LOGINOn the night Elena Carter discovers she is carrying her husband’s child, she believes her dreams have finally come true. For three years, she has endured Damien Rothschild’s coldness, cherished every fleeting moment of tenderness, and held on to the hope that one day he might love her back. But instead of joy, her secret gift is met with cruelty. A single letter, accusing Elena and her late mother of orchestrating the accident that nearly killed Damien’s parents, shatters everything. Betrayed and blinded by rage, Damien casts her aside, accusing her of lies, greed, and manipulation. Worse, he threatens to destroy her brother’s future unless she signs the divorce papers. Heartbroken but resolute, Elena walks away, pregnant, abandoned, and determined to protect her child from the man she once loved more than life itself. Five years later, Elena has rebuilt her life. She is stronger, successful, and devoted to raising her twins in secret. But Damien Rothschild is a man who never forgets. He never lets go. When he learns that she carried his children, nothing will stop him from claiming back what he lost. Now Elena must face the man who broke her, the father of her children, and the billionaire whose love is as dangerous as his power. Will she let him back into her life, or will she protect her heart and her family from him forever?
View MoreElena’s POV
The pregnancy test had been trembling in my hands when the phone rang. I didn’t even need to answer to know who it was.
“Elena?” Elijah’s voice burst through the line, vibrant and excited, the way only my little brother could sound. “Congratulations, sis, you’re pregnant. Just over a month!”
My lips parted, and suddenly the whole world tilted. Pregnant. I pressed a hand over my flat stomach as though I could already feel the life stirring inside me. My chest filled with a joy so fierce it burned.
On the very day of our third wedding anniversary.
A sign. It had to be.
“Are you sure?” My voice trembled.
“As sure as science can be,” Elijah laughed softly. “Don’t you dare stress. You’re carrying the heir to the Rothschilds, Elena. Be careful, alright?”
The heir. My child. Damien’s child.
My heart fluttered in disbelief. After three years of quietly loving him, of being patient with his indifference, of clutching onto every sliver of kindness he spared me, I finally carried a piece of him that would never leave me.
“Thank you, Elijah.” My voice cracked, thick with emotion. “This is the best day of my life.”
The call ended, and I sat still for a long moment, staring at the phone as if it might tell me what to do next. But I already knew.
Tonight, I would tell Damien.
I would give him the one thing no one, not even Isabella, could ever take away from me. Our child.
The dining room table was set with more care than ever before. White lilies in the crystal vase he’d bought me on our first anniversary. His favourite dishes arranged on porcelain plates that gleamed beneath the chandelier’s light. I had even put on the pale silk dress he once said suited me, not knowing the offhand remark had meant the world to me.
Hours passed.
Ten o’clock. Eleven. Midnight.
My smile wavered, my hope thinning with each glance at the clock. I told myself he must be busy. That a man running the country’s most powerful empire didn’t measure time the way I did. Yet by one in the morning, fear began to gnaw at my heart.
I was rising to call him again when the door suddenly swung open.
“Damien!” Relief flooded me. “You’re home. I was so worried, ”
My words cut off as he strode inside. His eyes, usually sharp and cool, were like shards of ice tonight. He reeked of scotch and fury.
Before I could touch him, his hand came down against my cheek.
The crack echoed through the silence.
I staggered, clutching my face, disbelief turning the air to stone. He had never laid a hand on me before.
“Damien…” My voice broke. “What, what are you doing?”
His answer was a sheet of paper hurled at my chest.
I caught it with trembling fingers.
Mr. Rothschild,
“Please accept my deepest apologies for the crime I committed…”
The words blurred before me as I read about a hired driver confessing, claiming my late mother and I had orchestrated the accident that killed Damien’s parents, all to secure this marriage. Money transfers, instructions to hit them, threats against Isabella. It read:
“Two years ago, in a desperate attempt to pay for my wife’s medical treatment, I accepted money from your wife, Elena, and her mother, Sophia Carter. Under their instructions, I struck your parents with my car. At the time, blinded by fear and desperation, I obeyed without understanding their true motive, to sever your relationship with Miss Isabella and secure Elena’s position as your wife.
Later, to further drive Miss Isabella away from you, they coerced me into attempting her abduction, threatening to withhold the promised money if I refused. I complied, not out of malice, but because I believed it was the only way to keep my wife alive.
Since then, remorse has consumed me. I enclose the $10,000 I received from Elena, along with the transfer messages as proof. I know these gestures cannot undo the suffering I have caused, but I pray they may serve as a step toward truth and justice.
Please find it in your heart, if not to forgive me, then at least to understand the desperate man I was, and the guilt that has never left me.
With deepest regret.”
My hands shook violently. “This is a lie! Damien, I swear on my mother’s grave, this isn’t true.”
His laughter was bitter. “Enough. Do you think I’m a fool? All these years, you played innocent while hiding this from me. You and that scheming mother of yours trapped me into this sham of a marriage.”
“Damien, please listen, ”
“No!” His voice thundered. “If it weren’t for my parents forcing me, I would have married Isabella. You knew I loved her. You stole that from me.”
The room tilted, nausea clawing at my throat. He was cutting me open with every word, but I forced my voice steady. “I didn’t steal anything. I loved you, Damien. I have loved you since we were children. Isabella only ever wanted your money. You know that.”
“And what about you?” His eyes flashed with contempt. “Wasn’t it money your family chased? My parents gave your mother a job out of charity, but it was never enough, was it? You wanted everything. Admit it.”
Tears spilled hot down my cheeks. “No. I only wanted you.”
“You?” Damien scoffed. “Elena, don’t delude yourself. I never loved you. Not once. The only reason I touched you was to blow off steam. That’s all you ever were to me… a tool.”
My breath caught. A tool. After everything he’d promised, after saying he wanted a child with me?
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
For a heartbeat, silence crashed between us. His jaw clenched, his hands tightening into fists.
“Pregnant.” His voice dripped with venom. “Is this part of the plan too? Another trick to keep me chained? Do you really think an unknown baby will change anything?”
The word unknown sliced through me.
“It’s your child, Damien!” My voice cracked, raw with anguish.
He stepped closer, towering, merciless. “No. It’s nothing but proof of your deceit. You disgust me, Elena. Sign the divorce papers now, or Elijah loses his job at my hospital. And if you resist, I’ll make sure the world knows what your mother did.”
My knees weakened. “You wouldn’t, ”
“Try me.” His lips curled. “Sign them. Or watch everything crumble around you.”
The man I loved, the man I had once dreamed would protect me, turned his back without another glance. His footsteps faded into the night, leaving only the echo of my sobs.
The lilies on the table drooped, the candles flickered out.
And the secret inside me pressed faintly against my womb, reminding me of the life I might now have to protect alone.
Damien’s POVWe stepped out of the room, and the moment the door shut behind us, I let out a sharp breath. My pulse was still pounding.Adrian’s tone was calm but firm. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t.”“He’s my cousin,” I said flatly. “He sat at my table. I treated him like a brother for a time, and all this time, ” I broke off, anger cutting through the words. “He wanted to break my home apart.”Adrian stopped walking. “Listen to me. Let the police handle this. They’ve got a process. You go after James now, you’ll make it look like personal vengeance. You’ll lose leverage.”“I don’t care about leverage.”“I do,” he said. “And so should you. We’ve come too far to throw everything away on a punch.”I stared at him, chest heaving, then forced myself to nod. “Fine.”He sighed. “They’ve asked that we stay in town until they verify the evidence. A few days at most.”“Understood.”We exited the building. The sunlight outside felt too bright, almost mocking. I walked to the car, fists s
Damien’s POVThe morning air in Evercrest was colder than I remembered, brisk and sharp enough to sting. By the time the car pulled up in front of the police station, my nerves were already humming. The city was the same, but everything about it felt different now, heavier.Adrian was waiting outside, a coffee cup in one hand and a folder in the other. He waved me over as soon as I stepped out.“You made good time,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting you until noon.”“I didn’t come here to waste daylight.”He smirked faintly. “Fair enough. Come on, he’s inside. We’ve been holding him since dawn.”The moment we entered the station, the atmosphere shifted, the mix of stale air, coffee, and something metallic that clung to every interrogation room I’d ever stood in. Adrian led me down a narrow hallway lined with glass partitions.“You’d be amused to know,” he said, “I almost didn’t come in today. I was supposed to drive to Westmere, start the investigation into the attempted abduction.”“You’r
Damien’s POVMy parents’ house was just a short drive away, but it always felt like stepping back in time. The moment I entered, my mother was already descending the staircase, her face lighting up.“Damien,” she said warmly, reaching for me. “I heard about what happened to Elena. Are you both all right?”“She’s fine,” I assured her. “Shaken, but safe. My men handled it before anything could happen.”She exhaled, relief softening her expression. “Thank God.”My father appeared behind her, newspaper in hand. “We were worried. The guards said you were coming over.”“I wanted to tell you both before I left,” I said. “Adrian found the man who paid the bank manager to forge the Carter account. They have him in custody.”My mother’s eyes widened. “Finally,” she breathed. “Sophia will get her justice.”My father’s expression hardened. “And you’ll finally get the truth. Good.”I nodded. “I’ll be heading to Evercrest to handle the formalities. It’s time this ended.”My mother smiled faintly, pr
Damien’s POVI climbed the stairs slowly, half-expecting to find Elena still awake, staring at the ceiling the way she sometimes did when she was overthinking. But when I reached the bedroom, she was already in bed, her body curled beneath the duvet, her breathing slow.The lamp cast a soft amber glow across her face. I stood there for a moment, watching her, the same woman who’d survived every blow I’d ever dealt her, who still somehow had room in her heart to forgive.Quietly, I slid under the sheets beside her.She stirred, eyes fluttering open for a second before settling on me. “You’re not asleep?” she murmured.“Couldn’t,” I said.Without another word, she shifted closer until her head rested against my chest. Her hand came to rest over my heart, her fingers tracing lazy circles through the fabric of my shirt.That single gesture, small, natural, unthinking, hit me harder than any confession ever could.She was relaxing into me. Letting me in again.Maybe she was finally lowerin
Damien’s POVElena had fallen asleep in my arms not long after the crying stopped. Her breathing was shallow, her hands still trembling even in rest. I carried her upstairs, holding her as though she’d break if I let go. She didn’t stir.In the bedroom, I laid her gently on the bed, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. She looked fragile, her lashes still damp from tears. I tucked the blanket around her shoulders and stood there for a long while, watching the rise and fall of her chest until it steadied.Anger simmered low in my gut. Whoever had sent those men , whoever thought they could touch her , had just signed their death warrant.When I was sure she was asleep, I stepped into the study and closed the door behind me. The air felt thick with silence. I picked up my phone and dialed the one man who never hesitated to answer, no matter the hour.“Adrian,” I said the second he picked up.“Damien.” His tone was clipped, alert. “I was just about to call you. The guards report
Elena’s POVFor a second, no one said anything. The air around us felt brittle. Claire’s smirk was as sharp as the heels she stood on, and Ethan’s jaw tightened in silent irritation.“Claire,” he said finally, his tone firm, “the lounge was reserved, by me. You’re not supposed to be here.”She gave him a slow once-over, then flicked her gaze to me. “Relax, Ethan. I was just saying hello. Though,” she added with a grin that didn’t reach her eyes, “since Elena here is clearly off the market, maybe you and I should finally get together.”Ethan didn’t even blink. “Not interested.”The dismissal wiped the amusement from her face. Her lips thinned. “Well, at least you’re consistent. Always chasing what you can’t have.” Then she turned to me, voice syrupy sweet. “Tell me, Elena, does your husband know you’re out here flirting with other men while he’s at home nursing his heart?”My stomach twisted, but before I could respond, she pulled out her phone, the camera already pointed toward us. “M


















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