Chapter Two – Face to Face

Maya’s legs wouldn’t move. She sat frozen in the chair, Mrs. Grant’s words echoing through her head like a cruel joke.

Adrian Knight.

It couldn’t be.

Not him. Not after everything.

Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it in her ears. Heat crept up her neck, and for a moment she wondered if she might faint.

“This is… this is a mistake,” she whispered, shaking her head. “You must have the wrong file.”

Mrs. Grant’s expression was sympathetic but firm. “I’m afraid there’s no mistake, Maya. Adrian Knight is the intended father. He knows you’re the surrogate, and he has requested a meeting. Legally, he has that right.”

The room tilted, her vision narrowing. Of all the men in the world… it had to be him.

Memories rushed in before she could stop them—Adrian’s hand wrapped around hers at their wedding, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered promises of forever. Then his eyes, cold and hard, as he threw those same promises back in her face, accusing her of betrayal she hadn’t committed.

Three years had passed, but the wound was still raw.

“Maya,” Mrs. Grant’s voice softened. “Do you want me to arrange the meeting, or should I tell him you refuse?”

Her throat closed. Every instinct screamed to run. To hide. To vanish before Adrian could drag her back into his world of sharp words and colder stares.

But then she thought of Emily. Of the hospital bills stacked on the kitchen table. Of the promise she made to herself: nothing would stop her from saving her sister. Not even him.

“Set it up,” she forced out, her voice barely a whisper.

The next afternoon, Maya found herself standing in front of Knight Innovations—the towering skyscraper that bore his name in gleaming silver letters.

She hadn’t been here since their divorce. She’d avoided the building, the city block, even the skyline that held its silhouette. But here she was, her reflection trembling in the glass doors.

“Just breathe,” she whispered to herself.

The receptionist led her to the top floor, where the elevator doors opened into a vast office suite. Everything was sleek, dark, intimidating—just like the man who owned it.

And then she saw him.

Adrian Knight.

He stood with his back to her, staring out at the city through floor-to-ceiling windows. His tall frame was rigid, shoulders squared beneath the sharp lines of his tailored suit. The late afternoon light caught in his dark hair, glinting against strands she remembered running her fingers through once, long ago.

“Maya Rivers,” he said, his voice deep, clipped, without turning around. “Or should I say… Maya Knight.”

Her breath caught. The sound of her married name—her still married name, though she didn’t know that yet—sliced straight through her.

“Adrian,” she managed, her voice cracking slightly.

At last, he turned.

And there he was—the man she had loved, hated, missed, and sworn never to see again. His chiseled features were harder now, sharper, but his eyes—those storm-gray eyes—were the same. Cold. Unreadable.

For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.

Then his gaze swept over her, lingering on the faint swell of her stomach. It was barely there, but he noticed. Of course he did.

His jaw clenched. “So it’s true.”

Maya’s fingers curled into fists at her sides. “Yes. I’m pregnant. But I didn’t know it was you, Adrian. If I had—”

“You would’ve run.” His tone was cutting, though a flicker of something softer passed across his face before he masked it. “You always do.”

Her chest tightened with anger. “No, Adrian. You’re the one who ran. You pushed me out of your life. You didn’t even give me a chance to explain!”

The words came out sharper than she intended, years of buried pain bubbling to the surface.

For the first time, Adrian’s composure cracked. His eyes darkened, his lips thinning. “Explain? What was there to explain? I saw the evidence with my own eyes.”

Maya laughed bitterly. “Evidence? You mean the lies you were so quick to believe? You didn’t trust me then, and you clearly don’t trust me now.”

They stood there, locked in a stare that burned hotter than fire, heavier than stone.

Adrian finally broke it, running a hand over his jaw. “Regardless of the past, the fact remains—you’re carrying my child. And I won’t let history repeat itself. This time, I’ll be there. Every step of the way.”

Maya’s stomach flipped. His words carried weight she hadn’t expected.

“What are you saying?” she asked cautiously.

His gaze bore into her, intense and unyielding. “You’ll move into my estate. Effective immediately. I’ll provide everything you need—medical care, security, comfort. But I won’t leave this child’s wellbeing in the hands of chance.”

Her mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m very serious,” he said, his voice low, commanding. “This isn’t just about you, Maya. It’s about my heir.”

Heir. The word struck her like a slap. This wasn’t a baby to him—it was an heir, a legacy, another trophy in his empire.

Her anger flared. “I’m not moving into your cold mansion, Adrian. I may be carrying your child, but that doesn’t mean you control me.”

His lips curved into something between a smirk and a scowl. “You always did have a stubborn streak.” He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, the scent of his cologne tugging her back to nights she’d tried so hard to forget. “But this time, Maya, you don’t have a choice.”

Her heart pounded. She wanted to scream, to run, to fight—but before she could, Mrs. Grant’s voice echoed in her mind: He recognized your name when the files crossed his desk.

Her name.

But hadn’t the contract promised confidentiality? How had her identity even reached him?

As if reading her thoughts, Adrian’s expression shifted, just slightly.

“There’s something you should know,” he said, his tone quiet, almost reluctant.

Maya’s breath hitched. “What now?”

His gaze locked onto hers, unblinking. “Our divorce… it was never finalized.”

The floor dropped out from under her.

Her knees went weak, her mind spinning. Never finalized?

All this time—she had thought she was free. That the paper she signed, the signature she scrawled through tears, had severed the bond between them.

But it hadn’t.

She wasn’t Maya Rivers. She was still…

Maya Knight.

And now, pregnant with his child, under his roof was exactly where Adrian intended her to be.