Chapter 3

Solo sat in the sterile office, her hands resting at her side. The hum of the ultrasound machine filled the room, the rhythmic beeping of her heartbeat blending with the two tiny lives growing inside her.

She stared at the screen, watching the outlines of her twins swimming around like two little coffee beans—a bittersweet smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“You’re carrying two healthy babies.” The doctor's voice was kind but clinical. “Everything looks good.”

Solo nodded, her mind wandering. Healthy babies. That was all that mattered. She’d decided not to tell Dominic weeks ago when she first discovered her pregnancy and had wondered how she could break their deal.

Dominic must never know about her children. He had made it clear that Sapphire was all he needed. There was no place for Solo or the children in his life, not to mention his cold and distant family. In her opinion, the Hale family was not fit to raise a pet, let alone a child.

Their outlook on life was pretty despicable, looking down their noses at anyone they felt was beneath them. All they cared about was money, power, and status.

“Are you feeling alright, Ms. Delaney?” the doctor asked, glancing at her with concern.

Solo blinked. The tightness of her features relaxed, snapping her back to reality. “Yes, I’m fine.” She gave him a tight smile and added. “Thank you.”

The doctor left the room. She wiped the gel from her stomach and sat upright while staring at the ultrasound image in her hand. The tiny shapes on the paper were so small, yet they held the weight of her entire world. These children would be a new beginning. She didn’t need Dominic for emotional support—she never had.

Solo grinned as she recalled the night she found out she was pregnant. She had stood in the bathroom of her small apartment, staring at the positive test in disbelief. Her heart pounded. It felt like the walls were closing around her.

A baby.

Her hands shook. Solo placed the test result on the counter. Her thoughts were alive with questions she couldn’t answer. Dominic’s image appeared in her mind—cold, distant, and consumed by ambitions. He’d always made it clear their relationship was an arrangement and nothing more.

A child had never been part of their plan.

As her fingers curled around the edge of the sink, the air in the room grew thin, and she struggled to breathe. She wasn’t prepared for this. How could she be? Dominic’s world had consumed her life—his needs, his demands.

There was a life growing inside her that she needed to protect.

Tears welled in her eyes. But she wiped them away, refusing to fall apart. She hadn’t needed Dominic then, and she wouldn’t now. But the reality of raising a child on her own—of raising his child—had felt overwhelming.

Could she do this alone?

She’d considered calling him and telling him everything. But what would that change? His heart was elsewhere, always had been. A baby wouldn’t make him care about her or the life they had created. If anything, it would only make him resent her.

Her stomach twisted with fear, but a quiet resolve grew beneath it. She would find a way forward. She would protect her child, no matter what it took. Dominic didn’t need to know. And she was pretty sure he wouldn’t want to.

She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, looked at the pregnancy test one last time, and threw it in the trash. This was her reality. As always, she was resolved to bear the weight of it alone.

Solo left the doctor’s office, her hand moving to her stomach. The thought of Dominic’s cold, emotionless face flashed through her mind, but she pushed it away. She didn’t have time for regrets—not anymore.

She would build a life that didn’t depend on him or his wealth. Her family was stable now, thriving even, and she had her talents and an emerging future she could sustain without him.

As she reached her small car, she chuckled and bumped her fist into the air. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She removed it and glanced at the screen. It was a message from her former mentor, a well-known jewelry designer who had taken her under his wing years ago.

“I’ve heard you’re back in town. We need to talk. Big opportunity coming up.”

Solo stared at the message, her heart skipping a beat. She had left the jewelry world behind when her relationship with Dominic had consumed her life, but now, the thought of returning to it felt like a lifeline.

She quickly typed a response. “I’m interested. Let’s meet.”

This was her chance. She could create a new identity and a new career. Solo Delaney would fade away, but her new pseudonym—Solaire—would rise from the ashes. She would design again, creating pieces that reflected who she was. And with this new life, she would protect her children from the world that had hurt her.

Dominic stood in the middle of his apartment, staring at the empty spaces that Solo had left behind. It had been days since their conversation, yet the cold, hollow feeling in the apartment hadn’t faded. If anything, it had grown.

He walked through the living room, noting the stark emptiness. There had always been so much of Solo here—the plants, decorations, everything that marked the space was hers. Her scent and presence had always lingered in the air, understated, quiet, and steady. Even that was gone.

He had expected her to leave—of course. He’d told her to. He’d even given her the time to gather her things. But something about the way she’d vanished made him uneasy. She hadn’t just left; she disappeared without a trace.

Dominic shook his head, trying to push the unsettling feeling aside. He had made his decision. Sapphire was back, and that’s what mattered.

Wasn’t it?

Solo had always known their relationship wasn’t built to last.

Still, as the days passed, he thought about her more and more. She had never asked for anything, even when she had every right to. She’d seamlessly adapted to his life without complaint. And she had walked out without a word of protest.

He pulled out his phone and stared at it, his thumb hovering over her contact. He hesitated, then dialed. The familiar automated message filled his ear: The number dialed is no longer in service.

Dominic clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling up inside him. Solo was gone, and he was beginning to feel the weight of that loss.

The following day, Solo sat at her small kitchen table, a notebook in front of her. Sketches of her jewelry designs were scattered across the surface. Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen.

It was her mentor. “The event is in two weeks. You’ll need to be ready.”

Solo exhaled, her hand resting on her non-existent baby bump. This was it. Her chance to build a future for herself and her children. A future that had nothing to do with Dominic Hale.

She texted back: “I’ll be ready.”