Chapter 1

Kate

I should have known something was wrong the moment I walked into the house.

The party buzzed all around me, guests laughing, glasses clinking, the deep bass of the music thumping softly, but there was a strange emptiness in the air. Like something had happened and no one had noticed yet.

It was Sebastian's birthday. His thirty-second.

I had spent weeks planning the evening. Perfecting the guest list, choosing his favorite champagne. Working with the chef on a menu that matched the wine cellar. Smiling when I wanted to cry, and laughing when all I wanted was his attention. He didn't even thank me.

I had been his wife for two years—the woman beside the powerful CEO of Monarch & Vale… Sebastian Beaumont. Two years of loving him and standing in his shadow.

He'd disappeared sometime after the cake was rolled out, brushing a kiss on my cheek. "Back in a minute," he murmured, then vanished up the stairs.

A full hour passed, and that's when I went looking for him. I slipped away from the guests, heart pounding for no reason. Maybe I was hoping he had something planned—a surprise, even. A small gift in return. A romantic moment to say, I see you, and I love you still.

When I got upstairs, the bedroom door wasn't fully closed. I paused in front of it, confused at first by the low, breathy sounds coming from inside, and the rhythmic creak of the mattress.

What was happening?

I reached for the door, but my hand froze. Through the small slit between the hinges, I saw him.

Sebastian...my husband. Shirtless, leaned back against our bed, head thrown back, his fingers gripping pale skin and dark hair as a woman moved over him like she belonged there.

And then, when she turned her head, what I saw made me almost scream. It was my sister!

Lana?!

My mind didn't catch up at first. It couldn't. My brain tried to reason with my heart, it tried to explain what my eyes were seeing. Maybe it wasn't real. Maybe it was a hallucination. A bad dream brought on by stress or exhaustion. But I knew that laugh. That voice. That damn smirk she always wore when she thought she'd won.

She looked back at him like he was hers. And he let her. My husband was having an affair with my own blood sister.

I didn't scream. I couldn't. I simply stepped back, stumbling like the ground beneath me had given way. My hand reached for the wall, anything to keep me upright, but then—

The pain hit me. Sharp and deep, like something had torn open inside me. I gasped, clutching my stomach, my fingers curling around the fabric of my dress. A rush of warmth soaked through the satin.

Blood?! It was everywhere. Splattered on the floor. Running down my legs. Forming a pool around my heels. I collapsed to my knees, barely registering the shock of the cold marble against my skin. My breathing turned ragged and my chest rose and fell in sharp bursts.

A sob crawled up my throat as I bit down hard on my fist, trying to keep quiet. I didn't want them to hear me.

My thoughts turned into distant echoes, like they were coming from somewhere far away. Everything around me suddenly grew blurry. I think they heard me...or someone did, because I heard footsteps rushing closer. But I couldn't lift my head. I couldn't even speak.

Before I could see who it was standing over me, the darkness took over. My vision went black, and everything slipped away.

My eyes fluttered open, only to slam shut again at the harsh sting of bright lights above me. Everything felt too loud, too white, too unfamiliar. My body ached, and my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

I blinked again, slowly this time, adjusting to the light. I looked around, confusion clouding my mind until the smell of antiseptic and the sound of soft beeping filled in the blanks.

I was in a hospital. Hospital? The last thing I remembered was—

My breath hitched, and my chest tightened.

Sebastian and Lana...

A sharp ache settled in my chest, and I instinctively placed my hand over my heart, as if I could hold the pieces together from the outside.

Before I could process another thought, a soft voice interrupted.

"Miss, you're finally awake."

I turned my head and saw a nurse standing by my bedside. Her expression was tired, maybe annoyed—but I didn't care. I wasn't here for her. I didn't even have the strength to speak before she said,

"I'll go get the doctor," and walked out quickly, like she couldn't get away fast enough.

I stared up at the ceiling. My body was still, but inside I was spinning. My mind was racing with a thousand questions. Why was I here? Who brought me? Why was Sebastian not here?

The door opened again, and this time a middle-aged man in a white coat walked in—the doctor, I assumed. He didn't speak right away. He went straight to the machines, checking tubes, wires, and screens like I was just another patient on his list.

He sighed. Not loudly, but enough. A soft, defeated sound that sent a wave of anxiety through me.

"Is there something wrong with me, doctor?" I asked. My voice sounded dry and hoarse, like I hadn't spoken in days.

He glanced at me and gave a small shake of his head. "No, miss. Your vitals are stable. You're doing well... physically."

Physically? That word echoed in my ears. Like everything else didn't matter.

"But..." he added, trailing off.

I tensed. My hands clenched the thin hospital blanket. "But what?" I asked, sharper this time.

He hesitated. I hated that. I didn't want to be coddled. I didn't want soft tones or half-truths, I wanted the truth—ugly and painful as it might be.

"Before you were brought to the hospital," he began gently, "it had already happened. There wasn't much we could do."

My stomach dropped. "What happened?" I pressed.

The doctor exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry... but you miscarried the baby."