LOGINSerena’s POVA rough hand gripped my shoulder and shook me violently. My eyes snapped open, and my heart began to hammer against my ribs. The freezing air of the servant's quarters hit my bare skin immediately. A stern housemaid stood over my narrow iron bed, her face set in a deep scowl as she stared down at me."Get up," she said, pulling the thin wool blanket off my body and tossing it onto the floor. "Mr. Cole is waiting for you. You need to move right now."I sat up slowly, my head spinning from the sudden movement. My stomach felt completely empty, and a dull ache throbbed in my lower back. I reached toward the wooden dresser to grab my canvas bag so I could take my vitamins, but the maid grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the door."There is no time for that," she muttered, her grip tight and cold. She pushed me out into the dark stone corridor.Damien stood in the main hallway just outside the door to the servant's wing. He did not say a word about my tangled hair or my bar
Serena’s POVWhen I was myself again, I ordered a cab with my last cash.The cab driver did not speak to me as the vehicle idled outside the massive iron gates of the Cole estate. I reached into the hidden lining of my heavy coat, pulled out one of the crisp hundred-dollar bills from the stranger's package, and handed it through the plastic partition. The driver took the money with a short nod, and the mechanical locks clicked open. I stepped outside with my spirit completely dead.I dragged my feet across the gravel driveway and walked into the servant’s wing, my wet canvas shoes leaving dark tracks on the concrete floor. The small room was just as cold as I had left it. I changed into a dry cotton nightgown, swallowed two of the prenatal vitamins from the package, and lay down on the thin mattress. I stared at the ceiling in the dark, waiting for the final blow to fall.I was a fool to come back here but I had nowhere else to go, I had nothing and no cent to my name so I could do no
Serena’s POVThe silver pen felt incredibly heavy in my hand. I looked down at the document on the metal table, the legal terms blurring together before my eyes. My body was completely broken from the lack of food and the freezing chill of the concrete holding cell. Another sharp, hot cramp rolled through my lower abdomen, and I had to squeeze my thighs together to stop myself from whimpering out loud.I looked across the table at Damien who sat there with a frown on his face and his arms folded tightly across his chest. He did not look like the man I had married. He looked like a cold banker waiting to foreclose on a piece of bad property. His high-powered lawyers stood behind him, their polished leather briefcases glinting under the harsh fluorescent lights of the interrogation room.I knew I could not survive another night in that damp cell. My baby could not survive it. If I stayed here, the stress and the starvation would kill my child before the legal team even finalized the tri
Serena’s POVThe heavy iron door of the interrogation room groaned when the guard pushed it open. I stumbled inside, my bare feet freezing against the linoleum floor. The metallic smell of old coffee and bleach filled the tight space. I sat down on the hard metal chair, my hands immediately dropping to cover my swollen stomach. A sharp, hot cramp rolled through my abdomen, and I squeezed my eyes shut until the pain slowly passed. I haven’t eaten since they threw me in here and no matter how much I begged, nobody listened to me.I have wailed and cried all my tears out yet nobody wants to do anything. They are all taking their orders from my husband.Of all things Damian has done, throwing me in jail has got to be the top of it. The double doors at the far end of the room opened and Damien walked in. He wore a dark charcoal bespoke suit that looked entirely out of place in the dingy police station. His hair was perfectly styled, but his face was an absolute mask of stone. Two of his
Serena’s POVThe bright headlights of three police cruisers cut through the dark windows of the morning room, casting long, moving shadows across the walls. It was barely three o'clock in the morning. I sat on the edge of a low armchair near the foyer, my arms wrapped tightly around my stomach. The silence of the mansion was broken by the crunch of heavy tires on the gravel driveway, followed by the loud slam of car doors.The front doors of the estate swung open. Four uniformed police officers walked into the foyer. Damien’s personal corporate attorney, Mr Vance walked right behind them. He held a leather folder under his arm and looked at me with a cold, professional detachment."That is her," Mr. Vance said to the lead officer, pointing his pen toward me. "Serena Cole. Her husband, Mr. Damien Cole, has officially filed charges of attempted murder against her."I stood up slowly, my legs shaking so badly I had to catch my balance on the arm of the chair. "What? No, you do not under
Damien’s POVA guttural roar tore from my throat as I crossed the distance of the marble foyer. The sound didn't even feel like my own. My eyes were locked onto Liliana’s small, broken shape crumpled at the base of the grand staircase. The red blood spreading across the pristine white limestone looked bright, too bright, cutting through the sterile perfection of my home. My hands shook violently as I dropped to my knees beside her, my suit trousers soaking in the spilled water from the shattered glass jar."Liliana! Liliana, look at me," I breathed, my voice thick and erratic. I cradled her head, my fingers instantly staining with the warm crimson leaking from the gash on her forehead.The heavy front doors of the mansion groaned open with a sudden slam. Margaret walked into the foyer, her arms full of designer shopping bags from her aborted trip. She took one look at the blood, the glass, and Liliana whimpering in my arms, and her bags hit the floorboards with a heavy thud."Oh my g
Serena’s povThe soft hum of the Bentley filled the silence as we drove away from the hospital.I rested my hand on my stomach and smiled to myself again.The baby had been active throughout the appointment. Even the doctor laughed when the little kicks refused to stop during the scan.“Your baby i
Serena’s povI cried myself to sleep that night.I sat alone in the huge bedroom while my messages kept failing one after another.Every failed message felt like another slap to my face.My husband blocked me like I was some stranger bothering him.At some point, I stopped texting.I just sat there
Serena’s povThings felt different after the dinner with Liliana.I noticed how Damian became quieter around me afterward.He still kissed my forehead before leaving for work every morning.He still asked if I had eaten.He still made sure the drivers moved carefully whenever I sat inside the car.
Serena’s povI barely slept that night.I stayed awake in the large bed alone while the clock beside me kept moving slowly but Damien never came back.Every sound outside made my heart jump for nothing.I stared at the empty side of the bed and kept thinking about Liliana and the way he left me beh







