Chapter 9

Elena's POV

The room went silent.

"You want us... to adopt a random baby?" I asked, feigning shock.

"Not random! Mike's son!" Liam insisted. "Look, Elena, let's be real. Your body... it's not built for this. You're stressed, you work too much, and biologically... it's just not happening. But this baby needs a mother. And you... you need a child to fix you."

To fix me.

He wanted me to raise his bastard son so that Sophia wouldn't have to deal with the sleepless nights, and so he could have his heir under his roof. He wanted me to be the free nanny.

I wanted to vomit. I wanted to scream.

But then I remembered the locked drawer in his study. The one he never let me touch. If I agreed... if I played the compliant, desperate wife... maybe he would lower his guard.

I forced tears into my eyes. I made my lip tremble.

"Oh, Liam," I whispered. "Do you really think... I could be a mother?"

"Of course," Liam smiled, the trap snapping shut. "You'll be great. And Sophia... she's volunteered to help with the paperwork. She knows the agency. She can bring the baby over for you to meet soon."

"Okay," I said, burying my face in his chest to hide my expression. "Okay, Liam. Let's do it."

"Good girl," he kissed the top of my head. "I'll go tell Sophia the good news. She's coming over tomorrow to finalize things."

He let go of me and practically skipped toward his study.

"Oh, Liam?" I called out.

He stopped. "Yeah?"

"I need the tax documents for the visa renewal," I lied smoothly. "Can you leave the key to the filing cabinet? I want to sort it out tomorrow while you're at practice."

Liam hesitated for a split second. But he was high on victory. He had the wife, the mistress, and the baby plan all sorted.

"Sure, babe," he said. "It's in the top drawer. Just don't mess up my system."

He walked away.

I stood alone in the kitchen. My hand moved to my stomach.

You want me to raise your son, Liam? I thought. I'll raise him. I'll raise him to know exactly what kind of man his father is.

But first, I was going to open that cabinet and bury you.

The next morning, the house was quiet. Liam had left for practice, whistling.

I was in the study.

The filing cabinet was a treasure trove. It didn't take long to find what I was looking for. Not just the tax fraud, but the transfers.

Monthly transfer: $15,000 to S. Cruz. Real Estate Purchase: Condo in Manhattan, Co-owner: Sophia Cruz. Medical Bills: Prenatal Care, VIP Package.

He was spending our money, money I had helped him earn by keeping his body functional, on her.

I took photos of everything. I uploaded them to a secure cloud server that only I could access.

"Working hard, or hardly working?"

I spun around.

Sophia was standing in the doorway of the study. I hadn't heard the front door open. She had a key. Of course she did.

She was wearing a tight cashmere sweater that accentuated her small bump. Her eyes scanned the papers on the desk.

"Snooping, Elena?" she tutted. "Liam won't like that."

"I'm getting tax documents," I said, closing the folder calmly. "Like I told him."

Sophia walked into the room. She didn't look convinced. Her eyes drifted to the open bag on the chair, my medical bag.

Inside, a bottle of prenatal vitamins was visible. I had forgotten to hide it deep enough.

Sophia's eyes narrowed. She reached into the bag and pulled out the bottle.

"Prenatal vitamins?" she read the label. She looked at me, then at my stomach. A dark realization dawned on her face.

"You didn't go to the clinic," she whispered.

I stood up. "Give that back."

"You're pregnant," Sophia said, her voice rising. "Liam said you were barren. He said you went to the clinic to fix your broken uterus. But you're pregnant."

"It's none of your business."

"It is my business!" Sophia screeched. She threw the bottle at me. It hit my chest and clattered to the floor. "He promised me! He promised my son would be the heir! If you have a child... a legitimate child..."

Panic flared in her eyes. If I had a baby, her child would just be the bastard. Liam might stay with me for the sake of his public image. Her plan to replace me would fail.

"You have to get rid of it," she hissed, advancing on me.

"You're insane," I said, backing away toward the hallway. "Get out of my house."

"It's not your house!" Sophia lunged at me.

I dodged her. My cast made me clumsy, but I was still faster than her. I made it to the hallway, heading for the stairs. I needed to get to my phone. I needed to call the police.

The front door opened.

"Honey, I'm home! Forgot my knee brace!" Liam's voice boomed from the foyer below.

Sophia froze. Her eyes darted from me to the stairs, then to Liam's voice.

A twisted, evil smile spread across her face.

"Perfect timing," she whispered.

Then, she screamed.

"No! Elena! Don't push me!"

Before I could react, Sophia threw herself backward.

She didn't just stumble. She launched herself down the carpeted stairs, flailing her arms, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"STOP!" I yelled, reaching out instinctively to grab her, but I was too far away.

She tumbled down the last four steps, landing in a heap at the bottom, right at Liam's feet.