Chapter 2.

The doctor turned paper-white. "Mrs. Covington... you found out?" He pointed a shaking finger at the cowering nurse. "It was a mistake! She messed up—she's new! Two months ago, she pulled the wrong sample from the bank. I only just realized, but it's too late!"

"The wrong sample?" Eve pushed. Dr. Evans looked at her stomach, then spilled everything.

"The sperm used for your procedure... it wasn't President Covington's."

Eve's heart stopped. "What do you mean? And the eggs? If you lie to me, I will sue this hospital into the ground. I mean it! Do you understand me?"

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!" Evans stammered, handing her a file. "The sperm belongs to Gideon Holt of the Holt Group. Two years ago, he was in a near-fatal accident. He's an only son, so the family did an emergency collection to preserve his line. He recovered, but they never came back for the sample."

He took a frantic breath. "Your first round failed because Silas's sperm quality was poor, and the eggs he provided also had issues. When you came back for the second round, we used your own fresh eggs, but the nurse grabbed the Holt sample by mistake."

He looked at her with pity. "You're carrying your own biological children, Eve... but they aren't your husband's."

Eve felt a cold chill wash over her. In the span of two hours, her life had become a sick joke. She'd gone from being a secret surrogate for her husband's mistress to carrying the children of a total stranger. She looked down at her stomach. Silas's face flashed in her mind—the mask of the loving husband versus the monster in the office. If his plan had worked, she'd be carrying another woman's baby right now. The disgust she felt made her stomach churn.

Eve stopped crying. She wiped her face, a sharp, cold glint taking over her eyes. She walked right up to the doctor.

"Dr. Evans, no one else can ever know what happened today. Just the three of us. Do you understand?"

"Mrs. Covington, we—"

"I can choose to walk away and not sue," she cut him off. "But if this gets out, I'll make sure your medical license is revoked. And as for the nurse? Between the malpractice and the cover-up, she'll be looking at years in prison."

"We promise!" Evans gasped. "Not a word!"

Eve didn't look back. The only silver lining in this nightmare was that the babies were hers. They weren't the fruit of Silas's true love; they were hers. As for the Holts, as long as she kept her mouth shut, no one would ever know. She walked out of the hospital with one goal: divorce. She was done with the Covingtons. She'd have these babies and raise them on her own. She would live for herself now.

When she got back to the house, the sensor lights flickered on in the foyer. The place she once thought was a sanctuary now felt like a cage Silas had built to keep her in check. She went straight to the bedroom to pack, but as she opened the closet, she realized how little she actually had.

Back when she was the heiress of the St. Claire family, the Covingtons had crawled on their hands and knees to get her to marry Silas. They wanted the St. Claire connection. Silas had only married her because his parents forced him to, convinced she'd been the one to drive his precious Melody away.

But then the news broke: Eve was a fake heiress, switched at birth. The St. Claires had tossed her aside the second they found their real daughter. Overnight, the Covingtons had turned on her. Without her family's wealth, she was just an eyesore. Her mother-in-law, Julianne, spent every day mocking her, waiting for her to get the hint and leave.

Eve was zipping her suitcase when her phone buzzed. It was Julianne.

"Eve, did you forget what day it is? Get over here right now!" Julianne barked. "If you mess up today's business, I'll make your life a living hell!"

She hung up before Eve could answer.

Eve's face heated with anger. She'd forgotten—it was the day of the weekly visit to the Covington Estate. Ever since the fake heiress scandal, Julianne couldn't stand the sight of her, yet Silas hadn't officially filed for divorce yet, so Julianne settled for tormenting her instead.

The only reason Eve didn't block the number was Eleanor Covington, Silas's grandmother. The old woman lived in a sanatorium but came back to the estate once a week, and she was the only one who had ever been truly kind to Eve. For the old lady's sake, Eve went.

The moment she stepped through the door, something flew past her head.

"You finally decided to show up?" Julianne screamed. "Why didn't you just stay lost? Are you trying to be a jinx to this family?"

Eve ducked as an apple thudded against the wall and rolled across the floor. Seeing Eve actually dare to move, Julianne stormed over, her hand raised to deliver a slap. Eve reached out, grabbed her wrist, and squeezed hard.

"Enough," she said.