08:31 Tue, 17 Jun
Chapter 1
The day of my final prenatal checkup, my husband, Aaron Mackey, claimed he had a business trip and couldn’t make it.
So there I was, at the OB–GYN, sitting alone in the waiting room, when I caught sight of Aaron gently kissing Nancy Cross’s pregnant belly, his voice soft and affectionate.
“When our baby is born,” he murmured, “he’s going to be the rightful heir to the Mackey legacy.”
Nancy tilted her head up, pretending to be worried. “Aaron, your wife’s pregnant too… What if she finds out about us? What if she refuses to let our child into the family?”
Aaron scoffed, his tone turning cold. “And who is she to say no? If she gives me trouble, I’ll divorce her. I’ll throw her out with nothing.”
Every word hit me like a brick. My body went stiff.
Aaron had chased me for ten years. Everyone knew he loved me to the bone.
After we got engaged, he gave me three tokens of our love.
The first: a pair of porcelain figurines mixed with his rib bone.
The second: a necklace made of pearls he’d personally dived for.
And the third… the crown of the Mackey matriarch–worth millions. The gem at the top was the key to the family vault. A symbol of power. A symbol of trust. Half the company was
tied to it.
He once went diving just to find me a new pearl, only to disappear at sea. When they found him, he had amnesia–and Nancy, a nightclub dancer, was the one who’d “rescued” him. Once his memories came back, he said he wanted to return to me. I believed he had. What I didn’t know was, he and Nancy never really ended.
She’s pregnant with his child. And now, he’s scheming to kick me out with nothing.
My baby didn’t need a deadbeat dad like him.
And I was sure as hell I didn’t need a love that came in halves.
If he’s so desperate to burn my world down, I’d leave before he got the chance.
Holding my head high, I picked up the phone and called my father.
“Dad, I’m divorcing Aaron. I’m keeping the baby. I’ll come home to take over the Blake Corporation and… I’ll go through with the arranged marriage with the Dalton Family.”
The second I hung up, I booked the earliest flight out.
Two weeks.
That’s all I needed. In two weeks, I’d be gone for good.
The second I got home, I picked up my phone and called my father.
“Dad, I’ve made up my mind. I’m keeping the baby and I’ll take over the company. I’ll also
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08:31 Tue, 17 Jun
agree to engagement with the Daltons.”
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There was a pause. “Cassidy, are you sure? You know, words is- the Dalton CEO’s infertile.”
“I’m sure. That just means my child gets to be the successor for both the Blake and the Dalton.”
He quickly agreed. “Alright, I’ll reach out to the Daltons. You go ahead and apply for immigration.”
I nodded, then turned my attention to the divorce papers.
Looking at the list of property division, it felt like I was watching the distance grow between Aaron and me.
Yesterday at the OB–GYN clinic, I ran into Aaron and Nancy. At first, I didn’t want to believe
- it.
Then that night, I got a message from Aaron, asking me to meet at our usual spot. With mixed feelings, I went to the private room. Before I even walked in, I saw through the crack in the door–Nancy was sitting on Aaron’s lap. She leaned into his arms so naturally, like she was always meant to be there.
It felt like I’d been struck by lightning when I realized Aaron and Nancy had never really
apart.
Through the crack in the door, I heard one of his friends say,
“How long are you going to keep this up? If Cassidy finds out, I’m afraid you won’t be able to win her back.”
Aaron said nothing. He just clutched Nancy tighter, jaw clenched, eyes cold and sharp.
Then came his voice, low and rough, “It’s hard to love only one person forever. Nancy doesn’t ask for much and Cassidy won’t leave me. So why don’t I just have two women at my sides?”
He added, “Besides, Nancy’s carrying my child now. I can’t just walk away from that.”
His friends stared at him in disbelief. Everyone knew how much Aaron had loved me. No one thought he’d actually fall for someone else–let alone a nightclub dancer.
“Are you out of your mind, dude?” one of them said sharply. “Do you remember how hard you fought to win Cassidy over? And now you’re putting her on the same level as a
dancer?”
“What if her baby’s not even yours? Don’t be fooled, man!” he added, pointing at Nancy’s belly. It was barely a few seconds past before Aaron punched him, hard. His eyes turned red at the corners as he gently covered Nancy’s ears.
“Don’t you dare talk bad about her! Nancy didn’t choose to become a dancer and all I know is she saved me. So if I ever hear any of you talk down on her again, we’re done being friends.”
With that, he turned around and walked off with Nancy in his arms.
My chest twisted painfully and I instinctively stepped back, ducked into the shadows.
Chapter 1
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Just as he reached the door, Aaron stopped.
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“None of you are to tell Cassidy about this,” his voice was cold and firm, “I’ll figure out a way to make it work.”
And then he left, still holding Nancy in his arms.
But Nancy–out of Aaron’s line of sight–shot me a smug, triumphant look.
So she knew I was here all along.
I stared at my palm, where my nails had dug into the skin, leaving bloody crescent marks. The pain in my chest was unbearable.
Ten years.
Ten years of love, of fire, of devotion–and it took him two months to burn it all to the ground.
Just this morning, Aaron had been kissing my forehead so gently. And now? Now he was ready to throw punches at his own friends for another woman. He’d even gotten her
pregnant.
The pain was too much, I almost laughed. It took hours before I could gather the strength to walk back home.
Snapped out of the memory, I tightened my grip on the divorce papers.
I would never share my man’s heart with another woman. And my child would never need a father who had a child with someone else.
“What’s that in your hand?”
Aaron’s voice cut through the silence.
