Chapter 1

My husband and I went at each other's throats, fighting over the divorce money.

I had someone expose scandals about his beloved Julia, and he sent people to break my brother's leg.

After Julia Quinn fell into depression from all the cyberbullying, he finally gave in.

He handed over most of the family fortune, leaving himself practically penniless.

On the day we signed the papers, he looked at me and asked, "Kara Nash, was the money really worth it? Was it worth going this far?"

I shot back, "Do you really think I'd settle for your cheap, laughable love instead?"

As I walked out of the courthouse, I tilted my head back and gazed through my fingers at the far-off sky.

The juicy, high-society divorce drama that everyone in Novalume had been gossiping about was finally over.

Ten years, seven married. Like he'd ripped my heart out and stomped on it.

Frank Goodman must've felt the sadness coming off me and came over.

He spoke in a low, almost pleading voice, "Kara, if you regret it, we could—"

I lifted the fresh decree to hide my lips and murmured, "Walk away. The paps are shooting."

I needed to put on the persona of a divorced, down-on-her-luck heiress for the cameras, to hype up my new jewelry collection launch in two days.

There were always women out there who'd been knocked down by life, but not everyone had the guts to pick themselves back up after hitting rock bottom.

A faint smile tugged at my lips. I could already picture the headline with my name on the Forbes Rich List.

Frank might as well have poured his heart out to a brick wall. Through clenched teeth, he spat, "Kara, you've got money where your heart should be."

I didn't even bother to look at him. I tucked the divorce papers away and got into my outrageously expensive luxury car.

Money was the only thing that ever made me feel safe.

But what did Frank ever really give me?

Was it the fear of having to go through a dangerous childbirth all alone?

Was it the panic when my kid suddenly came down with a fever in the dead of night?

Or was it when my brother ran into trouble overseas, and I couldn't line up a private jet? I called my supposedly powerful husband, only to learn he was already on a plane with Julia, off to some ski resort.

Or maybe it was how every new designer release automatically got delivered to Julia, while I, the so-called Mrs. Goodman, wasn't even on their radar.

Even the name Frank Goodman was worthless to me now.

Up in the VIP suite of the private hospital, my brother Victor Nash was bouncing around like a grasshopper, even with his leg in a cast.

He was putting on a dramatic show for me, reenacting how he stormed into Julia's hospital room while I was at the courthouse and totally embarrassed her.

As the one visiting, I took a bite of the apple Victor had peeled for himself, flashed a smile, and whipped out a contract.

I said, "This hospital used to be part of the Goodman Group. Now, it's yours.

"Think of it as compensation for your busted leg."

Victor was stunned, then gave his cast a proud little pat.

He declared, "This isn't just any leg. It's my golden right leg."

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he added, "Just wait, I'm gonna team up with the hospital director and kick that scheming Julia out of here."

Ever since Victor learned Julia deliberately lured Frank away while I was in labor, he stopped seeing Frank the same way and made it his personal mission to make Julia's life hell.

That night, Victor was the only one out in the hallway, just a teenager, standing guard the whole night.

He listened to every complication the doctors mentioned, his hands shaking with fear, as he tried to call Frank over and over but got nothing.

And since he was still underage, he couldn't even sign the emergency consent form.

That night, Victor witnessed me fighting for my life to bring his baby nephew into the world.

Before that night, he was an untouchable, arrogant boy; afterward, he stepped into adulthood in a single heartbeat.

After my son Nathan Goodman was born, Victor stepped up and took care of everything for him, down to the tiniest detail, like he was more of a dad than just an uncle.

Just thinking about it made my eyes sting.

When my parents died and they brought Victor, my father's secret son, to me, it broke me.

But I was only fifteen, and after losing my parents so suddenly, I just needed someone, anyone, who was family.

I managed to hold it together at the funeral, but the moment I held three-year-old Victor in my arms, I completely lost it and sobbed my heart out.

After that, he was always there for me, giving me the strength to keep going.

When I married, Victor hauled his suitcases into the Goodman residence and announced he was my built-in plus-one. Wherever I went, he shadowed me.

When my marriage with Frank was falling apart and I found out I was pregnant, Victor was worried sick and didn't sleep a wink. By morning, his voice was all hoarse as he tried to talk me into having the baby.

He said, "Kara, it's just the two of us left in this world. It's way too lonely.

"If we had someone else around, maybe things wouldn't feel so empty.

"You sacrificed so much for me growing up. Now it's my turn to pay you back. Trust me, once my nephew is born, you won't have to worry about a thing."