Chapter 1

Emily Pov

Beep... beep... beep...

Emily Carter’s eyes slowly opened to the sound of a steady beep. She looked up at the plain white ceiling. She was in a hospital.

Her hand moved to her stomach. It felt flat — no more baby bump.She remembered just giving birth. Her heart started beating faster. But there was a smile on her face.

" where is my baby?" She said softly

"Good that you’re awake,” A voice said sharply. Before she could respond, a check was throw on her.

“Now take this and never appear in front of me again” the voice added. Emily gasped and looked up, startled. There, standing by her bedside, was Charles Grey—her fiancé.

But the Charles she saw wasn’t the man she knew. His eyes burned with hate and annoyance, like she had done something unforgivable.

She’d never seen him look at her this way before.

" What are you saying, Charles?" she asked, her voice quivering with confusion as she tried to sit up, ignoring the dull ache that shot through her body.

"We just welcomed our baby." She pressed a hand to her stomach again, hollow and flat. The baby she carried for nine long months. The baby they’d talked about over late-night dinners, whose name they’d chosen together under a sky full of stars.

"I haven’t even seen my baby," she said, her voice breaking with rising panic. "And what do you mean that I shouldn’t appear in front of you again?" Her brows knit, eyes desperately searching his face for any trace of warmth.

"You’re my fiancé, Charles. We’re getting married in three weeks." He scoffed. A bitter, joyless sound.

"Were," he corrected coldly. "We were getting married."

Emily blinked, stunned. The room began to spin slightly, not from the medication, but from the shock. She pulled the blanket up around her as if it could shield her from his words.

"Charles… please, what’s going on?" she whispered. He tossed the check onto her lap. Her eyes fell to it. Ten thousand dollars. A disgusting price tag for a goodbye.

"That’s for your troubles," he said flatly. "Take it. Disappear. You and I? We’re done. You should be thankful I’m even being this generous."

Emily slowly got out of bed, her legs weak and shaking. Every part of her body hurt, but she forced herself to stand. She needed to know what was going on. She took a step toward Charles, her hand reaching out.

“Charles… please,” she whispered. “You can’t mean what you said. We just had our baby.” But before she could take another step, a sharp voice cut through the room.

“Don’t you dare touch my man.” Emily froze. She turned and saw Julie Ross standing at the door, dressed like she was ready for a party, her arms crossed and a nasty smirk on her face.

“Your… man?” Emily asked, confused. “Julie, what are you talking about?” Julie walked in confidently, heels clicking on the floor.

“Yes, Charles is mine,” she said with pride. “Did you really think someone like you could steal him from me?” Emily’s heart raced.

“But… aren’t you two cousins? On your mom’s side?”

Julie burst into laughter, then walked over to Charles and gently touched his face. He didn’t move away. Instead, he kissed her. Emily stared, her chest tightening.

“No… this can’t be real…”

Julie turned back to her. “You’re the only one who believed that cousin lie. Everyone else knows we’ve been together for years.” Emily’s hands shook.

“So… this was all fake?” Julie nodded slowly, enjoying every second. “Charles never loved you. He only came to you because of your mother’s inheritance. And now that you’ve handed it over to him, there’s no need to keep pretending.”

Emily looked at Charles, hoping for a sign that it wasn’t true. But his face was cold.

“It was never about love,” he said quietly. “It was just business.”

Emily dropped to her knees, tears falling freely. Her heart felt like it had shattered into pieces. She sat on the cold hospital floor, shaking. Her chest was tight, and she could barely breathe. Tears ran down her face, and her hands pulled at her hair. The pain in her heart was too much. It felt like the world had turned upside down.

“Why, Charles?” she cried out, looking up at him with broken eyes. “Why did you do this to me? Why did you get me pregnant if you never loved me?” Her voice cracked with pain.

“What’s going to happen to our baby? Where is my baby?” She was in denial. She wanted him to say it was all a mistake. That this wasn’t real. That everything would be okay. But before Charles could say a word, Julie stepped forward with a cruel laugh.

“Do you seriously think Charles would touch you?” she said, rolling her eyes. “He would never sleep with a dirty girl like you.”

Emily’s mouth fell open. Her hands shook as she clutched her chest. “Then… how did I get pregnant?” she asked in a broken voice.

Julie smiled like a snake. “It was all planned, sweetheart.”

Emily blinked, confused. Julie kept talking, her tone cold and full of hate.

“I don't want to have children because it will change my body So we needed someone else. You were the perfect target — stupid, trusting, and easy to control.” She stepped closer, her voice low and sharp. “We drugged you, Emily. Then they put my egg and Charles’s sperm inside you. You were just a womb to carry my baby.” Emily’s whole body froze.

“No…” she whispered, shaking her head.

“No, that’s not true. You’re lying…”

Julie smirked. “You gave birth to my child. That baby isn’t yours, Emily. And now that your job is done, I’m taking my baby back.”

Something snapped inside Emily. With a scream full of rage and pain, she launched at Julie. Her hands reached out, ready to tear her apart.

But before she could touch her, Charles stepped in and shoved Emily hard. She flew backward, hit the floor, and everything went dark.

The last thing she heard before blacking out was Julie’s laughter echoing in the room.