.

Now, it was his hand that struck the same scar.

Alex's eyes widened slightly, as though he hadn't expected the slap to actually land. He started to reach for my face.

However, Savannah stopped him with a single sentence.

"Alex, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, you and Autumn wouldn't be fighting. If she really doesn't want me here, maybe I should just leave..."

Alex's fists tightened, and the guilt in his eyes quickly faded. He rose to his feet and pulled Savannah into his arms.

"Savvy, that's not what Autumn means. Don't worry. No one is going to make you leave."

Just moments earlier, he'd looked like he felt sorry for me. Now that concern was gone.

When Alex came home again later that night, the chill of the evening still clung to him. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, and I caught the faint scent of tobacco on his clothes.

"Autumn, I've been busy lately. I've neglected you, but you should understand. How about I go with you to your prenatal appointment tomorrow?"

He lowered his head to kiss me, his hands drifting over my stomach. Desire flickered in his eyes.

I turned away from his kiss.

"Alex, I'm pregnant."

He froze for a moment, clearly surprised by my rejection. Then his brows drew together, and impatience crept into his expression.

"Autumn, what are you doing now? Savvy is my client. There's nothing going on between us..."