Chapter 2: The ‘Miracle’

Catherine’s P.O.V

I tightened my coat around myself as Xavier helped me out of the car, his hand warm at the small of my back.

“Catherine,” he murmured, leaning closer, “I promise you…my mother will behave tonight. She’s… trying.”

I shot him a skeptical look. “Your mother doesn’t try, Xavier. She annihilates. With a smile. And pearls.”

His lips twitched, but he didn’t argue. That alone made me even more suspicious. “Just trust me, okay?”

“I married you, didn’t I?” I muttered, though my nerves fluttered. “But fine. I’ll give her a chance. A microscopic one.”

He kissed my forehead, but even that didn’t settle me as we walked up the steps of Dalton Manor…the building glowing with warm lights, music drifting into the night air.

The moment the doors swung open, I braced myself… only to freeze when Lydia Dalton practically rushed toward me.

“Catherine, darling!” she exclaimed, voice high and sweet enough to cause cavities. She cupped my hands warmly, smiling like I was her long-lost daughter.

“You look stunning. Oh, look at you…have you lost weight? Or is it the dress? Come, let me see you properly.”

My brain stuttered. Lydia… complimenting me? On purpose?

Xavier shot me an I-told-you-so look.

I whispered back, “She’s possessed.”

Lydia looped her arm through mine. “Come inside, dear. You must be freezing. I saved a special seat for you at the head table, right beside me!”

That nearly knocked the air out of my lungs. “You… did?”

“Of course! You’re family,” she said brightly.

Xavier squeezed my shoulder as I let myself be dragged into the grand hall. But even as Lydia chattered happily, guiding me past guests, I leaned slightly toward Xavier and whispered,

“Something’s wrong. She’s never this nice. Not unless she wants something. Or she’s hiding something. Or she’s planning to kill me and needs me to relax first…”

“Catherine,” he cut in, laughing softly, “just enjoy it.”

“I will not enjoy impending doom,” I hissed, but forced a smile as Lydia looked back.

Inside, the manor buzzed with conversation. I recognized extended family members scattered around…Xavier’s cousins, his uncles, the older aunties who always asked when we were ‘finally giving them a grandchild.’ Mia was near the center of the room, laughing with her husband while one of her kids tugged her dress. She waved at us excitedly.

“Cathy!” Mia called. “You made it!”

“You say that like I had a choice,” I said, and she grinned as she hugged me.

“Oh relax. Tonight is actually fun. No drama. Mom’s in a good mood.”

“That’s what scares me,” I said under my breath.

Mia snorted. “Fair enough.”

I was just about to reply when movement in the far corner caught my eye. Someone tall. Broad. Dressed in a perfectly cut charcoal suit that looked like it cost enough to feed a small nation. His posture screamed confidence…no, arrogance and as he turned slightly. I recognized him instantly.

Hunter Powell. Xavier’s business rival.

Why the hell was he here?

I straightened, staring before I could stop myself. Hunter was surrounded by a small cluster of influential men, all leaning in a little too eagerly. He was speaking with that calm, slow charm that made journalists and investors both cling to his every word but then as if he sensed it, his eyes lifted and collided with mine.

Everything else seemed to weaken for a beat. His gaze was sharp, steady… too steady. He didn’t look away. Didn’t even pretend not to stare. Instead, something flickered across his face, recognition? Curiosity? Something that made my chest tighten uncomfortably.

But a sharp sound cut through the room, breaking our eye contact, and for a second, I needed to compose myself. What on earth was that about?

However, when I turned towards the source of the noise…I froze completely.

I should have known something was wrong the moment Lydia tapped her fork against her wine glass. That crisp, arrogant ting-ting-ting that always made the hairs at the back of my neck rise. Everyone at the dinner table fell silent, Xavier beside me, our friends, the extended family and even powerful businessmen turned to look at her.

I smiled anyway. I always smiled. It was the only shield I had left.

Lydia stood up, lifting her glass. “Everyone, a toast!”

My stomach twisted hard, a wave of nausea rolling over me. This was it. This was usually the time when Lydia addressed the fact that she still didn't have an ‘heir to the Dalton legacy’ yet. A snide remark or a comment that haunted me for the rest of the year.

I pressed a hand to my abdomen and forced myself to breathe. Just get through dinner. Just survive it. Just smile and bear with it.

“Do you know what this is about?”I whispered toward Xavier.

He shook his head, but the way his jaw tightened made something inside my chest drop. “No. Just relax,” he murmured. “Don’t overthink.”

“Relax,” I repeated under my breath, the word tasting bitter.

Lydia’s smile stretched wider, the kind that always meant trouble. “I have some wonderful news,” she announced, eyes drifting to me like she enjoyed watching me brace myself.

I stiffened. “Wonderful for who?” I muttered, but no one heard me.

“Well,” Lydia went on, “after years of hope, prayer, and waiting… it seems the Dalton family finally has a miracle to celebrate!”

I felt Xavier shift beside me. I felt my own pulse hammer against my throat. Something was wrong…terribly, painfully wrong.

“Mom, what are you talking about?” Xavier asked, his brows pulling together.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Lydia cooed as though he were five. “You don’t have to pretend anymore.”

She snapped her fingers and that’s when she appeared.

A woman stepped forward from behind Lydia. Blonde hair in soft, perfect waves. A designer dress that probably cost more than my entire closet. And tied neatly around her waist…

A bright red ribbon. My breath hitched. The room tilted.

“Who…who is she?” I asked, forcing the words out. My voice cracked despite how hard I tried to steady it.

The blonde woman gave me a soft, almost sympathetic smile. “Hello,” she said gently, her hand going to her belly. “I’m Caroline Tanner. I’m…”

Lydia didn’t even let her finish.

“Catherine,” she said, turning to me with triumph glittering in her eyes, “this woman…is carrying your baby.”

Silence crashed over the table like a tsunami. My heart dropped so fast I thought I heard it shatter.

“Carrying… my what?”

Lydia lifted her glass higher. “Congratulations to you and Xavier for finally having a baby, through a surrogate!”

The air left my lungs. My ears rang. For a split second, I wasn’t even sure I was still conscious. It felt like someone had plunged a knife straight into my stomach and twisted it, leaving me bare and exposed to the whole world.