Chapter 1
My breakup with Elvis Sterling was ugly, messy, and left scars.
He gripped my fake pregnancy report and crushed his cigarette right over my chest.
"How dare you lie to me?" he snarled.
Those words shattered my life. I lost my job, and my face was scarred for good.
Everyone said I'd been his kept woman for five years, and that I got exactly what I had coming.
The day I left Riverside City, he was getting engaged to a high-society heiress who was his perfect match.
I clutched my pregnant belly, feeling like a rat crawling through the gutter, and slunk out of his world, never to return.
Four years later, we ran into each other again. He pointed at the little girl in my arms, his eyes locked onto mine, full of certainty.
"This is my kid, isn't it?" he demanded, sure of the answer.
*****
I ran into Elvis again at the hospital, in the dead of night.
I was holding my daughter Yvette in my arms. She was so used to IVs and needles by now that she was totally calm, not making a sound.
Even when she saw Elvis, she stayed quiet, just tugging at my sleeve with a puzzled look on her face.
I blinked awake and suddenly locked eyes with Elvis. His gaze was cold and unreadable.
All those old memories hit me at once, and my heart skipped a beat.
My body went rigid, ready to run, but only then did it hit me that Yvette was still hooked up to the IV.
My hand had barely touched the IV bag when Elvis pinned it down, his grip firm and unyielding.
He said, "It's been a long time, Claire.
"Is this your daughter?"
His words sounded casual, but my legs went weak and started to shake uncontrollably.
Yvette tilted her head, puzzled. "Mommy, who is he?" she asked softly.
Elvis smirked coldly, speaking each word slowly and deliberately.
"An old acquaintance of your mommy," he replied, his voice icy.
Acquaintance? We were more than that.
We were together for five years. Every single day and night, we tangled together.
But for someone as untouchable as Elvis, all those heavy memories were nothing but garbage he could toss away without a care.
I kept my head down, my face pale as a sheet.
Just then, one of Elvis's friends strolled over. He didn't recognize me at first and started joking around, pointing at Yvette.
"Elvis, you lucky dog. Got sick on a business trip and your wife and daughter came all the way here to check on you," he teased.
Back then, not long after I left Riverside City, I caught wind online that Juliet was pregnant.
So she had a daughter, too.
His friend stepped closer, finally getting a good look at my face, and let out a low curse.
"Damn, you're Claire, right? I can't believe you're still alive," he blurted out.
His shocked, mocking words cut straight into the heart I'd only just managed to patch up.
Instinctively, I covered Yvette's ears, not wanting her to hear anything even harsher.
That guy went on, "You faked a pregnancy back then and ended up sending Elvis's grandpa to his grave. Seriously, how do you have the nerve to show up in front of Elvis now?
"What, ran out of cash? Figures. Women like you just lie around and live off men. How else would you get by?
"This skinny little girl is yours? Don't tell me you're about to claim she's Elvis's kid."
I'd been numb for so long, but that last sentence made my head snap up in disbelief.
"No, she has nothing to do with Mr. Sterling!" I shot back, my voice trembling.
Calling him "Mr. Sterling" like that made both of them go quiet, caught off guard.
After a beat, Elvis pushed past his friend and came right up to me, his presence just as intense and intimidating as ever.
"How old is the kid?" he asked.
"Three," I blurted out before I could ever think.
He took another step closer, his presence pressing in on me.
"Show me her ID card. I want to see it," he demanded.
I stepped back, forcing a smile that barely hid my nerves.
"It's at home. I must've forgotten to bring it," I replied, trying to play it cool.
He was about to say something, but I cut him off.
"It's late, Mr. Sterling. You should go home before Mrs. Sterling gets worried," I said.
At the mention of Juliet, he actually paused, lost in thought for once.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
Four years ago, I was so humble, desperately asking Elvis why he wouldn't trust me, and why he had to marry Juliet.
He had his hand around my throat, his gaze cold and full of contempt.
"She's nothing like you. She's pure, and she doesn't lie," he said, voice dripping with disdain.
"And I love her." He finished, voice like ice.
I'd been with him for five years, and he'd never once said he loved me.
Honestly, I always thought someone as high and mighty as Elvis was above loving anyone. Love just wasn't in his vocabulary.
But then he said he loved Juliet, that he wanted to build a life with her.
I used to think that kind of love would never last. Turned out I was just fooling myself.
While he was distracted, I quickly unhooked the IV, grabbed Yvette, and ran out without even glancing back.
Elvis muttered something behind me.
I didn't catch what he said, and honestly, I couldn't care less.
It wasn't until I was outside the hospital that I finally stopped, my heart pounding like crazy.
Yvette reached up and touched my tired, worn face, her eyes full of confusion.
"Mommy, why did you lie to that guy?" she asked softly.
I kissed her soft, round cheek.
"I did it to protect you," I said gently.
So no one could take her away from me.
But now that Elvis had his own wife and kid, why would he even care about taking my daughter?