Chapter 1

I found a piece of lace underwear that didn't belong to me in the crevice of my boyfriend, Jacob Prichard's, wheelchair.

My fingertips turned ice-cold. I looked up at him, who lay paralyzed on the bed. "Jacob, let's break up."

He didn't even bother to look at me, his voice flat and emotionless. "Okay."

My heart shattered. As I turned to leave, a childish voice exploded in my mind. "Mom, don't go. He'll be a billionaire later. He was framed and ended up like this."

I froze mid-step, staring back at Jacob in disbelief.

Before I could think it through, the baby inside me urged again. "Mom, that woman who came back from the future is almost here. She did all this to Dad. She's coming to kill us."

*****

I found a piece of lace underwear that didn't belong to me in the crevice of my boyfriend, Jacob's, wheelchair.

I clutched the glaring piece of lace, and my heart turned as cold as ice.

"Jacob, let's break up," I said.

He didn't even bother to look at me, his voice flat and emotionless. "Okay."

Just as my heart was broken and I turned to leave, a childish voice exploded in my head. "Mom, don't leave him.

"He's going to be a billionaire someday. He's only like this because he was framed."

I jerked my head up, staring at my bedridden boyfriend.

A billionaire?

Framed?

Was I hearing things?

I ignored the voice in my head and cried out, tears streaming down my face, "You agreed without even asking why. Did you stop loving me a long time ago?"

Jacob stayed silent, but I could see a storm brewing deep in his eyes.

And then my unborn child spoke up again, sounding even more urgent. "Mom, that woman who came back from the future is almost here.

"She's going to kill both of us!"

A woman who came back from the future?

My mind went blank, unable to process this avalanche of information.

My unborn baby was actually talking to me?

And the baby said Jacob was framed?

And a woman from the future was coming to kill us?

I squeezed the lace fabric so hard my nails dug into my palm.

Three years ago, Jacob's company had just taken off, and he was at the peak of his success.

A sudden car accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. His company went bankrupt, and all his former friends turned their backs on him.

I stuck by him, taking care of him every single day. I went from a spoiled rich girl who never lifted a finger to a pro at nursing.

I thought our love could get us through anything.

But that strange pair of underwear, and his icy "Okay," cut through me like knives, shredding my heart to pieces.

I thought this was betrayal.

But the baby inside me was telling a completely different story.

It said, "Mom, Dad didn't betray you.

"That underwear was planted by the woman who traveled back. She wanted to force you to leave.

"She wants to take your place while Dad is at his lowest. Then when he makes a comeback, she'll become the wife of a billionaire."

The childish voice was trembling, almost crying, and sounded desperate.

He continued, "That's exactly what she did in her previous life.

"She forced you out, then acted all saintly and stuck around to take care of Dad. When he got better, she stole all his business ideas and became the richest woman in the country.

"Dad was drained of all his value, and he ended up broken and alone.

"She traveled back to do the same thing all over again."

My hands were shaking uncontrollably.

There was just too much to take in, and my head felt like it was splitting open.

I looked at Jacob. He was still lying there, half-dead, staring blankly at the ceiling.

For the past three years, he had been like this. He was refusing to get better, refusing to talk, just a shell of a man.

I always thought he was heartbroken from being paralyzed.

But now I wondered if he really had been framed.

Was he pretending to be defeated to protect himself?

I forced myself to steady my nerves.

Whether the voice was real or not, the priority was to deal with this "woman from the future" who was about to arrive.

I took a deep breath and headed to Jacob's side.

I tossed the lace underwear into the trash without a second thought.

Then I leaned down and looked him straight in the eye.

I said, "Jacob, I was just angry.

"We're not breaking up."

Jacob's eyes flickered for a moment, but it was gone in an instant.

He remained silent, cold and unmoving, like a lifeless statue.

I ignored his reaction and continued, "No matter what happens, I won't leave you."