Chapter 1

The police crashed my wedding day. I—Ellie Harrison, the celebrated artist, the prodigy everyone raved about—hauled away in handcuffs while still in my wedding dress.

The charge? Forgery and fraud.

Before I'd even been formally charged, my fiancé had already replaced me with his first love, Laria.

Three years in prison. That was my sentence.

My father, already battling late-stage cancer, died heartbroken from the shock. And my mother suffered a mental breakdown.

When I finally walked out of prison, I was nothing but a hollow shell.

That's when Hektor appeared—Laria's stepbrother, all soft eyes and gentle hands.

"I've waited ten years to tell you how I feel, Yunifer," he whispered, reaching for my scarred hands. "Let me be the one who takes care of you now."

But one year into our marriage, I discovered a conversation on the car's dashcam between him and his friend Nate.

"Do you ever regret creating those forgeries, having someone report Yunifer,destroying evidence that would've cleared her name?"

"Not a second. Laria and I could never be together. This was my gift to her—removing her competition so she could build her career and marry into the Davidson family."

"Jesus, Hektor. But all of that was meant for Yunifer. Your actions destroyed her family..."

Hektor's voice turned hoarse: "Stop. For Laria, I could even kill."

...

"As for Yunifer... I married her, didn't I? I'll make it up to her for the rest of my lives."

"If you're so dedicated to making amends," his friend—Nate—challenged, "why not clear her name? Laria's already married."

"Since her release, she's afraid of showing up. They whisper 'murderer,' call her the greedy bitch who killed her father and drove her mother insane for money."

"She lost a kidney from a beating in prison, for God's sake. Between the physical trauma and everything else, she's severely depressed."

"Clearing her name would help her heal, Hektor."

"Absolutely not," Hektor snapped, his voice hardening.

"Four years ago, Yunifer was unstoppable—the darling of every gallery, critics falling at her feet. If she clears her name now, she'll reclaim her spotlight and Laria will be permanently relegated to her shadow."

His expression darkened with resolve. "I won't let Laria be pushed aside like that. Not ever. She deserves the spotlight too."

Nate's voice turned angry.

"So you're fine watching your wife spiral deeper into depression? Watching her hurt herself? Her father—your mentor—begged you with his dying breath to help her."

"You destroyed the happy family she once had. If she ever discovers the truth..."

After a moment of silence, Hektor said confidently.

"She won't find out. She loves me now. I've made sure of it. I'll give her the perfect life—one that keeps her exactly where I need her to be."

"I keep her safely under my control, and as Laria's sister-in-law, she serves my purpose perfectly."

My blood turned to ice. My hands trembled so badly I could barely save the recording.

I stumbled back to our bedroom before Hektor returned, collapsing in the corner like a broken doll.

I'd thought Hektor was my salvation after everyone abandoned me. Instead, he was the puppet master who'd orchestrated my destruction.

I placed my trembling hand over my belly, feeling the tiny life I'd just discovered growing inside me, and completely fell apart.

"Yunifer? Baby, what's wrong?"

I looked up through my tears to see Hektor in the doorway, concern perfectly arranged on his handsome face.

"Thinking about the past again?" He crossed the room and gently lifted me from the floor, placing me on our bed.

"Listen," he murmured, voice dripping honey, "I don't give a damn what anyone says about you. Your reputation means nothing to me."

"You'll always be that brilliant artist everyone worshipped. You're the love of my life, and I'll protect you forever."

His voice was achingly gentle as he warmed my ice-cold hands between his, his eyes filled with what looked just like real devotion.

If my car hadn't needed servicing—if I hadn't stumbled across that recording—I might have lived my entire life believing his beautiful lie.

I raised my arm, revealing the angry maze of scars crisscrossing my skin. The newest cuts were still raw, weeping slightly.

"It hurts so much, Hektor," I whispered. "Every time I drag the blade across my skin, it hurts so goddamn much."

"If you cleared my name? maybe I could stop hurting myself. Maybe I could breathe again."

Chapter 2

The moment I mentioned clearing my name, guilt flashed through Hektor's eyes before quickly disappearing behind irritation.

"Jesus, Yunifer, why are you so fucking obsessed with the past?" he snapped, running his hand through his hair.

"I've never given a shit that you were in prison or that your body isn't perfect. Can't you just move the hell on?"

He paced in front of me, frustration radiating from every movement.

"I love you so damn much, and you won't even take care of yourself. It's honestly pathetic."

Realizing his tone was too harsh, he softened his voice.

"Baby, I just hate seeing you torture yourself over things we can't change," he paused, changing the subject.

"Hey, the care home called—your mom's doing better. Your birthday's coming up, right? I'll bring her home to stay with us."

I stared at him through my tears, saying nothing.

Avoiding my gaze, he backed toward the door. "I'll make dinner. Get some rest."

Before I could respond, he disappeared, the door clicking shut behind him.

Since quitting art for business, Hektor had become the stereotypical exec who couldn't find the kitchen in his own house.

No one would believe he'd cook for his damaged, disgraced wife.

But of course, everything Hektor did was ultimately for Laria.

Once his footsteps faded, I grabbed my phone and called my mother-in-law.

"I want out," I said flatly. "I'll sign the divorce papers whenever you want. Just make it quick."

After a stunned pause, her venomous voice hissed through the speaker.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, demanding a divorce from my son?" she spat.

"If it weren't for Hektor's misplaced charity in marrying you, trash like you wouldn't qualify to scrub our toilets."

"Without him, you'd be turning tricks under a bridge somewhere."

I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, my hand shaking around the phone.

Eventually, as if granting me a royal pardon, she said.

"Fine. Five days. When you sign those papers, take your crazy mother and disappear from our lives forever."

For a whole year, my mother-in-law had threatened divorce weekly. Yet when I finally asked for it myself, you'd think I'd insulted the queen.

I must have passed out from exhaustion. Through the fog of sleep, I heard someone call my name. A hand touched my forehead, and I instinctively recoiled, though I couldn't escape completely.

When I woke again, sunlight flooded the room. The space beside me was cold and empty.

I barely made it downstairs when I heard Laria's theatrical sobbing.

"God, Hektor, when will I ever get pregnant? Julian's been trying for months. What if there's something wrong with me?"

"You're young and healthy," Hektor soothed, using that gentle voice he never used with me. "When the time's right, it'll happen. Don't cry, sweetheart—it's not good for you."

When Laria spotted me, her sobbing ceased. Her expertly swollen eyes locked on mine. "Yunifer!"

After her greeting, she shifted closer to Hektor, widening those innocent doe eyes—as if I might attack her at any moment.

Ever since she'd married Julian—the man who was supposed to be my husband—she'd perfected the role of victim whenever I was around.

Before I could speak, Laria rushed to explain.

"Please don't be upset with Hektor! Coming here was all my idea."

She reached for her purse on the sofa, making a show of leaving.

Hektor stepped between us, annoyance flickering across his face before he turned to me.

"Yunifer, Laria's going through a really rough patch. I invited her to stay for a few days. As her sister-in-law, I'd appreciate if you could make her feel welcome."

Pain stabbed through my chest, but I forced myself to say. "Stay as long as you need."

It didn't matter anyway. In five days, I'd be gone.

Hektor shot me an approving look, like I was a dog who'd performed a trick correctly.

I grabbed my bag from the armchair and mumbled. "I'm going to visit my mother."

Laria immediately perked up.

"Visiting your mom? Can I tag along? I haven't seen her in ages!"

Both Laria and Hektor had been my father's star pupils before his death.

After Hektor took over his family business, I became my father's most accomplished student, with Laria as the second-best.

Afraid I might refuse, Laria grabbed my arm with surprising force, shaking it eagerly.

The sudden movement sent my bag tumbling to the floor, its contents scattering across the hardwood.

Among the spilled items—a prenatal checkup report.

Hektor snatched up the ultrasound form, his eyes widening at the words "8 weeks pregnant."

While, Laria, spotting the report, immediately burst into perfectly-timed tears.

Chapter 3

"Well, well. You two lovebirds move fast," Laria said, her voice syrupy sweet while her eyes remained cold as winter. "Pregnant after just one year! How... efficient."

She let her voice crack on the last word, her eyes suddenly swimming with perfectly timed tears.

"I've been trying for four fucking years with nothing to show for it."

Those fat, glistening tears started their practiced descent down her flawless cheeks.

I watched something shift in Hektor's expression—a look he'd never once given me—raw devotion mixed with fierce protectiveness that made my stomach twist into knots.

He pressed his lips together before turning to me, his decision already made.

"Get rid of it."

His words hit me like a slap. For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

"What did you just say?" I whispered, certain I'd misheard.

Hektor sighed dramatically. "Your body can't handle a pregnancy, Yunifer. You're missing a kidney. I couldn't bear watching you go through labor."

"I'm only thinking of you," he added with practiced concern. "I couldn't stand seeing you suffer through childbirth."

The same man who, moments earlier, had been desperately reassuring Laria about her fertility issues.

A bitter laugh escaped my throat. "This is my child, Hektor. My body. My goddamn choice."

With only one kidney, I lived on borrowed time anyway.

But I desperately wanted—needed—this child. Someone who would look after my mother when I was gone.

Hektor's expression flickered with what might have been a microsecond of actual hesitation.

"Oh, Hektor," Laria cut in, her voice a masterful blend of martyrdom and sweetness. "Maybe we should let Yunifer keep the baby. I absolutely adore children."

She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue before delivering her knockout punch.

"I'm just terrified that when Julian sees his precious little niece or nephew, he'll finally realize what a broken, barren failure I am." Her voice dissolved into a delicate whimper.

Whatever momentary doubt had crossed Hektor's face vanished instantly. His voice hardened.

"Yunifer, this ends now. I'm calling my doctor to schedule the procedure."

"The hell you are," I shot back, "this baby stays. If you don't want us, fine—we'll disappear."

"You'll never have to see either of us again."

Something dangerous flashed in Hektor's eyes.

"You will never leave me," he said, each word like a shard of ice. "And this pregnancy ends today."

Before I could react, his security team materialized from nowhere. They half-dragged, half-carried me to the car as I screamed and fought against their grip.

In the sterile hospital room, I collapsed to my knees before Hektor.

"Please," I sobbed, clutching at his pants. "I have nothing left in this world. Nothing. All I want is this one small mercy. Please let me keep my baby."

The doctor looked profoundly uncomfortable.

"Mr. Reed, modern medicine has advanced significantly. Many women with a single kidney deliver perfectly healthy babies. And this fetus is developing beautifully."

Hektor's face remained carved from stone as he coldly ordered.

"Proceed with the termination. Now."

In the end, they strapped me to the table like an animal.

Even through the fog of anesthesia, I felt the cold instruments invading my body, destroying the tiny heartbeat I'd already fallen in love with.

My chest felt like it was being crushed as silent tears streamed down my face.

When I finally regained consciousness, I recognized our bedroom by the scent of Hektor's cologne before I could even open my eyes.

Through barely-parted lids, I spotted them on the sofa across the room—Hektor and Laria—her body curled against his like they were two pieces of the same puzzle.

"I can't believe you actually went through with it," Laria whispered, her voice a perfect blend of feigned horror and secret fascination.

"Making Yunifer terminate like that."

Hektor's voice was low and intimate—a tone he'd never once used with me.

"Think about it, Liv. You've been married for years without getting pregnant. If I had a child before you, your mother-in-law would make your life absolute hell."

"You're my precious sister. How could I let some... inconvenient pregnancy hurt you?"

"Oh, Hektor," Laria sighed, her voice trembling with emotion. "If only we weren't legally siblings. I would have chosen you in a heartbeat."

"But now I'm Julian's wife," she continued with rehearsed sadness.

"It's too late for us. All I can do to repay your devotion is..."