Chapter 1

Taylor’s POV

The moment Jacob’s car disappeared beyond the hospital gates, I pushed open Bella’s door.

She was propped up against three pillows, scrolling through her phone. A bouquet of white roses sat on the bedside table, its card still attached. Jacob had sent flowers. How thoughtful of him.

Bella quickly put her phone away.

“Taylor. I didn’t think you’d come back so soon.”

“Why? Were you expecting someone?”

Her eyes flickered towards the flowers before returning to me.

“Of course not. I just thought you and Jacob would have a lot to discuss.”

I pulled a chair closer to her bed but didn’t sit.

“There’s nothing left to discuss.”

She reached for my hand, her expression filling with concern. “Taylor, please don’t let that bastard win. You’ve done so much for him. He doesn’t deserve you.”

There had been a time when I would have found comfort in those words.

When I discovered Jacob’s affair, she had been the first person I told. I remembered sitting on her bedroom floor, unable to stop crying, while she held me and listened to every humiliating detail.

She had been furious on my behalf.

She even went to Moretti headquarters, causing enough commotion for Dante to call and inform me that my sister was threatening to make a scene in front of the entire security team.

At the time, I had been touched.

Bella had always been protected from the uglier parts of life. Our parents had made sure of that.

Years before she came into our family, they had lost my youngest sister, Sophie, to a terrible illness. Sophie was only three. Her death left a wound in our home that never quite healed.

When my parents adopted Bella years later, she was a frail little girl who spent more time in hospitals than she did playing outside. Her resemblance to Sophie, coupled with her fragile health, made my parents fiercely protective of her.

Even after she recovered, they continued treating her as though the world might break her.

I never begrudged her their affection. I loved being her older sister. I bought her clothes, helped with her studies and stood between her and anyone who dared make her cry.

When I married Jacob, I made sure my family wanted for nothing.

I never imagined that the little girl I had spent years protecting would become the person I needed protection from.

“Taylor?”

Bella’s voice brought me back to the hospital room.

She was watching me carefully.

“Look at me. I swear I’ll help you make Jacob regret everything. I don’t care what happens to me. I would rather suffer than watch him get away with hurting you.”

A bitter laugh nearly escaped me as I withdrew my hand.

“I’ve agreed to divorce him.”

Bella went completely still.

Then she threw her arms around me, burying her face against my shoulder.

“Taylor, I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have had to do that because of me.”

I stared over her shoulder, feeling nothing but exhaustion.

She was beautiful, even in a hospital gown, with her delicate features and soft blonde hair framing her face. My parents had always called her their little miracle, the daughter they had been given after losing another.

Perhaps that was why everyone found it so easy to believe she could do no wrong.

I gently disengaged her arms.

“Get some rest, Bella.”

I left before she could say anything else and headed to my gynaecologist’s office for my appointment.

After reviewing the report from the previous day, Dr. Collins looked up at me.

“Mrs. Moretti, you’re eight weeks pregnant.”

I froze.

Pregnant?

Ever since Jacob began his affair, he had barely touched me. The only time we had been intimate was several weeks ago, when he came home heavily intoxicated.

He had been so drunk that he could barely stand. I had helped him upstairs, and somehow, that night had happened.

I never imagined it would result in a child.

My first instinct was to terminate the pregnancy. I couldn’t imagine raising Jacob’s baby while dealing with the wreckage of our marriage.

But after examining my medical history, Dr. Collins hesitated.

“Your endometriosis may make conceiving more difficult, particularly if the condition affects your ovaries or fallopian tubes. I wouldn’t advise making a decision without understanding what this pregnancy means for your health and future fertility.”

I lowered my gaze to my still-flat stomach.

There was a tiny life growing inside me.

In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to give it up.

Even without Jacob, I could raise this child on my own. Plenty of women did.

By the time I arrived at the Moretti estate, the divorce agreement Jacob had prepared was waiting on the coffee table.

I picked it up and began reading through the pages.

The settlement was generous. A hundred million dollars, several properties, and a substantial financial arrangement. Apparently, Jacob was willing to pay a considerable price to be rid of me.

I wondered whether Bella knew how much her lover was willing to spend to make me disappear.

“Finished inspecting my generosity?”

Jacob’s voice came from behind me.

He walked into the living room, removing his cufflinks. His expression carried the familiar impatience that had become a permanent feature of our marriage.

“Or are you planning to find another reason to delay this?”

I continued reading.

“Don’t tell me you’re reconsidering,” he said with a humourless laugh. “You’ve spent two years refusing to let me go. I can’t imagine what other excuse you intend to come up with.”

I placed the agreement on the table.

For seven years, I had been Mrs. Jacob Moretti. I had stood beside him when his name meant little beyond the criminal circles he moved in. I had sacrificed the career I once dreamed of to help him build the empire he now ruled.

And this was what those seven years had become.

A settlement.

I picked up the pen and signed my name.

Jacob’s mocking smile disappeared.