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Chapter Twenty-Five – Strings Attached

Author: Dreamyy
last update Last Updated: 2025-10-01 17:00:49

Maya felt like the ground had opened beneath her feet.

She clutched the edge of the doorframe so hard her knuckles went white, staring at Marcus as though he’d spoken in another language.

“You’re lying,” she whispered. “You have to be lying.”

His gaze didn’t flinch. “Maya, I wish to God I was. But I’ve traced every step, every transaction. The surrogacy contract wasn’t random. It was designed—every clause, every condition—to trap you and Adrian back in each other’s orbit.”

Her chest tightened painfully. “But why? Who would—”

“You already know who,” Marcus interrupted gently.

The image of Eleanor at breakfast, calm and smug, flickered through Maya’s mind. But this was bigger than Eleanor, wasn’t it? This wasn’t just disapproval or cruelty. This was manipulation on a scale that made Maya’s stomach churn.

Tears pricked her eyes. “They didn’t just want to ruin me… they wanted to control everything. Even this child.”

Marcus nodded grimly. “Exactly.”

Maya staggered back, sinking onto the ed
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  • Surrogate for My Cold-Hearted Ex   Chapter Thirty Three – The Bloodline Lie

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  • Surrogate for My Cold-Hearted Ex   Chapter Thirty Two – The Cost of Protection

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  • Surrogate for My Cold-Hearted Ex   Chapter Thirty-One – Storms Don’t Ask Permission

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  • Surrogate for My Cold-Hearted Ex   Chapter Thirty – The Woman in Red

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  • Surrogate for My Cold-Hearted Ex   Chapter Twenty-Eight – Strings in the Shadows

    Maya’s heart hammered as Eleanor’s words echoed in the silence.Long before you thought you’d escaped Adrian Knight, I was making sure you never truly could.The sentence pressed down on her chest like a weight, crushing, suffocating. She clutched her belly as if shielding the twins from a truth too poisonous to breathe in.“What… what are you talking about?” Maya demanded, her voice trembling. “What do you mean I’ve been watched?”Eleanor’s expression remained maddeningly calm, like a queen surveying pawns on a chessboard. “Exactly what I said. Do you think it was chance that brought you here? Fate?” She gave a delicate, disdainful laugh. “No, my dear. Chance is for fools. I prefer control.”Maya’s skin prickled. “Control? You mean you’ve been stalking me?”“Such an ugly word,” Eleanor sighed. “I prefer overseeing. Ensuring the right pieces fall into place.”Maya’s throat went dry. “Overseeing what?”Eleanor’s smile thinned. “Everything.”Adrian stepped forward sharply, his face pale

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