Chapter 1

AVA’S POV

The word positive blinked up at me in neat black letters, and for a long moment, I just stared at it, my breath caught in my throat.

I pressed a trembling hand to my lips, laughter and tears threatening to spill all at once. After months of trying, after all my silent prayers whispered into the darkness of our bedroom, it had finally happened. I was pregnant.

Adrian’s child.

My fingers tightened around the test results until the paper crinkled. I could already imagine the look on his face when I told him. Adrian was always so controlled, so careful about appearances, but this… this would break through the ice. He would smile. He had to.

For two years, I had longed to give him this. To give us this. A family.

I brushed a stray curl behind my ear, wiped at the dampness on my cheeks, and tucked the results safely into my bag. Then I hurried out of the clinic, my heart fluttering like it hadn’t in years.

Adrian would be at the office—probably in the middle of one of his big meetings. Sinclair Global was visiting today; he’d been talking about it for weeks obsessed with securing the partnership, muttering about global expansion, profit margins, and prestige. I had listened quietly, always silently proud that he was so driven. But surely he could spare a few minutes. This wasn’t just business news. This was our life changing forever.

I leaned back in the car seat as the driver pulled out into the traffic. My palm rested against my stomach, and for the first time, I whispered the word out loud.

“A Baby.”

My baby. Our baby.

I smiled the whole way to Voss Tower.

***

The glass façade of the building glittered like a mirror against the afternoon sun, and for once, I didn’t feel intimidated as I stepped inside. The marble floors echoed under my heels as I crossed the lobby, my pulse racing with excitement.

The receptionist looked up as I approached. “Good afternoon,” I said softly. “Could you let Mr. Voss know his wife is here? I’d like to see him.”

Her brows pinched together. “His… wife?”

I returned her stare with a small, polite smile. “Yes. Ava Voss. Tell him I have important news.”

Something flickered in her eyes—confusion, then something else. She smirked. “Nice try. Mr. Voss doesn’t have a wife. Unless you mean his partner, Ms. Monroe.”

I blinked, thrown off guard. “I—I think you must be mistaken. Adrian and I have been married for two years.” I tried to laugh it off, but my stomach knotted.

The receptionist folded her arms. “Sweetheart, everyone knows Adrian is with Selene Monroe. She’s practically his wife already.”

The words were a slap. My throat tightened. “That’s not true,” I whispered.

“Well, it is true.”

The voice came from behind me. Smooth. Taunting.

I turned slowly, and my heart dropped. Selene Monroe.

She looked even more beautiful and striking. She was tall and radiant, draped in a scarlet dress that clung to every flawless curve. Her auburn hair tumbled around her shoulders, her painted lips curved into a cruel smile.

Selene. Adrian’s old friend from college. The one he insisted was “just like family.” The one I’d always told myself I had no reason to fear. The one who I had occasionally invited to have dinner with Adrian and myself

She looked me up and down as if I were dirt tracked onto her marble floor. “Adrian didn’t tell me you’d be stopping by today,” she purred. “Oh wait—that’s because you don’t belong here.”

Heat crawled up my neck. “Selene, what are you talking about. Adrian and I—”

“Adrian and you?” Selene laughed, tilting her head. “Darling, there is no Adrian and you.”

She walked up to me and leaned closer to whisper, “You didn’t really think he loves being with someone like you, now. Did you?”

I furrowed my eyebrows at her words. “Selene, what do you mean…?”

“What I mean, oh sweet Ava is that Adrian’s too ashamed to even acknowledge you and I mean, with a face like that, you can’t exactly blame him.”

“Why do you think you never attend events with him? Why do you think no one here even knows who you are?”

Ashamed?

The word struck so deep I could barely breathe. I shook my head. “You’re lying. Adrian loves me. He told me you were just friends.”

Selene’s smile widened, sharp as a blade. “Oh, sweet Ava. I am his friend. The kind who warms his bed while you play house all alone.”

My heart lurched violently. I wanted to scream at her, deny it, but the receptionist was watching with open amusement, and a few people nearby had begun to whisper. My scar burned hot on my cheek, as if their stares could set it aflame.

I swallowed hard. “You’re wrong.” My voice trembled. “You’re lying.”

Before Selene could reply, the elevator doors slid open.

And there he was.

Adrian. My husband.

He stepped out in his tailored suit, every inch the commanding CEO. His dark hair gleamed under the lights, his gray eyes sweeping over the lobby. The room seemed to hold its breath.

Relief flooded me. He would clear this up. He would shut Selene down. He would tell everyone the truth—that I was his wife.

“Adrian,” I said, rushing toward him, my hand pressed protectively against my bag. “I need to tell you something.”

His gaze landed on me. For the briefest heartbeat, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. Recognition. Panic.

But then his expression iced over. His jaw tightened, his voice clipped and cold.

“Who are you?”

The words slammed into me with the force of a wrecking ball.

I froze, staring at him, my mind scrambling to understand. “Adrian… what are you saying? It’s me. I’m your wife.”

Selene’s laugh sliced through the silence. The receptionist smirked triumphantly. The security guards at the edge of the room shifted, waiting for his command.

Adrian didn’t look at me. Didn’t see me. He only adjusted his cufflinks, his tone hard as steel.

He looked around. “Who let you in here? Who let her in here?”

“I don’t understand, Adrian. It’s me, Ava. Your wife.” He avoided my eyes and looked around hurriedly.

“Security! Do I pay you to let just anyone walk in here as they please? What the hell do I pay you guys for?” he said with his voiced raised.

Two security guards moved toward me. I stumbled back, my chest constricting.

“Escort her out and make sure she doesn’t harass my staff again. I don’t ever want to see her near my office again.”

The world tilted. My knees weakened. My hands shook as the paper inside my bag crumpled beneath my grip.

“Adrian…. wait. I don’t understand.” No, this can’t be happening. Adrian wouldn’t do this to me. He wouldn’t treat me like this.

The guards gripped my arms firmly, dragging me toward the side exit. I twisted, struggling, my voice breaking. My throat locked. I tried to call his name, to make him look at me, see me, but Adrian was already turning away—toward Selene, who smirked like a queen receiving her crown.

“Adrian, please—Adrian, it’s me!”

But he never turned.

And then the second elevator opened.

A hush fell over the lobby as Charles Sinclair stepped out, flanked by his entourage. Silver hair, sharp suit, eyes as cold and sharp as the empire he ruled. My father.

My breath caught.