Chapter 1

“Adrian isn’t the only one who’s been keeping secrets”

Stephanie's words cut through me like a dagger, each one piercing and deliberate. She stood on my doorstep, holding a baby with bright blue eyes - eyes that clearly belonged to Adrian. I felt my stomach tighten as I gazed at her, at the existence she cradled in her arms. Is this actually happening? 

I tried to talk, but no words escaped my lips. The betrayal weighed heavily on the words, trapping them. Stephanie's lips were adorned with a victorious smirk that made me feel like screaming. However, I remained motionless, feeling a combination of anger and shock running through me. 

Stephanie continued, her voice filled with satisfaction, describing the expression on his face when she revealed she was pregnant. "He didn't think twice about picking me instead of you." 

The world whirled around me, my thoughts lagging behind as I tried to grasp the meaning of her words. How long? How long had they been carrying on behind my back? How long had I been the fool?

I inhaled deeply, attempting to calm myself. "What was your reason?" I finally inquired, speaking at a barely audible volume. It was all I could manage.

Stephanie shrugged, the motion casual, as if she hadn’t just torn my world apart. “Why not?”

She looked quickly at the baby in her arms, lips twisted into a smile. “Shania, you have always been the one with the flawless life. It was high time you experienced the feeling of losing something.”

I held tightly onto my fists by my hips, holding back the temptation to pounce on her. The years of dedication and bonds of family now felt insignificant.Stephanie had never cared. She’d only ever wanted what I had—and now she had it. Adrian’s child.

I took a step back, pushing the door open wider. “Get off my porch.”

She laughed. “Oh, Shania, you think you can just shut me out like that? Adrian and I are tied together now—forever. This baby... he’s not going anywhere.”

“Neither are you,” I snapped, my voice rising with anger. “I’ll deal with Adrian. You… you’re nothing to me anymore.”

She hesitated, but she remained still. "You are unable to alter what has already been completed. He belongs to me now. Perhaps you should examine your life and determine where you made mistakes.”

I shut the door on her abruptly, cutting off any further words. I felt my heart pounding in my chest, and my vision became blurry as tears filled my eyes. I leaned against the door, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor. 

It wasn't only the betrayal that was significant. The humiliation was the cause. The pain of realizing that all my efforts and beliefs were based on a falsehood. How could Adrian have done this to me? How could Stephanie?

As the sobs began to shake my body, another realization crept in—one I had been trying to bury since that fateful night at the hotel. I had my own secret. One I hadn’t told anyone. Not even Adrian.

I wasn’t just broken. I was pregnant.

The memory of that night hit me like a tidal wave. The bar, the alcohol, the stranger. Adrian had hit my face in anger 240 days ago. That was the moment I departed from the house, desperate to get away, to erase my thoughts. I had accidentally ended up in a hotel, in the embrace of a man whose face I couldn't recall. A night of reckless abandon, and now… I was carrying his child.

I let out a bitter laugh, wiping my tears. Could anything else go wrong?

A knock on the door snapped me out of my spiral. I stood, swallowing hard, and opened it. Rather than finding Stephanie's smug face, I encountered a tall, unknown man. He stood out in the suburban neighborhood with his sharp, dark suit and piercing green eyes, as if he didn't fit in. 

“Mrs. Hayes?” His voice was deep, authoritative.

I nodded, my guard instantly up. “Who are you?”

“I’m here on behalf of Stefan Barrett,” he said, his tone professional but cold. “He’s asked me to give you these.”

I accepted the thick envelope he gave me, handling it carefully. I felt my fingers shake as I opened it, quickly scanning the words that popped out from the page. Divorce papers. My heart sank.

It wasn’t just the divorce papers though. There was something else, another document attached. A contract.

“But why was a stranger handing me divorce papers, instead of my husband?” I asked the strange man on my porch.

“We’ll, let’s just say Mr Barrett intends to fasten your plight. Mr. Barrett is interested in discussing the terms of a new arrangement with you,” the man said, his eyes studying my reaction. “A contract marriage.”

“What?” I blinked, completely thrown off. “What are you talking about?”

“Mr. Barrett believes you meet his specific… requirements. He would like to arrange a meeting to discuss this further.” He glanced at the papers in my hands. “In exchange for your cooperation, he’s willing to offer full financial support and more. It’s all detailed in the contract.”

I looked at him in disbelief. I have no idea who this man is. What reason could I possibly have to agree to this? 

He lifted one eyebrow. "Mr. Barrett has a personal stake in your situation, to put it simply. It is to your advantage to listen to what he has to say.”

Before I could continue debating, he gave me a business card containing Stefan Barrett's contact details. With no further comments, he turned around and left, leaving me in disbelief. 

I shut the door, holding the papers tightly against my chest. 

“What in the world was happening?”

Adrian had disappeared. Stephanie emerged victorious. Now, a wealthy individual was giving me a chance for survival with certain conditions attached. 

I placed the envelope on the kitchen counter, then sat down in a chair, gazing at the divorce papers and the contract. The pressure of everything bearing down on me made my thoughts race. 

But one thing was clear. My life, the life I had known, was over.Instead, a new, mysterious and unpredictable situation was emerging. 

My fingers shook as I reached for the card and dialed the number.  It was time to find out who this Stefan Barrett really was.