Chapter 1
"Do the surgery. We'll file for a divorce tomorrow." Kyle Dawson's voice was cold.
He stood at the entrance of the obstetrics and gynecology department. His black coat was still on, and the chill from outside clung to his shoulders.
Behind him stood a woman. Her long hair was slightly curled, and her face was pale.
She held a young boy about three years old in her arms. His nose was red, like he had been crying.
The moment the child saw Kyle, he gently fell into Kyle's arms and called out in a sweet voice, "Daddy."
I had just gotten back my pregnancy test results.
Six weeks pregnant. It was the early stages of intrauterine pregnancy, and the fetal heartbeat could be heard.
Just a while ago, the doctor was smiling at me, saying that all was good with the baby, that my family should take note to take care of me so that I do not get too tired.
And now, the baby, who was only the size of a mung bean, had been sentenced to death by its own father.
I clutched the report, my fingertips turning white.
I looked up at Kyle. "What did you just say?"
Kyle's gaze landed on me. It was ice-cold.
"Sloane Brooks, get rid of the baby. The Dawson family cannot have two heirs at the same time," Kyle ordered.
*****
I almost let out a bitter laugh.
"Two?" I shot back, disbelief sharp in my voice.
I looked at the woman behind him, then my gaze settled on the little boy who wouldn't let go of Kyle's leg.
The kid was pale and had delicate features, but he didn't look like Kyle.
Still, the way he called Kyle "Daddy" was so natural, as if he'd said it a thousand times before.
The woman pulled her child closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Sloane, I'm sorry. I never meant to come here like this. I just had nowhere else to go. Noah has been wanting to see his dad."
Noah has been wanting to see his dad.
I stared at her, and after a couple of seconds, it dawned on me who she was.
Amber Lane. She was the woman who had a permanent place in Kyle's heart.
Five years ago, he almost turned his back on the Dawson family for her. Then she vanished overseas without a word, and Kyle went out of his mind searching for her for two months.
He even missed the company's listing roadshow. I was the one who had to clean up the mess he left behind.
Eventually, he finally gave up.
After that, I became his wife.
We'd been married in secret for three years, and everyone said Kyle chose me because I was the practical choice.
But deep down, I secretly believed there was something more between us.
Like how he'd bring me a bowl of hot soup when he got home late from work. Or how he'd drop everything and take me to the hospital when my stomach hurt.
Last year, when I had a high fever, he stayed by my side all night. The next morning, he had fallen asleep next to me, his hand pressed against my IV tube so I wouldn't accidentally mess it up in my sleep.
I thought I could melt the ice around his heart.
I didn't realize until now. It wasn't that the ice was impossible to thaw. His fire was just reserved for someone else.
I lowered my eyes to the prenatal report, and suddenly the words seemed to burn in my eyes.
"So what now?" I asked. "She comes back, brings a kid with her, and you want me to abort my child?"
Kyle's tone was emotionless. "Noah is three years old."
"So what?" I shot back.
"He needs a complete family," Kyle said.
I looked up at him, and for the first time, I found him so unfamiliar it was almost ridiculous.
"Kyle, doesn't my baby deserve a whole family too?" I asked.
The silence hung in the air for a couple of seconds.
Amber's eyes grew teary, her rims turning red.
"Sloane, please don't blame Kyle. He never meant to hurt you. I'm the one who should apologize. I had no idea I was pregnant when I left the country. Giving birth to Noah all alone overseas was just too hard. He got sick recently, and I was out of options, so I came back to find Kyle," Amber said softly.
Every word she spoke felt like a nail hammered into my heart.
She was the victim here. She was the one suffering in silence, and I was the fool.
Kyle pulled Noah into his arms, and the little boy clung to his neck like he was holding onto his only lifeline.
It was so natural that it felt like they were the ones who belonged together, like a real family.
I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I turned to head for the bathroom, but Kyle snatched my wrist.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm going to puke," I muttered, "Because you disgust me."
His grip tightened.
I stared him down, my eyes dry, my voice steady.
"Kyle, I came here for a prenatal checkup, not to get divorced." I stared at him. "I'm definitely not here to make way for your ex. If you want me to abort this baby, at least give me a decent reason."
His gaze darkened, and his voice grew even colder.
"I told you, the Dawson family cannot have two heirs at the same time," Kyle said.