로그인Can I see her?" I asked. "She's sedated right now, but yes. Room 408." I walked to her room in a daze. My parents followed but hung back, giving me space. Sophia looked small in the hospital bed. Pale and fragile and broken. Bandages on her head, her wrist in a cast, monitors beeping steadily around her. I sat down in the chair next to her bed and took her uninjured hand. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I'm so fucking sorry." Her eyes fluttered open. "Damon?" "I'm here." "The baby..." Her voice broke. "Did they tell you?" "Yeah. They told me." Tears streamed down her face. "She killed our baby. Eve killed our baby." "I know." "I want her arrested. I want her to pay for what she did." "She will. I promise you, she will." Sophia closed her eyes, more tears leaking out. "I loved that baby so much already. I had names picked out. I had plans. And she just... she just took it all away." "I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you both
I heard the scream the second I opened the penthouse door. A woman's scream, piercing and sharp, followed by the sickening sound of something heavy tumbling down the stairs. Multiple thuds. A body hitting marble. "Sophia!" I dropped my briefcase and ran. The scene hit me all at once. Sophia crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, her body twisted at an unnatural angle, one arm bent beneath her, legs splayed. Blood. So much blood pooling beneath her head, spreading across the white marble in a dark, terrible stain. And Eve. Standing at the top of the stairs, frozen, her face white as death, staring down at what she'd done. "What the fuck did you do?" I shouted, racing down the stairs. "Eve, what the fuck did you do?" "I didn't...she just..." "Call 911! Now!" I dropped to my knees next to Sophia, my hands shaking as I reached for her neck to check for a pulse. There. Faint but there. She was alive. Barely. "Sophia, can you hear me? Sophia!" No response. Her eyes were
EVE'S POV The laughter wouldn’t stop. It echoed through the penthouse like something broken and feral, filling the silence I had hoped would swallow this place forever. Sophia stood in the doorway of the study, head thrown back, shoulders shaking with that wild, manic sound. Her hands clutched her sides as if the sheer absurdity of me... of us... was the most hilarious thing she had ever witnessed. I clutched the box tighter against my chest, my heart slamming so hard I could feel it in my throat. I was still inside. Still trapped with her. The elevator felt miles away. “Stop,” I said, my voice barely cutting through the laughter. “Just stop it, Sophia.” She finally lowered her head, eyes glistening with tears of amusement, but the smile on her face was anything but joyful. It was sharp. Triumphant. Unstable. “Oh, Eve,” she gasped, wiping at her eyes. “You really are something. Standing there like you’re the one who’s been wronged. Like you didn’t spend years making Damon believ
EVE'S POV I went back to the penthouse on Sunday afternoon. One week in the new apartment and I’d realized I’d left more behind than I thought. Important things buried in drawers and closets I’d been too upset to check properly the last time. My grandmother’s jewelry that I’d inherited after she died. Photo albums from before Damon, from college and childhood. A few pieces of clothing I actually wanted. Documents I’d need—birth certificate, passport, things I couldn’t replace. I’d texted Damon Saturday night to make sure he wouldn’t be there. Me: I’m coming by the apartment Sunday at 2 PM to get the rest of my things. Please don’t be there. No response. I took that as agreement. Jessica offered to come with me but I told her no. This was something I needed to do alone. One final trip to close that chapter completely. The doorman recognized me when I walked in. “Mrs. Sterling.” “Just Eve,” I said. “I’m not using Sterling anymore.” He nodded uncomfortably and let me pass. I
Friday morning I woke up to nausea so intense I barely made it to the bathroom. Threw up everything I'd managed to keep down from dinner the night before. Sat on the cold tile floor afterward, shaking and sweating, wondering if this was normal or if something was wrong. Jessica found me there twenty minutes later. "Eve, this is getting worse." "I know." "You need to call your doctor." "I have an appointment next week..." "Call them today. Tell them what's happening. This isn't normal morning sickness anymore." She was right. I knew she was right. I called Dr. Rivera's office and explained the situation to the nurse. "How much weight have you lost?" she asked. "I don't know. Maybe five pounds?" "And you're how far along?" "Fifteen weeks." "Can you come in today? Dr. Rivera has an opening at two." "I'll be there." Jessica drove me to the appointment. Waited in the lobby while I went back. Dr. Rivera examined me, asked questions, looked concerned.
The call from the property manager came Thursday afternoon. "Ms. Morgan, I have good news. Your application has been approved. You can move in as early as this weekend if you'd like." I sat down on Jessica's couch, phone pressed to my ear, trying to process. "This weekend?" "Yes. We just need first month, last month, and security deposit. Once that clears, the apartment is yours." "I'll transfer the money today." "Perfect. I'll email you the lease agreement. Sign it and return it by tomorrow, and we can schedule your move-in for Saturday morning." We hung up and I sat there staring at nothing. I had an apartment. My own space. A place that wasn't Jessica's spare room or the penthouse I'd shared with Damon. A place that was completely, entirely mine. Jessica came out of her bedroom. "Who was that?" "The property manager. I got the apartment." Her face lit up. "Eve, that's amazing!" "I can move in Saturday." "That's two days away. Do you have furniture? Boxes? Anything?"
The stall door opened. Sophia's makeup was ruined, mascara running down her face, eyes red and swollen. She looked wrecked in a way I'd never seen her look before. "Someone just asked me if the baby was even real," she said. "One of the designers from yesterday. She pulled me aside and said she'd
All the months of manipulation, all the lies, all the times she'd smiled sweetly while destroying my life, all of it came crashing down into this one moment.I grabbed her arm and spun her around."Don't you dare walk away from me...""Let go of me, Eve...""Not until you admit it. Admit you're lyi
The quarterly Sterling Enterprises board dinner was in three days and I'd been pretending it wasn't happening.Not well. But pretending.Damon brought it up over breakfast on Monday. Sophia was still in her room so it was just us at the table, a rare moment of privacy that felt almost foreign now.
I looked at Damon. "Your mother wants to announce Sophia's pregnancy at your board dinner.""She mentioned it might come up naturally in conversation...""There is nothing natural about announcing your son's potential illegitimate child at a business dinner while his wife sits there smiling.""It's







