Chapter 2: Miscarriage

Cross Group's only heir spotted at the Fenwick & York launch, spending a fortune to win over his true love.

Eleanor's heart skipped a beat.

The Cross family had only one son. Julian Cross.

The launch event for the luxury house Fenwick & York had been held right there in Washington DC.

Her fingertips trembled, from the cold, she told herself.

She clicked the article. Julian's figure filled the accompanying photo, unmistakable.

He was tall, sharp-jawed, legs long and straight beneath a suit clearly tailored to him and no one else. He had that rare quality of never once looking bad in a photograph.

There had been a time when Eleanor would stare at pictures like this for minutes at a stretch.

Because he was beautiful to look at.

This time, she closed the page almost instantly.

As if fate had a sense of humor, she opened her social feed a moment later and found a new post from Tyler Brooks.

Tyler had gone to high school with Julian.

My sister-in-law just got her hands on one of only ten pink diamond necklaces Fenwick & York ever made!!

The photo showed only the curve of a woman's pale throat, a blinding pink diamond necklace resting against it.

Whoever Tyler's "sister-in-law" was, it certainly wasn't Eleanor.

She tucked the ultrasound printout away, caught a cab home, the ache in her lower stomach dull and steady the whole ride.

At home, she realized she was out of groceries, so she went out again, buying every single thing Julian liked. Washing, prepping, cooking, by the time she looked up, it was evening.

Julian came home around nine.

"Forgot to mention, I had a business dinner. Already ate."

His voice was flat. His face gave away nothing.

Eleanor took his suit jacket from him.

Three years married, and this was the first time she'd seen his hair without a trace of product after an event, freshly showered, almost boyish.

No alcohol on the jacket. Just a faint trace of perfume. And it wasn't even the suit from the news photo.

She didn't ask. She turned to get his pajamas instead. Julian caught her from behind, arms circling her waist.

Mint drifted from somewhere near her hair. Through the thin silk of her pajamas, she could feel his hands growing less patient by the second.

As a housewife, Eleanor rarely appeared in public. On the rare occasions Julian brought her to Cross family dinners, he was cold to her in front of everyone.

The bedroom was a different story entirely.

Julian had a powerful drive, real stamina, real skill, and a mouth that curved in a way that could make a woman forget herself. Normally Eleanor never protested, never complained, simply let him lead.

But two days like the ones she'd just had, plus the pregnancy, she genuinely didn't want this tonight.

"Honey, my stomach's not great, could we"

Before she finished, he lifted her and dropped her onto the bed.

"I'm pregnant"

The word died in her mouth as his weight came down on her, a hard kiss swallowing whatever she'd meant to say next.

He kissed her while working his shirt buttons loose, his belt, eyes burning down at her.

When he registered that the usually pliant, obedient Eleanor was actually resisting him, something in his expression sharpened with interest. He pulled the leather belt free and used it to bind her wrists.

"You just need to do your job as a wife."

Another kiss buried the rest of her protest.

Eleanor never understood what had come over him that night, enough to make her black out entirely.

When she woke, the room was dark. Her stomach and lower body ached; she wanted the bathroom. Instead, she heard Julian's voice on the phone in the living room.

"Brother Cross, your wife's had too much to drink, get over here!"

For once in her life, Eleanor was grateful for how loud Tyler Brooks could be.

In the living room, Julian's silhouette stood tall and lean as a blade against the dim light, his sharp features cut in shadow, his eyes black as ink.

He was smoking.

As far as Eleanor knew, Julian didn't smoke. Not at home, anyway.

"I'm not trying to stir anything up, but how long are you two gonna keep this up? She's back now, shouldn't you two finally patch things up?"

The night was quiet enough that every word carried perfectly.

Eleanor's breath caught in her chest.

"Tyler" Julian's voice was hard, his eyes like something predatory.

"I'm already married."

"So what if you're married? Get a divorce. That worn-out woman can't even take care of herself without you, she's nothing next to Cassandra."

"I don't want a divorce."

Why?

"Because I can't let her go."

Eleanor's eyes filled without warning, and she nearly made a sound she couldn't take back.

Those words moved her more than every expensive gift Julian had ever handed her combined.

Three years of marriage could thaw even the coldest heart, and Eleanor's had never been cold to begin with. She never cut corners on the laundry, the cooking, the house.

Even in bed, she'd always given him everything he wanted.

She let herself believe none of it had been wasted. That his feelings ran deeper than she'd dared to hope. That this call was proof.

The knot in her throat finally loosened. She turned to go back to the bedroom, eavesdropping wasn't something she was proud of, and there was no reason to keep doing it.

She loved Julian.

Julian loved her too.

"Of course I'd hate to lose a housekeeper who works that hard and never complains."

Her foot, halfway through the doorway, froze to the spot.

"It's not about the money. There's just something different about putting real effort in versus not bothering at all."

"Besides, Eleanor's nothing like Cassandra. No real skills, no education, no career. Just a housewife who cooks and cleans. My grandfather likes her. My mother says she's easy to manage. The whole family's satisfied with her, so why would I divorce her"

"She's the type built to be a wife at home. Doesn't need much. Throw her a little affection and she falls right in line."

On the other end, Tyler seemed to catch on. "Oh, I get it. But what about Cassandra"

"Text me the address. I'm on my way."

The call ended. Julian grabbed his coat and left in a hurry.

Eleanor stood frozen behind the wall until she heard the front door shut.

Then she was crying.

Tears broke loose all at once, blurring everything. Nausea rolled through her, and she retched, again and again, her stomach twisting like something was stabbing through it.

She wrapped both arms around her middle and sank down, sweat breaking cold across her skin, warmth spreading down the inside of her thighs.

Blood.

Everything went black.

When she opened her eyes again, she was already in a hospital bed.

Just her and a nurse in the room.

"Excuse me, what happened" Eleanor's voice came out cracked, barely there.

"Ms. Hale," the nurse said gently. "You've lost the baby.”