Chapter 2. Two Lines.

“Please… just be one line.”

My whisper sounded so broken in the solitude of my little apartment bathroom. I grabbed the pregnancy test so hard my knuckles turned white, my heart thumping like a war drum against my ribcage.

I closed my eyes, inhaling ragged breaths. My chest hurts. My stomach twisted.

I couldn’t look.

But I had to.

Slowly, my eyes flickered open. Two lines. Bold. Unforgiving.

My entire existence crumbled in one single breath.

“No… no, no, no…”

I collapsed to the floor, curling my knees to my chest as sobs tore from my throat. Tears obscured my eyes, but those two pink lines burnt into my head like fire.

I was pregnant.

With his kid.

Alexander Knight. The billionaire who controlled half of Manhattan. My boss. The man who spoke my name like a sin one night and termed love a weakness the next morning.

My palm shook as I pushed it to my flat stomach.

How could this be happening?

How could I raise a child alone?

How could I ever tell him?

I closed my eyes, his words resonating in my mind like a curse.

“Love is weakness.”

A sob erupted from my lips. I slapped my palm over my lips, attempting to stop the tears screaming through me.

I was alone.

Completely, absolutely alone.

Later that night I snuggled up on my worn-out couch, knees clutched to my chest. The city lights flashed through the shattered slats. My flat was peaceful except for the ticking of the antique clock on the wall.

I pushed a cushion to my face, muffling another sob.

What was I going to do?

I couldn’t tell him. He’d take the baby from me. I knew it with every cell in my body. Alexander Knight didn’t lose. He didn’t compromise. He demolished impediments in his path.

And I… I was nothing but a barrier to him now.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table. I grabbed it with shaky fingers.

“Hey, Anna. Got your proposal draft. Great work today. Rest well – Maya.”

I let out a trembling breath. At least someone felt I could accomplish things correctly. Maya, my co-worker at the daycare facility, was the closest thing I had to a buddy in the city.

I laid my phone down and glanced at the ceiling.

I had to go.

It was the only way.

If I stayed, he’d find out. His universe would swallow me entirely. And my kid… my baby would grow up in the same frigid, loveless hallways that formed him into the vicious man he was.

I wouldn’t let that happen.

I wouldn’t.

Two Weeks Later

“Anna, are you sure about this?” Maya inquired, her eyes wild as she watched me load my last luggage.

I faked a grin. “Yeah. It’s better this way.”

“But moving across the state overnight? You didn’t even provide your resignation notice. What about your internship at Knight Enterprises? You worked so hard for that.”

I trembled at his name. “I can’t… I can’t remain here, Maya. I need a fresh start. Somewhere no one knows me.”

Her gaze softened. “You’re scared.”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah. I am.”

She embraced me strongly. “You’re stronger than you think.”

I clutched to her, tears scorching my eyes. “Thank you.”

When she left, I sat on my bed, gazing at the pregnancy test in my palm one final time before dumping it into the trash bag.

This was it.

No more dread.

No more tears.

Just me… and this small creature inside me.

I pushed a hand to my tummy.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do this,” I muttered. “But I promise you, I’ll protect you. I’ll love you enough for both of us.”

Three Hours Later

The cab drew up to the Greyhound station. I went out into the cool early air, my two luggage alongside me. The metropolis shone gold in the early sun, buildings sparkling like glass blades.

I glanced back one final time, marveling at the skyline I had imagined would be my future.

Alexander Knight was somewhere up there, possibly in his penthouse apartment, enjoying his morning espresso, signing agreements for more than I’d see in a lifetime.

I pushed a palm to my chest, feeling my heart break all over again.

I adored him.

God help me, I loved him.

But love wasn’t enough. Not for a man like him.

I turned aside before my tears could flow and walked into the station without looking back.

I slid onto the bus seat, holding my tummy as the engine roared to life under me.

“Goodbye, Alexander,” I muttered to the window, seeing the city speed by.

You’ll never know.

Because if you did… you’d ruin me.

“I love you,” I said into the darkness, my voice shaking.

No one heard me. No one was intended to.

Because I wasn’t chatting to anyone in the empty room. I was speaking to him.

Alexander Knight.

The man whose touch still burned on my flesh. The guy whose frigid remarks tore holes in my heart.

I clasped a palm to my tummy, feeling tears trickle down my cheeks.

“I love you,” I muttered again, gentler this time, my thumb stroking my tummy as if I could feel the small life developing inside me. “And I hate you. God… I loathe you so much.”

His face flashed in my recollection — steel-grey eyes filled with want, untidy dark hair, muscular shoulders flexing over me, his voice harsh and broken as he muttered my name in the dark.

“Anna…”

I pulled in a fast breath, shutting my eyes tight.

No. I couldn’t think about him. I couldn’t.

He’d never want this. He’d never want me.

Love is weakness.

His voice rang in my skull, cold and final. I clinched my hands, rage igniting under my anguish.

“Fine,” I murmured, looking at my reflection in the damaged mirror. “If love is weak… then I’ll be strong. For this baby. For me.”

I packed my clothing into the last suitcase and zipped it shut with shaky hands. My phone buzzed on the bed.

Unknown Number: “Anna, it’s Alex. We need to discuss. Call me.”

My breath froze in my lungs.

How did he acquire my number?

I flung the phone onto the bed like it burnt me. My heart thundered so loud I feared it might burst.

No. I couldn’t talk to him. Not now. Not ever.

The baby kicked, or maybe it was just a flutter of nervousness, but it seemed like a warning.

I clasped my palm to my tummy, closed my eyes as tears fell away.

“I won’t let him take you,” I said furiously. “I promise. I won’t allow anyone to steal you from me.”

The phone buzzed again, bouncing against the blankets with eager force.

And when I collected my luggage and departed into the predawn darkness, I didn’t glance back.

But in the shadows of my fear… I knew Alexander Knight would come for us.

It was only a matter of time.