PREGNANT BY MY HUSBAND’S RIVAL: THE BILLIONAIRE'S REVENGE

Elena’s POV The hotel lobby smelled like expensive perfume and polished wood. Everything looked perfect and rich. I felt out of place. I held my small black clutch tightly. My heart was beating so fast it hurt. I was Elena Montgomery. I organized charity events. I made sure flowers matched tablecloths. I was a respectable wife. I did not do things like this. I didn't book "services" from apps. But then I remembered the scent of jasmine perfume on Mark’s shirt. I remembered him calling me stagnant. That word burned inside me. I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the penthouse. Room 402. My hands were shaking, but my face stayed calm. When the elevator doors opened, the hallway was quiet and soft under my heels. I reached the door and unlocked it with my phone. Click. The room was dim. The city lights shone through tall windows. A man stood near the window with his back to me. “You’re late,” he said. His voice was deep and steady. He wasn't what I expect

The museum was filled with the sound of a hundred violins, but to me, it sounded like a funeral.Every step I took in my high heels felt like I was walking on fire. My stomach was in knots, not just from the nerves, but from the fear I felt. In my mind, I felt like I was already showing. I felt like the whole world could see the secret growing inside me, even though my stomach was still flat under the blue dress."Keep your head up, Elena," Mark hissed, leaning into my ear. He was sweating. I could see the moisture on his forehead even in the dim gala lighting. "You look like you’re going to a wake. Smile. Look happy. Look like the wife of a man who deserves to be a Managing Director.""I'm trying, Mark," I whispered. My voice felt like it was coming from a mile away."Try harder. Vane is here somewhere. I need to find him before the other VPs corner him. This is my night. Don’t ruin it with your stagnant mood."He used that word again. Stagnant.I looked at him and felt a wave of p

Julian Vane stepped out. He wasn't in a hundred thousand dollar suit surprisingly. He wore a simple black sweater that hugged his broad shoulders and dark jeans. He looked less like a CEO and more like a predator out for a stroll. But as he looked at me standing there in the middle of the parking lot, his expression shifted. For the first time, he looked genuinely surprised. His dark eyebrows pulled together, and he stopped a few feet away from me."Elena?" His voice was low, vibrating through the quiet. "What are you doing all the way out here?"My fear instantly turned into a sharp, hot anger. I wouldn’t have had to drive miles all the way here if he hadn’t knocked me up. I was with Mark for a decade and I never had a pregnancy scare. One night with him and he was becoming a big threat to my life."Are you stalking me?" I snapped, stepping toward my car. "Is this what you do? You buy my husband’s company and then follow his wife to a random parking lot against her wishes?". Juli

ELENA’s POV The sunlight hitting the room was too bright, too cold. I blinked, my eyes heavy, and for a second, I didn't know where I was. The ceiling was too high. The sheets were too soft. They smelled like sandalwood and expensive scotch.Then I remembered. The study. The door clicking shut. The way Julian looked at me after I saw Mark disappear into a bedroom with Tasha. The rage I felt, the heartbreak, and the desperate need to feel something anything other than the pain of being stuck in a loveless marriage. I sat up abruptly, pulling the heavy silk duvet to my chest. Julian was already awake. He was propped up on one elbow, watching me with an expression that was terrifyingly calm. He looked like he had been awake for hours, just waiting for me to open my eyes."Good morning, Elena," he said. His voice was raspy from sleep, but it still held that commanding edge.I scrambled out of the bed, my heart racing. I felt exposed, even with the sheets wrapped around me. My clothes

ELENA’s POVThe sound of the front door slamming at 5:00 AM was the most beautiful thing I had heard in ten years. I stood by the window, watching the tail lights of Mark’s car disappear down the driveway. He was gone. For two weeks, I wouldn't have to smell his stale scotch. I wouldn't have to hear him brag about his achievements. I wouldn't have to watch him eye every woman who walked past us. I leaned my forehead against the cool glass and let out a breath I felt like I’d been holding since the gala. My hand went to my stomach, a protective instinct I didn't even know I had. "It’s just us," I whispered to the empty room. "We can finally breathe."I walked to the kitchen to make some ginger tea. I was actually smiling. I thought about the $25 million trust fund, the mistake Mark didn’t see on the papers he made me sign. I thought about the secret apartment Chloe was helping me find. I just had to survive these two weeks, and then I could vanish before Mark ever found out about