Chapter 1

Andrew Holden and Julia Summers had been together for seven years, a marathon romance finally reaching its finish line. The very night Andrew was finally going to propose was the night her mom died of a heart attack.

At the funeral, his phone rang. His adoptive sister, Emily Linwood, was on the line because her kid had a fever. Without a second glance back, he was gone.

Hundreds of Julia's calls went to voicemail.

Julia handled everything alone and dragged herself home bone‑tired. While sorting through her mom's things, she found a paternity test.

Her eyes scanned the names, and the words on the page ripped her world apart.

Emily's five‑year‑old son, the sweet kid who ran to Julia and chirped "Auntie Julia," had Andrew Holden listed as the father.

Seven years of love turned into a lie. Julia was the other woman in a story she never even knew she was a part of.

Her head reeled, and then everything went black.

She had no idea how long she had been out cold. When she finally came to, it was deep into the night, and the house was still empty, just her and the suffocating silence.

Lightning ripped across the sky, thunder shaking the windows. Every muscle in her body screamed as she struggled to sit up. Her eyes landed on the crumpled paternity test still clutched in her hand. Her heart plummeted so hard that she nearly passed out again.

Julia and Andrew had been classmates in high school, getting together right after graduation.

When she went abroad for college, they kept their love alive across oceans for four long years.

Three years ago, when she came back, Emily, the Holden family's adopted daughter, suddenly had a little boy by her side.

Nobody knew who the father was. Emily never dated anyone.

But with the Holden family backing her up, no one dared whisper about the kid being illegitimate.

The entire Holden family doted on Emily, and Andrew was especially good to her and the boy. Julia had never suspected a thing.

Her phone screen stayed dark. During the hours she had been unconscious, Andrew hadn't called once. Not even a text.

Julia steadied herself with a deep breath and dialed the number.

If Andrew still didn't answer, she would never call again.

Miraculously, the call connected.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, blaring music flooded through. Andrew's voice mixed with his buddies' drunken laughter.

"Dude, it's Julia's mom's memorial today. You're seriously not going?" one of his friends slurred. "Besides, didn't her mom have that heart attack because she caught you with Emily?"

"That's exactly why I can't go," Andrew replied, his voice holding zero guilt. "With her mom gone, things are finally clean. No one's gonna run their mouth to Julia about Emily and the kid anymore."

"So do you actually love Julia? I mean, seven years together. If you love her, you should treat her better."

"Love her? Course I do."

Andrew laughed carelessly. "That's exactly why she can never know about me and Emily. It was just a stupid accident. Why should she suffer for my mistake?

"As long as she stays with me and doesn't ask questions, she'll have a good life."

Julia stood frozen. Her phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a hard crack.

So her mother's death wasn't just an accident.

During all those years apart, his heart was already somewhere else.

His so-called love meant lies to keep her in the dark, turning her into the perfect fool.

She curled into the corner of the couch, biting her lip hard.

Her hand drifted unconsciously to her belly, where a four-week-old baby had just started to grow within her.

Just two days ago, her doctor, Ben Carter, looked at her test results with concern. "You have the same heart condition as your mother. Carrying this pregnancy to term is a huge risk."

Back then, she had secretly tucked the report away, planning to give Andrew the surprise of his life after he proposed.

Now, the whole thing seemed like a sick joke.

He already had a child with another woman. Why should Julia risk her life to give him another?

Rain hammered the windows. Julia grabbed her phone and scrolled to Ben's number.

When the call connected, her voice came out as flat as still water.

"Dr. Carter, I need to schedule an abortion. As soon as possible."