Chapter3
I held my baby close, pressing my cheek to his soft skin. Only that tiny warmth kept me from feeling completely numb.
On my phone, push notifications kept exploding–every headline on X’s Trending Tab screamed about Ethan Sterling chartering a private Gulfstream and flying in a top–tier OB team from abroad to protect his mistress‘ s pregnancy.
I didn’t clutch the phone all night the way I used to, torturing myself over how much of his love was left for me.
After feeding the baby, I rocked the cradle softly until my eyes drifted shut.
The next morning, I was playing with my son when the door burst open with a metallic clang.
Ethan’s security detail kicked it in like a raid.
The bottle on the table smashed to pieces on the floor.
They stormed straight at me, wrenching my wrist behind my back.
“What are you doing?!”
The baby’s face flushed crimson as his cries turned shrill.
Derek Lane sneered and grabbed the infant by the foot, dangling him like an object.
“Mr. Sterling ordered us to bring you both. If they won‘ t release Miss Quinn, we’ll use you as the exchange–life for life.”
“Let go! You’ll hurt him!”
A nurse–blonde hair under her cap–rushed in to stop them but was kicked to the floor.
They shoved me into a sack and dragged me along the ground. The baby’s crying filled my head, the only tether to consciousness. My body slammed into the floor repeatedly; the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth‘.
Then everything went black.
Pain tore me awake. My eyes fluttered open–blinding headlights burned into my retinas.
Ethan bent over me, gently wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth, but his eyes were
glacial.
Chapter3
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“Vivian, the Caribbean Syndicate took Sloane. They‘ re demanding nine hundred million in
ransom.”
A shudder coursed through me. The danger was real, coiling around us like smoke.
“What do you want from me?” My voice came out hoarse, shaking.
Ethan sighed and pressed a feather–light kiss to my forehead.
“Sterling Conglomerate can‘ t free up that much cash overnight. You know Sloane’s still pregnant.
She can’t handle this…” His voice softened. “Vivian, help me one more time. Please.”
Coldness seeped into my bones. My lips trembled; the words fell apart as I tried to speak.
“Ethan… you can‘ t… do this to me…”
He tilted his head; at his signal a bodyguard hoisted my baby and eased him toward the freezing
water.
The crash of waves drowned out his crying.
“Stop!” My voice cracked into a scream.
“I’ll go! I’ll go in her place!”
A flicker of satisfaction curved Ethan’s lips.
The moment my baby drew breath again, I crawled to my feet, defeated, and staggered toward the
pier.
Sloane, just untied by the kidnappers, glanced at me with a flash of triumph and malice–so Sloane, just untied by the kidnappers,
different from her usual fragile mask.
As we brushed past each other, she suddenly toppled backward.
A splash shattered the night.
“Vivian!” Ethan’s voice rang out behind me, panicked.
I turned and met his bloodshot eyes.
“It wasn‘ t me,” I whispered, pale and shaking my head.
He clenched his jaw until it creaked, fury burning in his gaze.
Chapter3
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“You lost a child once–you nearly died. Can’t you show mercy to her and her baby?”
His accusation sliced into my old wounds like a blade.
The tears I’d been holding back broke loose at last, falling like rain.
Then chaos. The exchange went wrong. Gunfire thundered in my ears.
A searing pain exploded in my abdomen; blood soaked the front of my clothes. I hit the ground hard.
A white flash engulfed me.
When my eyes opened again, a little girl stood before me–delicate as a porcelain doll.
Her brows were a mirror of mine, but her features and thin lips were Ethan Sterling‘ s.
“Mommy,” she said softly, “I have to go. My brother’s still waiting for me up in the sky.‘
Looking at her sweet smile, something sharp twisted in my heart.
She turned, lifting her pink dress and waving a tiny fairy wand, stumbling as she ran toward the
distance.
“No–don‘ t go!”
Tears streamed down my face. My mouth opened but no sound came out.
