Chapter 1

The new secretary always seemed to have designs on my fiancé, Yannick Pendleton.

But every time she made a move, she was threatened with being fired.

That was until she slipped some drugs into Yannick's drink. That very night, he dragged the secretary in front of me and left her for me to deal with.

Since nothing had actually happened, I just fired her.

Then, on the eve of the wedding, she suddenly showed up heavily pregnant, begging me to give her and the baby a chance.

I knew she was trying to frame Yannick, so I immediately ordered her to be taken to a clinic for an abortion.

But at the wedding the next day, Yannick grabbed my throat in front of the guests. "I'll give you one last chance. Tell me which hospital Yasmine's at.

"I promise, only your child will inherit the Pendleton family.

"But if you really let her lose the baby, I won't hesitate to make sure you can never have children again."

My face turned crimson as I struggled to breathe. Reluctantly, I gave him the address.

He left me there without a word, except, "The wedding's postponed for a day."

Watching his retreating, I made a call. "Cancel the wedding. Also, book me an abortion appointment for today."

*****

"Jocelyn, I'm sorry. I really did lie to you," Yannick Pendleton confessed when he called. I was already at the hospital, waiting for my exam.

He sounded exhausted, like he'd been up all night looking after Yasmine. "That night, I really lost control. It was because of the drugs. But don't worry. I promise, only your child will inherit the Pendleton family.

"She doesn't have any ulterior motives; she just wants to give me a child. Once the baby's born, I'll send both her and the kid overseas. You'll never have to see them again for the rest of your life."

I just held my phone, a bitter, mocking smile on my lips.

When Yasmine Jexley came to me, I thought she was just trying to scam Yannick, pretending the baby was his when it probably belonged to someone else.

Yannick had sworn up and down that nothing happened that night.

But I never thought Yannick would humiliate me in front of everyone just for this baby.

Even if he were to send them overseas, I couldn't go through with this marriage anymore.

When I didn't answer, he let out a long sigh. "Don't worry. I always keep my word. The wedding's postponed for a day, and tomorrow, I'll take responsibility for everything right there at the ceremony."

"No need," I said and hung up.

When he couldn't get through, he started blowing up my phone with texts: [Stop being so difficult. Yasmine promised she won't give you any trouble. I can write my will right now and leave everything to our kid.]

Yannick: [Besides, you've never been the easiest to get pregnant. If you can't have a baby, you can just take this one as your own. Yasmine's totally okay with it. We're already married. Do you really have to make such a fuss?]

I turned off my phone and walked straight into the operating room when the doctor called my name.

This baby was hard to come by.

I was planning to surprise him with this on our wedding day.

But now, no matter how precious it was, I didn't want it anymore.

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Yannick's red-rimmed eyes.

He was clutching my abortion paperwork so tightly that his knuckles turned pale. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I replied flatly, "I didn't want it anymore. What's the point of telling you?"

"You didn't even ask me?" His voice shook as he raised it, barely holding it together.

I frowned. "The baby was inside me. If I didn't want it, I had every right to end the pregnancy. What, you want him to be born just to have a dad who can't make up his mind about his partner?"

"How can you just decide my future for me?" He threw the paperwork to the floor, hurt flashing in his eyes. "Jocelyn, you have no idea how much I wanted us to have a child together.

"Even after what Yasmine did, I'd still be the best dad our kid could ever have. But you?"

He stared at my bloodless lips, fists clenched. After a deep breath, he said, "Fine, whatever. Just take care of yourself. We'll have another kid before long."

With that, he turned and walked out.

"No, we won't," I said, pulling the divorce papers out of the drawer. "Sign these, Mr. Pendleton."