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Chapter 1

Losing EverythingLora’s POV“What is this?”The words barely made it past my throat, drowned out by the roar of my own pulse. My fingers hovered over the manila folder on the mahogany table, the same table I’d worked double shifts to help him buy.Jackson faced me, but he might as well have been a stranger. The spark that had once lit his eyes when I walked in was gone. The easy smile, the gentle brush of his hand on my shoulder….they had vanished. His jaw was tight, muscles twitching. And his eyes…those eyes I had memorized in every kind of light…were hollow. Empty, like looking into ice.My chest constricted. Something was terribly wrong.I forced my gaze back to the folder, my breathing shallow. No. Please, no.Panic clawed its way up my throat. “Is it the company? Did the deal collapse?” The words tumbled out, frantic, uncontrolled.“What’s going on, Jackson? Why are you staring at me like that?”Like I was nothing. Worse than nothing.My mind raced over every sacrifice I had mad

Chapter 2

The StrangerLora’s POVSilence swallowed me. I stayed on the floor of what had been my home, surrounded by shattered dishes and broken dreams, pieces too small to ever put back together. The divorce papers were scattered around me. My shaking hands gathered them, holding them to my chest as though they were the only solid thing left. Tears blurred the ink until the words began to fade.I couldn’t stay. Not in this home, not in this life. My legs felt heavy as I rose, each step toward the door a struggle. I stepped into the darkness, leaving the door wide open. Let them ransack it. Let it burn. What did it matter anymore?The street was deserted, lit only by flickering yellow lamps. My legs moved on instinct, carrying me forward with no direction. A dog barked in the distance. A car alarm blared, then stopped.A buzzing in my pocket broke my thoughts. My phone.St. Mary’s Hospital.My mother.A cold, hollow weight settled in my chest.“Miss , apologies for calling,” the nurse said, vo

Chapter 3

The Devil’s BargainLora’s POVThe fluorescent bulbs in Dr. Chen’s office hummed, a high-pitched buzz that pierced my skull. I sat stiffly in the plastic chair, my fingernails digging crescents into my palms.“Pregnant.”The word lingered between us like smoke, thick and choking. My chest tightened. Each breath was shallow, uneven, like inhaling through a narrow straw.“How long?” My voice felt foreign, detached, as if I were watching someone else speak.“Three weeks,” Dr. Chen replied softly. His tone scraped against me like sandpaper. “Considering your response, I take it this was unintentional?”Intentional? A bitter, wild laugh scraped my throat. My life had never followed any plan. The divorce. My mother’s illness. That night at Murphy’s Bar when I drowned myself in cheap whiskey and woke up in a stranger’s bed.My hands instinctively rested on my stomach. Smooth, still familiar…something growing there, something I hadn’t wanted, something beyond my control.“I want to abort.” T

Chapter 4

A Wife's First DayLora’s POVThe marriage certificate felt like it was burning a hole in my purse as we left the registrar’s office.It had taken less than thirty minutes. Signatures, stamps, the bored clerk barely looking at us. And just like that, I was married.Mrs. Lora Jade Grayson.The name sounded wrong, like I was wearing someone else’s skin. My fingers went to the plain platinum band on my ring finger—expensive, cold, empty.Drake walked next to me, steady and controlled. No smiles, no softness. Just business.We reached a black car, way too fancy for me to even think about. His hand slipped into mine. Comforting, claiming. I felt a jolt go through me. I told myself it meant nothing. It had to mean nothing.“We’re stopping at Meridian Mall,” he said like he was giving orders, not asking. “The contract will be ready for review before we go to the estate.”I slid into the leather seat, the smell of new leather and faint perfume hitting me. Drake shut the door and went to the d

Chapter 5

Family Dinner Drake’s POVThe instant Lora stepped out of the changing room in the pearl dress, my chest tightened. She looked fragile, almost ethereal, her skin glowing against the fabric.But it wasn’t her beauty that stole my breath.It was the way she instinctively rested her hand over her stomach. Like it was a way to keep herself reminded that she needed to keep herself safe. She had no idea what this world demanded, no idea what I would protect her from.I followed her to the car. Her hands were folded in her lap, knuckles white around her purse. She was tense, afraid—of me, of this marriage, of everything.“Alright,” I told myself. Fear keeps her careful. Keeps her protected.I didn’t want her afraid. I wanted… something else. But that wasn’t possible, not with our arrangement.The mansion rose before us like a fortress. Lora gasped softly, eyes wide.“Is this your home?”“Where we reside,” I said, steering in. “For the year.”Her face paled further. I wanted to reach for her

Chapter Six

Under His Watch Lora’s POVThe moment Vivian’s cheerful voice cut through the air, my world stopped spinning.“Chloe, dear! You’ve arrived on schedule. Your brother came back with his wife. Isn’t this wonderful?”My body went rigid against Drake’s chest. His arms were still around me, strong and steady, but I could barely feel them. All I could see was Jackson standing at the bottom of the stairs, his familiar handsome face frozen in shock. And beside him—Chloe. Elegant, polished, her long silky hair cascading over one shoulder and her sharp eyes gleaming with malicious delight. The same woman who had called me useless, who had kissed my husband—my ex-husband—right in front of me while I lay broken on the floor.The same woman who had taken everything from me now stood in the place I had just been dragged into. My stomach twisted violently. The nausea I had been fighting since the mall surged again, mixing with pure humiliation. My legs trembled. If Drake hadn’t been holding me, I

Chapter Seven

STAY CLOSELora’s POVI should have felt relieved when the doctors finally left. But instead, the room felt smaller. Like something had stayed behind with me.I didn’t need to look to know what it was. Or who.The silence stretched, thick and unmoving, pressing against my skin until it became impossible to ignore.Slowly, I opened my eyes.Drake was still there.He hadn’t moved far from the bed, his figure was tall and steady against the dim light, his presence filling the space in a way that made it hard to breathe properly. His sleeves were still rolled, his posture controlled, but his eyes… his eyes hadn’t left me.Not once.“You should go,” I said, my voice quieter than I intended.It felt strange, telling the man who had just carried me here, who had refused to let anyone delay my treatment, that he should leave. But the way he watched me… it made something uneasy coil in my chest.“I’m fine.”“No.”The word came immediately. It was calm, flat but final. My fingers tightened sl

Chapter 8

Lora’s POV“You’re hiding something.”Drake’s words broke through my thoughts, settling into the room like they belonged there. For some moments, I almost assumed I had imagined hearing the words. My fingers tightened slightly against the sheets.For a moment, I said nothing. I told myself it was because I didn’t understand what he meant, that I needed a second to process it.But that wasn’t true. I understood perfectly.“I’m not hiding anything,” I said finally, keeping my voice even.Drake didn’t respond or argue or challenge me. He simply watched.And somehow, that was worse.The silence stretched between us, thick and deliberate, pressing in from all sides. I forced myself to hold his gaze for a second longer before looking away, as if I had nothing to prove.As if there was nothing to see.“Does it hurt?”The question came out calm, almost casual, but there was nothing casual about the way he was looking at me.“My side?” I asked, as though I needed clarification.His gaze didn

Chapter 9

Lora’s POVI thought leaving the hospital would bring relief only that I didn’t realize I was walking straight into something far worse.The nurse’s voice faded in and out as she went over discharge instructions I barely heard. Something about rest, medications and coming back if the pain worsened.I nodded when I was supposed to, signed where they pointed, and kept my hands still in my lap so no one would notice how tightly they were clenched.“It’s a superficial injury,” the doctor said, his tone calm and professional. “You’ll need to avoid unnecessary strain for a few days.”“I understand,” I replied.Before I could say anything else, Drake stepped forward.“She’ll be resting,” he said, his voice firm, leaving no room for discussion.The doctor nodded immediately. “Of course, Mr. Grayson.”That was it.No questions directed at me. No decisions left for me to make. Everything moved around me, as if my presence was optional.I swallowed the quiet discomfort rising in my chest.By the

Chapter 10

Lora’s POVThe moment she smiled at me, I knew I had walked into something I wasn’t likely to survive untouched.It wasn’t the kind of smile meant to welcome. It didn’t reach her eyes, didn’t soften her face. It sat there, perfectly placed, like something she had practiced and polished over years of deception.I stood at the base of the staircase, my fingers tightening slightly against the fabric of my dress. The house felt different now. The first time I had been here, everything had been overwhelming. The size, the silence, the wealth pressing in from every corner.Now, it felt like something else entirely.Like I had stepped into a place where every movement would be watched and judged. Drake stood beside me, his presence steady, unreadable. His hand rested lightly at my back, not quite touching, but close enough to remind me he was there.Close enough to remind everyone else too.Vivian descended the staircase slowly, her heels clicking against the marble with quiet precision. Ev

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