Chapter Three – No Way Out

Maya stared at him, her heart hammering so loudly she thought it might burst.

“What… what do you mean our divorce wasn’t finalized?” Her voice cracked on the last word.

Adrian’s gaze didn’t waver. “Exactly what it sounds like. The papers were filed, yes. But due to a legal technicality—the final decree was never signed. Legally, you’re still my wife.”

Her knees went weak. She gripped the back of the leather chair to steady herself. Still his wife? No. That wasn’t possible. That wasn’t fair. She had walked away, scraped her life back together, sworn she’d never belong to him again.

“This is insane,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I signed the papers. I walked away. We’re done.”

Adrian’s lips pressed into a hard line. “You may think so. But in the eyes of the law, you’re still Mrs. Knight. Which means this child…” His eyes flicked toward her stomach, “…will be born into our marriage. Legitimately.”

Heat flared in her cheeks. “Don’t you dare twist this into some fairy tale, Adrian. I didn’t agree to this. I didn’t agree to you.”

His expression softened—just for a fraction of a second—before his walls slammed back into place. “This isn’t about us anymore, Maya. It’s about the baby.”

Her throat tightened. “Don’t pretend this is noble. This is control. You want me under your roof so you can keep me on a leash.”

He didn’t deny it.

Instead, he walked closer, his presence filling the space, commanding, overwhelming. “If ensuring the safety of my child means keeping you close, then yes, I’ll control every detail. I won’t risk another mistake. Not again.”

The words stung more than she wanted to admit. Because underneath his cold tone, she caught it—the faintest echo of regret.

But regret didn’t erase what he’d done.

Maya lifted her chin, summoning every ounce of strength she had. “I don’t care what the law says. I don’t care what you want. I won’t move in with you.”

Adrian’s gray eyes burned into hers. “You will.”

“No.”

“Yes,” he said firmly, his voice low and unyielding. “Because if you don’t, I’ll take this to court. And you know I’ll win. The judge will see you’re still my legal wife. That you signed a contract agreeing to carry this child. Combine the two, and custody becomes very simple.”

Maya’s stomach dropped. Cold fear snaked through her veins. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t.

But one look at Adrian’s expression told her he absolutely would.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction.

“Try me,” he said flatly.

Her chest tightened until she could barely breathe. He had her trapped, cornered like a pawn on one of his chessboards.

For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Maya’s eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears fall. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Finally, she straightened. “Fine. If that’s what it takes to protect this baby—and my sister—I’ll do it. But don’t fool yourself, Adrian. Living under your roof doesn’t mean you’ve won me back. This is business. Nothing more.”

Something flickered in his eyes—pain, maybe, or something dangerously close to longing. But he smothered it quickly.

“Good,” he said, his tone clipped. “I’ll have a car sent for you tomorrow. Pack what you need. You’ll stay at the estate until the child is born.”

Maya’s hands curled into fists. Until the child is born. As though she was just an incubator, a vessel, a means to an end.

She hated him in that moment. Hated him for his arrogance, his control, his refusal to see her as anything but a mistake and a burden.

But most of all, she hated that part of her heart still reacted to him—still remembered his touch, his laughter, the way he once made her feel safe.

She pushed the thought away. That man didn’t exist anymore.

The next day, the car came. A sleek black sedan, waiting outside her small apartment like a shadow.

Emily watched from the couch, her thin frame wrapped in a blanket. “Are you sure about this, May?”

Maya forced a smile, brushing her sister’s hair back from her pale face. “I don’t have much of a choice, Em. But it’s only temporary. I’ll get through it.”

Emily’s eyes softened with worry. “Just… don’t let him hurt you again.”

Maya swallowed hard. “I won’t.”

She kissed her sister’s forehead, grabbed her small suitcase, and stepped into the car.

As the city blurred past the tinted windows, her stomach churned—not just from morning sickness, but from dread.

Adrian’s estate was everything she remembered and more—an imposing mansion at the edge of the city, surrounded by manicured lawns and guarded gates. It looked more like a fortress than a home.

When the car stopped, a butler opened the door, greeting her with stiff politeness. Maya stepped out, her sneakers sinking slightly into the gravel driveway. The mansion loomed above her, its dark windows like watching eyes.

She hated it already.

Inside, everything was pristine, expensive, soulless. Marble floors gleamed under crystal chandeliers. A grand staircase spiraled upward like something out of a magazine.

“Mrs. Knight,” the butler said, bowing slightly. “Mr. Knight will join you shortly.”

Maya winced at the title but didn’t correct him. What was the point?

She wandered into the living room, her gaze landing on the massive fireplace, the leather sofas, the view of the gardens beyond the glass walls. Everything screamed wealth, power, and control.

But no warmth, and love.

Just like Adrian.

Footsteps echoed behind her. She turned—and there he was, descending the staircase like a king surveying his domain.

Her pulse betrayed her, quickening against her will. He looked infuriatingly perfect—crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms, dark trousers tailored to precision.

“You’re here,” he said simply.

“Don’t act surprised,” she muttered. “You didn’t give me much of a choice.”

A faint smirk tugged at his lips. “You’re stubborn as ever.”

She crossed her arms. “And you’re arrogant as ever.”

For a moment, they just stared at each other, the air between them crackling with unspoken words, old wounds, unresolved heat.

Adrian finally stepped closer, his voice low. “We’ll have rules, Maya. Boundaries. You’ll stay here, take care of yourself, attend your appointments. I’ll handle everything else.”

Her jaw tightened. “You always did like to handle everything.”

His eyes softened just slightly, his voice dropping lower. “Someone has to.”

Before Maya could snap back, the butler returned, holding a thick envelope. “Sir, the clinic delivered additional medical files for review.”

Adrian took the envelope, flipping it open casually. Then he froze.

His eyes scanned the pages, widening slightly. The mask of control slipped—just for a second.

Maya frowned. “What is it?”

He looked up, his expression unreadable. But his knuckles whitened around the papers.

“The ultrasound results,” he said slowly. “Maya… you’re not carrying one baby.”

Her breath hitched. “What?”

Adrian’s gray eyes locked onto hers, stormy and intense.

“You’re carrying twins.”