Chapter 1

I was just a replacement in Howard Blackwell's heart, so the day his first love, Elara Foster, came back, I grabbed my kid and left.

Five years later, during a live broadcast of a parent-child reality show, my son, Leo Knight, the internet sensation, suddenly called out for his dad on camera.

While audiences all over the country were frantically trying to figure out who the kid's father was, Howard made a dramatic entrance.

His eyes were red as he pinned me against the wall.

He snapped, "You secretly gave birth to my kid, and dare to say I'm dead?"

*****

Cold water gushed from the faucet, hitting my face in waves. I tried to drown out the sick feeling twisting inside me.

The face in the mirror was pale and weak, with a hint of something in my eyes, even I couldn't stand it. That same vibe, that same look, just like Elara. I hated it.

My name was Hazel Knight.

I stayed by Howard's side for two years, but I was always stuck in the shadow of his ex, Elara. No matter what I did, I could never escape her ghost.

Howard, head of Blackwell Group, was my benefactor, or maybe just my employer.

Two years ago, to raise the money for my mother's surgery, I signed a contract to be his "companion".

My job was to show up whenever he needed me, dress the way he liked, keep quiet, and sometimes, act as a stand-in to warm his bed.

He never wanted to hide any of it.

Sometimes, Howard would stare at me, lost in thought, his fingers gently brushing the tear-shaped mole at the corner of my eye, the one he'd insisted I remove.

With a low, husky voice, he'd say, "Hazel, don't move, just like this."

I knew he wasn't really looking at me, but through me, chasing the memory of Elara, who'd long since gone overseas.

And now, that woman, the internationally famous pianist, Elara, was back.

I was walking out of the kitchen with a pot of soup when he got the call at noon.

He had his back to me, and his voice was urgent in a way I'd never heard before. "What time's your flight? I'll pick you up," he said.

After hanging up, he turned around. There was still a trace of softness on his face, but as soon as he saw me, it vanished.

He said, "I'm going out."

The pot was a little hot to the touch, but I felt frozen inside.

I lowered my head and replied, "Okay."

Look at me, always knowing my place as the stand-in.

My stomach knotted up again. I quickly put the pot down, dashing to the bathroom to dry heave.

It wasn't the first time.

This month, my period was late, and I was terrified by what that might mean.

I secretly bought a pregnancy test, and I was pregnant, clear as day.

A baby, mine and Howard's. The truth filled me with more dread than joy.

Would Howard even want this baby?

Would the Blackwell family ever accept a baby from a stand-in?

Or would he just handle it like some tricky business deal, coolly schedule an abortion, pay me some hush money, and make me disappear from his life forever?

Elara's return was the last straw that broke me.

I couldn't wait any longer. I rushed back to my room and packed my things as quickly as possible.

I only had an old suitcase when I came. When I left, I only took what belonged to me.

I didn't touch any of the designer clothes or jewelry Howard bought in the cloakroom. Those belonged to the role of Elara's stand-in, not me.

Finally, I looked around the bedroom where I had lived for two years. There was no nostalgia, only relief.

Just then, my phone screen lit up with a news notification.

It read, "Piano Queen Elara Foster Returns in Glory, Blackwell Group CEO Howard Blackwell Greets Her at the Airport, Rumors of Reignited Romance."

The picture showed Howard carefully escorting Elara out of the airport.

A subtle ache tightened in my chest, but mostly, I just felt numb, because I'd known this would happen.

I turned off my phone, yanked out the phone card, broke it in two, and threw it in the trash.

Then I grabbed my suitcase and left the villa where I had suffered two years of humiliation and endurance for me, never looking back.

Goodbye, Howard. I ended this absurd stand-in game, and I didn't need anyone's permission.

I fled to a small city on the southern coast, Bespin.

The climate here was humid, life moved slowly, and nobody knew me or my past.

Those first days were tougher than I ever could have imagined.

The early days of pregnancy hit me hard, and I was still busy trying to find a place to live and a job.

At my lowest, I got by on just some plain bread a day, working as a night cashier at a convenience store, and nearly fainted from low blood sugar.

But what kept me going was this little surprise baby inside me.

He was innocent, the only true family I had in this world.

Fortunately, I met Mabel Grant from the flower shop.

She saw me, pregnant and alone, and gave me a place to stay, letting me help out around the shop. Later, she even sold me the flower shop at a very low price, like a gift.