Chapter 1

Peyton Shaw froze when he saw me.

He hurriedly pushed the plate of spaghetti toward me.

"You're back. I made you some spaghetti."

He wore an apron over his bare chest.

He was over six feet tall, with striking features, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist.

I swallowed and couldn't help looking at him a little longer.

Then I saw his clean skin, and my nose stung with tears.

I suddenly thought of Gavin Zane.

His chest, back, and thighs were covered in clusters of red rashes.

He never let me turn off the lights. He said I had to look at his body and remember who my man was.

When I asked for a divorce, he grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall.

"If you tell anyone, I'll make sure everyone you care about suffers!"

Peyton noticed my red eyes and quickly lifted the spaghetti with his fork.

He brought the two eggs hidden underneath to the top. "I made you two eggs today."

I glanced at his plate. He didn't have any eggs.

I sat down, twirled some spaghetti around my fork, and took a bite.

For the first time in three years, I ate at a table.

I didn't have to kneel as punishment from my in-laws.

I didn't have to lie on the floor and eat from a dog bowl because I hadn't gotten pregnant.

A tear fell onto my plate.

Peyton panicked. He reached out to wipe my tears, but stopped halfway and drew his hand back.

He lowered his head, took a beautiful little box from his pocket, and carefully pushed it toward me.

"I bought the necklace you liked the other day."

He paused, then spoke more softly.

"Sasha, once I pay off my debts, I'll get you something even better."

I looked at the necklace, which cost nearly two thousand dollars, and felt a sudden ache in my chest.

[Sasha, your life wasn't unhappy. You just weren't satisfied with it.]

While Peyton washed the dishes, Sasha sent me a photo.

I opened it. It showed a pregnancy test with two lines.

[Shayla Moore, I'm pregnant. My mother-in-law was so happy she doubled my monthly spending money from one million to two million dollars on the spot.]

[Don't blame me. Everyone has to look out for themselves. We're best friends, after all, so I'll enjoy your good fortune for you!]

I stared at the screen, my fingers motionless.

My in-laws didn't know their son had HIV.

That was why they once made me kneel for three days and nights after they caught me secretly taking birth control pills.