Chapter 0002

            It was Augustus who first proposed the idea of marriage to one of his sons.  She wasn’t sure if it was charity or his abiding desire to ensure her a comfortable future.  March was over ten years her senior and already married, which, naturally, left Julius as the groom of choice.  Though she initially spoke out against it, her secret crush on Julius had only grown over the years.  It had taken some time for Julius to agree.  Macey tried not to seem overeager, but inwardly she was thrilled.  

            At first, their marriage seemed to work.  Despite his earlier reluctance, Julius was a model husband: attentive and sometimes even caring.  It was her hope that eventually he would come to love her, but it changed six months ago.  Rumors started to circulate.  Her family had been poor and well below the DaLair family’s means.  People called her a gold-digger, a shameless tramp and a hundred other names.  She tried not to let it bother her, but it never occurred to her Julius would believe them.  

            She smoothed her dress and fiddled with her vibrant red hair that had come loose from its taming braid.  Her naturally curly locks were hard to completely tame, and she didn’t have much skill working with it.  That had always been her mother’s doing.  Wiping away her tears, she finally summoned the courage to leave the nook.  Hugging herself, she carefully made her way through the crowd that avoided meeting her gaze or openly sneered at her.  Nearing the bar, she looked to see Julius surrounded by five gorgeous women.

            Tears came unbidden as her hands dropped to her stomach.  Why?  Why now?  Why here?  How could he do this to her?

            “Macey?”

            Turning toward the gruff yet gentle voice, she saw her father-in-law looking at her with concern.  She quickly turned away, not wanting him to see her red cheek and guess what had just transpired between her and Julius.  She knew without a doubt, Augustus would start World War III right there. 

            All she wanted to do was escape from the scene in front of her.  Shaking her head, she whirled around and rushed off as if chased by hellhounds.  Outside, she had the valet summon a taxi to take her home.

            Letting herself into the condo, she leaned against the door.  The tears she tried so hard to control flowed freely.  Stumbling through the silent suite, she eventually made it to the study.  She collapsed in the chair, bringing her knees to her chest and sobbed into her gown.  Eventually, she exhausted her tears and slowly reached for her purse.  Silently, she removed a folded paper and smoothed it out.  On it were the tests from her hospital visit confirming her pregnancy.

            She stared at it before reaching into her purse again for the card she had bought.  Pulling it from the envelope, she read the front: A Surprise for You, before opening it to reveal a copy of the ultrasound picture.  A small arrow pointed out the baby’s position.  She was almost a month along and her morning sickness was beginning to set in.  

            Macey smiled despite herself.  Her day had started with such excitement.  When the home pregnancy test came back positive she eagerly rushed to the hospital for confirmation.  She planned to present the card and ultrasound to Julius during dinner but…

            Sighing, she looked at the desk to see a stack of papers.  It wasn’t like Julius to bring work home with him.  Her brow furrowed as she leaned forward and read the top page.  It was a divorce settlement.  The color drained from her face.  He actually wanted a divorce.  Her vision blurred and she touched the new wetness streaming down her cheeks.  

            And here I thought I was out of tears.