Chapter 1
When I saw my husband's hand sliding under Isabella's dress, I was about to tell him I was pregnant.
The lights at Pioneer Media's charity gala were blinding.
Julian and I sat at the center of the head table. Across the red carpet, cameras were trained on us, waiting for America's favorite power couple to give them another perfect photo.
Julian's left arm rested across the back of my chair.
On camera, it looked protective.
Under the tablecloth, his right hand was on Isabella's thigh.
I knew that hand better than my own.
Three years ago, he'd used it to slide a wedding ring onto my finger and promised he would never give me a reason to hurt.
Now his fingertips were moving up another woman's bare skin.
Isabella didn't pull away.
She lifted her wineglass, looked at me over the rim, and gave me the faintest smile.
She knew I'd seen.
There was a white envelope in my clutch.
Inside was the ultrasound photo I'd gotten that morning.
Six weeks.
When the doctor turned up the sound, I'd heard a tiny, rapid heartbeat.
I'd almost cried.
Julian had always wanted a child.
Every time we passed a baby store, he slowed down to look through the window. He said that when we had a child, he would be a better father than his own had ever been.
I believed him.
I'd even written a message on the back of the ultrasound photo.
You finally have a family.
Now the words felt like a joke.
"Serena?"
Julian leaned closer, his smile flawless.
"You look pale."
I turned to him and smiled too.
"It's stuffy in here."
"I told you to stay home and rest." His thumb brushed my shoulder, every inch the attentive husband for the cameras. "You never listen."
He even touched my forehead.
The gesture was practiced. His eyes gave nothing away.
Someone nearby laughed and said Mr. Vance clearly cared about his wife more than anything in the world.
I laughed with them.
I laughed so hard my stomach rolled.
Then a platinum lighter slid across the table and stopped beside my plate.
I looked up.
Damien Cross sat opposite me.
He was the last man anyone expected to see here tonight.
Cross Technologies and Pioneer Media had been at war for years. The press called Damien cold, ruthless, and impossible to get close to.
His gray eyes passed over Julian and locked on mine.
He tapped one finger against his suit pocket.
Then he stood.
Only then did Julian pull his hand out from under the table.
"Leaving already?" he asked.
Damien buttoned his jacket without looking away from me.
"I've seen what I came to see."
Julian gave a humorless laugh.
"And what exactly did you see?"
"A marriage that's almost over."
The ballroom was loud, but everyone at our table heard him.
Julian's expression darkened instantly.
Damien didn't explain. He simply turned and walked away.
I lowered my gaze.
Beneath the lighter was a black phone no bigger than my palm.
A burner phone.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Julian monitored every electronic device in our penthouse.
He called it security.
He knew where my car went, who entered the building, and every number my personal phone contacted.
For three years, I'd told myself that a man in his position needed those precautions.
For three years, I'd made excuses for him.
I slipped the burner phone into my clutch. It landed against the ultrasound photo.
One cold. One warm.
Two completely different lives.
"Excuse me," I said, rising. "I need some air."
Julian caught my wrist.
His grip wasn't painful, but it carried the weight of an order.
"I'll come with you."
Under the table, Isabella nudged his shoe with the toe of hers.
Julian hesitated for one second.
Then he released me.
"Never mind. Don't go far."
I lowered my eyes, hiding the last flicker of humiliation.
Three years of love, and one movement from her was enough to beat it.
The balcony was empty.
The phone answered itself.
A digitally altered voice came through the speaker.
"Serena. It's Arthur."
I gripped the railing.
Arthur had once been my grandfather's most trusted attorney. After the family studio went bankrupt, he'd disappeared for years.
"How do you know where I am?"
"Mr. Cross sent the signal."
The wind cut across the balcony. My palms were slick with cold sweat.
Arthur didn't waste time.
For the past six months, Julian had been spending company money on Isabella.
A house. Jewelry. Roles.
Even Starlight, the film I'd spent four years writing.
At the board meeting in two days, Julian planned to announce Isabella as the lead actress. He would use the shares held in my name to force the vote through.
The proxy documents were already prepared.
All they needed was my signature.
"I never signed anything."
"That's why they're planning to sign for you."
Strangely, the pain stopped.
My heart went cold, and all that remained was clarity.
He didn't just want another woman.
He wanted my name, my work, and everything I'd built. Then he would tell me he'd done it all for us.
Arthur asked if I wanted to leave immediately.
I looked down at my clutch.
The ultrasound photo was still inside.
The father of my child was one wall away, probably whispering promises into another woman's ear.
I closed my eyes.
"Prepare the divorce papers."
My voice didn't shake.
"And take back everything that belongs to me."
Arthur was silent for a moment.
"Julian won't let you go easily."
"That's his problem."
"You're certain?"
I placed a hand over my still-flat stomach.
"He gave up on this family first."
Footsteps sounded behind me.
A familiar voice came low and sharp.
"Who gave up on this family?"
I turned.
Julian stood in the doorway.
There wasn't a trace of a smile on his face.