Chapter 2

The morning sickness hit me like a wave as I stood in our Aspen chalet's marble bathroom. I gripped the counter, breathing deeply through my nose, willing the nausea to subside. Eight weeks pregnant, and my body was rebelling against me at the worst possible time.

"Victoria!" Alexander's impatient voice echoed from the bedroom. "We're already late for the slopes. Maya's waiting."

Of course she was. Maya Rodriguez—the grateful scholarship student who had somehow become a fixture in our lives. In my husband's life.

I splashed cold water on my face and straightened, meeting my own pale reflection. "Coming," I called back, my voice steadier than I felt.

When I emerged, Alexander was checking his watch, irritation etched across his handsome features. He wore his designer ski wear—black with crimson accents that matched the Blackwood corporate colors. Everything with him was branded, calculated.

"I don't think I should ski today," I said carefully. "The doctor mentioned taking it easy during the first trimester."

Alexander's expression hardened. "This retreat is important for Blackwood Enterprises. Everyone's bringing their partners." His eyes narrowed. "Maya's already agreed to join us for lunch on the mountain. It would look strange if my own wife wasn't there."

The irony wasn't lost on me. My husband was concerned about appearances while carrying on with our charity case behind my back.

"I'm not feeling well," I pressed, one hand instinctively moving to my stomach.

"Take something for it," he dismissed, already turning away. "The fresh air will do you good."

It wasn't a suggestion. In Alexander's world, his words were law.

An hour later, I found myself on the intermediate slope, watching Alexander and Maya ahead of me. She laughed at something he said, her head tilting back in that practiced way of hers. Alexander steadied her with a hand on her lower back—lingering there longer than necessary.

My chest tightened. They'd already disappeared down the slope twice, leaving me behind with excuses about "checking the trail." Now they barely bothered to wait.

"You can do this," I whispered to myself, adjusting my goggles. I'd been skiing since childhood, but pregnancy had thrown off my balance, made me cautious in a way I'd never been before.

I pushed off, determined to catch up, to insert myself between them. The cold air stung my cheeks as I picked up speed. Too much speed. The world blurred around me as I tried to control my descent.

My ski caught an edge. In an instant, I was airborne, then crashing down, tumbling through snow and pain. I came to rest against a small stand of trees, the breath knocked from my lungs.

"Help," I gasped, but there was no one nearby. Alexander and Maya had long since disappeared down the mountain.

With trembling hands, I checked myself for injuries. Nothing seemed broken, but a deep fear gripped me as I struggled to stand. I needed to get back to the chalet. I needed to rest.

By the time I made it back, my legs were shaking from more than exertion. In the bathroom, I discovered what I'd been dreading—bright red blood staining my underwear.

"Alexander," I called, panic rising in my throat as I dialed his number. Straight to voicemail. Again. Again.

I sank to the bathroom floor, tears streaming down my face, one hand pressed protectively against my abdomen. "Please," I whispered to whatever power might be listening. "Please let my baby be okay."

Hours later, after the bleeding had slowed, I made a decision. I wouldn't tell Alexander. I couldn't trust him with this—with anything—anymore.

The next morning, I flew back to Manhattan alone, claiming a business emergency. Alexander barely noticed, too consumed with his "mentorship" of Maya.

Dr. Anya Sharma's office was a sanctuary of calm, her face serious but kind as she reviewed my ultrasound.

"Mrs. Blackwood," she said gently, turning the screen toward me. "You're carrying twins."

My breath caught. "Twins?" I whispered, staring at the two tiny fluttering heartbeats.

"Yes, but I'm concerned about the bleeding episode you described." Her dark eyes held mine. "The stress you're experiencing is dangerous for both babies. You need to make some significant changes to your environment."

I nodded, my mind racing. Two babies. Two innocent lives depending on me to protect them.

"I understand," I said, a new resolve hardening within me. "I'll do whatever it takes."

What I didn't tell Dr. Sharma was that the most significant change would be removing Alexander Blackwood from our lives entirely. My children deserved better than a father who could push their mother down a ski slope through his neglect and never even notice she was bleeding.