Chapter 1

By day, I was Edward Foster's secretary; by night, his hookup.

After we finished, Edward shoved me toward the bathroom, his face cold and distant.

"Clean yourself up and get out. Don't come back."

I reached for his arm tentatively, looking up at him.

"Did I do something wrong today?" I asked softly.

The man who'd just had me underneath him now looked at me with pure contempt.

Edward said, "Charlotte and I are engaged.

"She's been sheltered her whole life—can't handle much. So I used you for practice.

"You've been around long enough. You know what to do."

*****

Edward's words crashed down on me.

I pressed my lips together, but nothing came out.

When I didn't respond, irritation flashed across Edward's face.

"Do I have to say it again?"

I shook my head quickly, managing a weak smile.

His expression finally softened slightly.

I turned on the shower and started washing up, moving mechanically. Edward walked in behind me.

I subconsciously glanced over, hoping he'd tell me it was all a lie—that he wasn't marrying someone else, that I wasn't just a stand-in.

But when I saw the pill box and glass of water in his hand, my heart sank.

He touched my stomach gently and whispered in my ear, "Take it. Just in case."

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I held my head high to keep my dignity.

"Got it."

Without hesitation, I swallowed the pill right in front of him.

Satisfied at last, Edward smiled and stepped back. I quickly threw on my clothes and bolted from the villa.

Back in my shabby apartment, I scrubbed at my face roughly, only to realize it was already wet with tears.

I laughed bitterly. How pathetic.

I'd survived hell growing up without crying once, but here I was, breaking down over this.

I poured myself some water. Maybe it was the pill, but my stomach had been cramping nonstop since I got home. The painkillers weren't touching it.

Half-conscious, I slipped back to the memory of the first time I met Edward.

I was green then, nearly lured into a hotel room by a sleazy client. Edward appeared out of nowhere and got me out of there.

After that, he brought me on as his secretary, showed me the ropes, and kept me from screwing up.

Everyone said he was cold and ruthless, never interested in women—but with me, he was always gentle.

The more time we spent together, the harder I fell for him. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help it.

Things changed between us at a celebration dinner.

When I finally broke away from the clients and hurried to Edward, he'd been drugged by a competitor—his whole body was burning up.

He kept me in bed all night. Wouldn't let me go.

The next morning, when he woke up and saw me there, he assumed I'd slept with him to get ahead.

Furious, he fired me and made sure I'd never work in the industry again.

It wasn't until he uncovered the truth that he tracked me down—found me at a garbage dump and brought me home.

My mom died young. My dad was a drunk. My younger brother only called when he needed money.

When I lost my job, my family wouldn't even take me in.

I ended up on the streets with nowhere to go.

Edward found me huddled in a corner, trying to stay warm.

Maybe it was guilt. Maybe he couldn't forget that night. Either way, he took me in and handed me a stack of cash.

I knew Edward and I were from different worlds. I never let myself expect anything.

But even knowing this arrangement had an expiration date, I couldn't help clinging to those rare moments when he'd actually be kind to me.

I barely slept that night, old memories flooding back while the pain in my stomach wouldn't let up.

When I finally opened my eyes and saw blood between my legs, reality crashed down.

I rushed to the hospital. Two weeks pregnant—but not anymore.

I sat in the hallway, laughing and crying until I had nothing left.

Edward, this was it. We were done.