All Chapters of Rule Number 1: Never fall in love with him: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

MAYAI stared at the pregnancy test in my trembling hands, watching the two pink lines blur through my tears. Six years. Six years of being the perfect wife to Damien Cross, the coldest billionaire in New York City, and this tiny plus sign was supposed to be my victory.I pressed a hand against my flat stomach, hope fluttering like a desperate bird in my chest. Maybe now he would finally look at me the way he looked at his business deals, with actual interest. Maybe now he would love me.The bedroom door slammed downstairs. I quickly hid the test in my pocket and rushed to the mirror, fixing my messy hair and wiping my tears. Damien hated it when I looked weak."Maya!" His voice boomed through our mansion. Cold. Always so cold.I hurried downstairs, my heart pounding. "I'm here. How was your trip to..."The words died in my throat.Damien stood in the foyer, but he wasn't alone. A beautiful woman with perfect red lips and a tight black dress clung to his arm. But that wasn't what made

I waited for the pain. Waited for the bullet to pierce through me. Waited to die.But nothing happened; instead, I heard a gunshot, followed by a loud thud.Slowly, I opened my eyes. The doll wasn't staring at us with those empty black holes.I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. We were alive. Somehow, we were still alive."GREEN LIGHT."I didn't waste a second. I jumped forward and slammed my hand against the red door. The metal was cold and solid under my palm. Damien's hand hit it at the exact same moment.We were both safe.The door swung open on its own, and I stumbled through, my legs shaking so badly I almost fell. Other people were streaming in behind us, all gasping and crying.I collapsed against the wall and looked back through the doorway. Hundreds of people were still out there, some were still frozen, while others were trying to reach safety.A timer appeared on the screen above the doll: 30 seconds remaining."Run!" someone screamed from inside. "Just run!"S

DAMIENI lay on my bunk staring at the ceiling, but all I could see was Maya's face when she told me about the baby.Our baby.The baby I killed without even knowing it existed.My hands were still shaking. I pressed them against my chest, trying to stop the trembling, but it didn't work. Nothing worked. The image of Maya's angry, hurt face kept playing in my mind like a movie I couldn't turn off."I already lost the baby. Thanks for killing your child without even trying."Her words hit harder than any punch I'd ever taken. And I'd taken plenty in my life—from my father, from business rivals, from people who wanted to see me fail. But nothing hurt like this.I had destroyed everything. My marriage. My wife. My child.And for what? I was the biggest fool alive. No, I was worse than a fool. I was a monster.Across the room, I could see Maya lying on her bunk. That guy, Kai, had gone back to his own bed, but I could tell Maya felt safer now. Protected by him, because she didn't feel sa