Chapter 1
My name’s Natalia Hinton, and today was supposed to mean something–our third wedding anniversary. Three years married to Quinn Madden, and yet here I am, wondering what the hell went wrong.
Fof
I’d spent hours in the kitchen, pouring everything I had into making his favorite meal. It wasn’t extravagant, just my way a showing I cared, of celebrating us. But when I called Quinn that evening, his line was busy. Again. And again. And again.
By midnight, the food on the table was stone cold, and he still hadn’t come home.
A sharp pain twisted in my stomach, stealing my breath. Maybe was hunger. Maybe it was something else entirely. Chinching my abdomen. I leaned against the counter just as my phone started buzzing
The ringtone—his ringtone–snapped me out of my haze. I grabbed the phone so quickly I nearly dropped it. “Quinn Where are you? Why didn’t you answer! My voice cracked, a mix of worry and frustration
His reply was colder than the rain pounding outside. “Pack your things. Move out for a while.”
For a moment, I couldng breathe. I clutched the phone tighter, the words hitting me like a slap. “What.. what the hell are you talking about? Did something happen?”
“Diana’s back” he said flatly. No emotion, no hesitation. “She doesn’t like staying in hotels.”
| froze, my heart sinking like a stone. Diana Terell. Even hearing her name was enough to send a chill through me. I didn’t know much about her, but one thing had been painfully clear since day one: my husband had loved her for ten years.
lashed against the windows, loud and unrelenting. The pain in my stomach worsened, but it was nothing compared to the ache spreading through my chest.
“Now I croaked my voice barely above a whisper. My gaze locked on the storm outside, the lightning illuminating the
my head. “You’re telling me this now? On our-
“Yes, now” be interrupted, his tone sharp and final. He didn’t even let me finish. Before I could get the words “wedding anniversary” out of my mouth, the line went dead.
I stared at the phone, disbelief coursing through me. The silence that followed was deafening, the kind that wrapped around me and didn’t let go
Our Quinn made up his mind, there was no room for negotiation–never had been.
My hands trembled as I forced myself to stand. The pain in my stomach didn’t care about the storm or my emotions. I gulped down a glass of water, hoping it might take the edge off, then pushed through the ache to pack my things.
By the time I zipped the last bag shut, the cab I’d called was already idling at the villa’s entrance, its headlights cutting through the run
The driver stepped out as I tuuled my luggage to the door, his umbrella barely holding back the downpour. “Miss, are you
́be asked, has brows knit with concern as he reached for my bags.
1 gave him a fant smile, brushing off the worry with a small shaar of my head. Tm fine, really just—”
Before 1 could fitoj, a sharp, fiery pain tore through my abdomen. It hit me like a sucker punch, and my knees buckled under ne Casping, clutched my stomach, my vision blurring the driver rushed forward, his voice echoing somewhere
I
Lay sați the staff Land V drip hooke
ing but my body feeling too weak to move.
Q
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Chapter 1
“You’re already eleven weeks pregnant,” the doctor said, her tone professional but edged with concern as she reviewed my test results. “But you’ve been pushing yourself too hard. The pain earlier? That was your body giving you a warning.
“If you want to keep this baby, you’ll need to be admitted for observation–and take it easy from now on.”
I stared down at my flat abdomen, my mind spinning in chaos.
I’d always been careful, taking birth control pills after every time Quinn and I were together. But two months ago, there’d been that one drunken night. He’d called me to pick him up, and things got heated in the car–just once. And now… a baby.
The doctor’s voice pulled me back to reality. “Where’s the baby’s father? He should bring you something to eat. You’ll need to get some proper nutrition after the IV.
I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Instead, just sat there, silent, my thoughts tangled in knots.
A baby. His baby. What would Quinn say if he knew? Would he care? Would he even want this child?
After the doctor left, I spent what felt like hours staring at my phone, my thumb hovering over his number. Finally, I took a deep breath and dialed. The line connected almost instantly.
“Quinn. I started, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Quinn’s in the shower, a sweet, feminine voice chirped on the other end, casual and light. “Who’s calling? I’ll have him call you back
other
It was my first time hearing Diana’s voice, but it felt like a dagger straight to the heart. So soon–he’d already brought her
home.
“Is that for me?” Quinn’s deep voice came through in the background. A moment later, the phone shuffled, and his familiar indifference came through the line. “What is it
The hospital room felt stiflingly warm, but a cold chill seeped into my bones, leaving me frozen.
“L” The words I’d practiced over and over tangled in my throat, refusing to come out. I’m pregnant” felt like a lead weight, too heavy to voice.
I swallowed hard, trying to gather the courage to speak, just as a high–pitched shriek echoed through the line.
“Diana? What happened?” Quinn’s voice, filled with panic, was a tone I’d never heard him use–not for me. Not once in three
years.
“I was trying to cut some fruit for you,” Diana whimpered, her voice trembling. And I… I accidentally sliced my finger.
“Does it hurt? Hold on–Ill take you to the hospital right now!” His concern was instant, the urgency in his voice cutting deep.
The line went dead before I could respond.
The phone slipped from my trembling hand onto the bed, and clenched the blanket tightly. My chest felt so constricted it was hard to draw a full breath.
How ironic. Three years of marriage, and I couldn’t even get a fraction of the care he’d just shown her.
An hour later, I signed the discharge papers and left the hospital alone, dragging my suitcase behind me. Exhaustion weighed on me as I stepped into the elevator. It stopped on the third floor with a soft ding.
“You didn’t have to make such a big deal over something a Band Aid could handle,” a woman’s playful voice teased just as the doors slid open.
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Chapter 1
Instinctively
I looked up–and froze.
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Standing there was Quinn, and beside him was a petite, gorgeous woman with delicate features and an easy, radiant smile. Her arm was casually looped around his, and her face was lit with happiness. They seemed like the perfect couple
Even without an introduction, I knew. This was Diana.
The faint smile Quinn had been wearing just seconds ago vanished the moment his gaze met mine. His eyes turned as cold as ice, that familiar indifference creeping back in like a shadow.
“Come on, Quinn!” Diana stepped into the elevator first, holding the doors open with one hand. Her polite smile flickered my way before she turned her attention back to him. “Let’s go.
Quinn followed her inside, his sharp gaze narrowing as he glanced at me.
The three of us stood in the elevator, the tension so thick it was suffocating. I felt completely out of place, like an outsider in my own life.
A twisted thought crept into my mind: if Diana knew the truth about my relationship with Quinn, would she still be smiling. at me so sweetly?
But I quickly shoved it aside. Even if Quinn didn’t love me, I couldn’t bear the thought of him hating me any more than he already did.
The ride down felt like an eternity, the silence pressing down on me like a weight. Every second stretched painfully long.
When the doors finally opened on the first floor, I rushed out like a lifeline, desperate to escape, but then I heard Quinn’s voice–low and commanding, “Wait”
His deep, magnetic voice cut through the air like a whip, stopping me in my tracks. It was devoid of warmth–so different from the tender tone he used with Diana.
Some people, it seems, can only ever love one person. For Quinn, that person was Diana. For me, it had always been Quinn “Diana, wait in the car, Quinn said, his voice gentle as he handed her the keys. He gave her a soft smile before following me
out of the elevator.
As the doors slid shut, I caught the flicker of Diana’s face. Her expression shifted–confusion giving way to anger, a flash of irritation sparking in her eyes. She wasn’t stupid; she’d figured out who I was.
Quinn’s steps quickened as he closed the distance between us, his frown deepening. “What are you doing at the hospital?” His voice was ice–cold
I hesitated, scrambling for an excuse. “Visiting a friend”
“With a suitcase? At this hour?” His words dripped with suspicion, his sharp eyes scanning me like he was waiting to catch me in a lie. Then he sneered, lips curling into a mocking smirk. “Natalia, your lies are getting worse.”
To him, I was nothing but a schemer, a liar. No matter what I said or did, that was all he’d ever see
He’d never married me for love–just obligation. The Hinton and Madden families had an old marriage pact, one of those archaic agreements meant to keep power and wealth intertwined
Three years ago, when my family was on the brink of bankruptcy, I’d swallowed my pride and gone to Alex Madden- Quinn’s grandfather–desperately begging him to make good on that deal.
Quinn hadn’t wanted any part of it. But when Alex played the family–reputation card, backing him into a corner, he gave in. And just like that, I became Mrs. Madden. Not a cherished wife, but the roadblock between him and Diana. I’d poured every
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Chapter 1
ounce of my heart into–loving him, and he’d repaid me with nothing but resentment.
D
“Still not telling the truth?” His face hardened, the disdain in his eyes cutting through me like a knife. “If you want something, Natalia, just say it. Cut the games.
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So, that’s what this was. He’d stopped me because he thought I was scheming, worried I’d somehow mess with his precious Dian
Quinn… I don’t want much. Just your love. Just the chance to keep the baby growing inside me. But deep down, I knew better. That was asking for the impossible.
A lump rose in my throat, and for a long moment, I could only stare at him, fighting the burn behind my eyes. Finally, 1 found my voice–low, Strained, and barely audible. “I want a divorce.”
SEND GIFT
