Chapter 1
The divorce papers hit my face, and the corner of the sheet left a faint scratch on my cheek.
"Just sign it," Adrian's agent snapped, her face clouded with impatience.
I instinctively placed a hand over my abdomen, where a life, not even two weeks old, was growing.
"Where is Adrian?" I asked quietly.
The agent scoffed and shoved her phone screen in my face. It read: [Top Star Adrian Jackson Spotted Late Night with Rising Actress Mandy Shaw—Rumors of Good News?] The photo showed Mandy holding a bag full of baby items.
"See that? Adrian's too busy shopping for baby stuff with Mandy. The Jackson family already sees her as their new member," she said.
With a tight grip, I picked up the pen and signed my name, each stroke feeling like the final severing of any bond left between Adrian and me.
Five years later, at the gates of the kindergarten, Adrian appeared out of nowhere, surrounded by a crowd. He walked up to me with our son in his arms and said, "Sophie, well played."
*****
Adrian Jackson's agent, Lily Woodard, slammed the divorce papers right in my face.
The sharp edge of the paper sliced a thin line across my cheek, stinging like hell.
"Just sign it, Sophie," Lily said with her arms crossed. Her high heels tapped impatiently on my cheap linoleum floor. "Adrian's done more than enough for you. You're getting every penny you deserve. Dragging this out won't do you any favors."
The paper on the coffee table was blindingly white.
The settlement section was filled with so many zeros that it made my head spin. Adrian, my A-list actor husband, was being so generous, buying me off after three years of marriage, as if I were just gum stuck to his designer suit.
My fingers were icy as I pressed them to my flat belly, where a baby had only been discovered less than two weeks ago.
"Where's Adrian?" I said, my voice dry and hollow. "I want to see him."
Lily let out a mocking snort and practically shoved her phone screen in my face.
On her screen, a tabloid headline screamed in bold: [Top Star Adrian Jackson Spotted Late Night with Rising Actress Mandy Shaw—Rumors of Good News?]
There was also a grainy paparazzi photo. I could still clearly see Adrian's sharp profile as he leaned down. Mandy smiled up at him, a luxury baby store shopping bag swinging from her hand.
It felt like someone stabbed a cold knife straight into my heart and gave it a cruel twist.
Lily's tone dripped with gloating mockery. "See that? Adrian's an A-lister now, with the world at his feet. And you? You've got nothing. No career and no connections. All you do is drag him down. Mandy belongs in his universe, not you. So do yourself a favor and stop holding him back."
She jabbed her crimson-painted finger at the signature line. "Sign it already. Adrian doesn't have time for you. He's too busy shopping for baby stuff with Mandy. The Jackson family already sees her as their new member."
That last sentence shattered every last shred of hope I had left, no matter how small or foolish.
He was out picking out baby things with another woman, while I was still carrying his child.
It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing the air out of my lungs. I stared at Adrian's blurry, gentle profile in the paparazzi shot. There was softness in his gaze, a luxury I was rarely granted, even after three years of marriage.
I turned out, he knew how to be gentle. It was just that his tenderness was never meant for me.
My eyes burned and stung, but I bit down hard, refusing to shed even a single tear. Who would I be crying for, anyway? Lily? She'd snap a photo and send it to Adrian as fresh proof that I was "obsessed" and "unreasonable."
I grabbed the pen, the cold metal biting into my palm. My eyes drifted over those chilly terms and landed on the signature line.
My wrist trembled so much that the first letter of my name came out crooked and shaky.
"Hurry up. What are you dawdling for?" Lily urged.
I drew a deep breath, forced down that metallic taste in my throat, and used every ounce of strength I had left to sign my name. The last stroke pressed so hard that it ripped right through the paper, cutting ties between me and Adrian.
Lily snatched the agreement away, skimmed through it, and shoved it in her briefcase happily.
"Looks like you know when to quit," she sneered, flinging a bank card onto the table. "The password is Adrian's birthday. There's enough here for someone as ordinary as you to coast through the rest of your days. Just remember to keep your mouth shut. From now on, you and Adrian are strangers, and you've never seen each other before."
The sharp click of her heels faded away, and the front door slammed shut behind her.
The room fell dead silent.
I sank onto the icy floor, leaning against the freezing leg of the couch. A faint, almost imperceptible flutter stirred in my belly.
My hand trembled as I pressed it over the spot.
Sorry, my baby.
I felt like I lost your dad.
No, I didn't lose him.
He never even wanted us at all.
*****
The day I got my divorce certificate, the sky was shrouded in heavy gray clouds.
The clouds pressed low, suffocating the air so much that I could barely breathe. I walked out of the courthouse alone, gripping the certificate like it was a live coal scorching my palm.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed with an unfamiliar number. I answered. It was from Adrian.
His voice came through the line, still deep and pleasant, but now, it was somewhat distant and cold. "It's done?"
"Yes," I responded quietly.
"Did you receive the money?" Adrian asked.
"Yes," I replied.
Silence settled between us, heavy enough to steal my breath. Faint sounds came through the phone, probably the bustle of a film set on his end.
"Sophie Hale." Adrian suddenly used my full name, his voice cool, like he was doing business. "There's something I need you to handle."
My heart jolted. Instinctively, my hand flew to my belly. "G-Go ahead."
"I don't want any complications between us," Adrian said, his voice cold and almost merciless. "Especially... when it comes to a child."
I felt like ice water poured through my veins, freezing me in place. Every nerve in my body trembled.
He knew it. How the hell did he find out?
"I..." My throat was so tight that it felt like I was choking on glass. No sound came out.
"Don't make me repeat myself," he snapped, cutting off any hope for negotiation. "End it. I'll cover double the cost. It's what's best for you and for me."
The line went dead. Adrian hung up with no questions, confirmation, or hesitation. He just coldly ordered me to get rid of the baby.
That was it. To him, we were just a problem to solve and an annoying mistake in the way of his perfect life.
The early spring wind whipped at my face like sharp blades, but I didn't feel the cold. The divorce papers dug into my palm, the pain sharp and biting. I sank onto the cold courthouse steps, pulling my knees to my chest with my face buried in them.
Then the tears came, flooding silently and soaking through my pants. I cried for my own foolish, blind trust, and the tiny life in my belly. The baby was already doomed by its father before it even had a chance to live.