In our third year together, on New Year’s Eve, we sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows, drinking and chatting while watching the fireworks. As the sky lit up with a burst of colors, Ashton leaned in and kissed me.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was my own buried feelings, but I could not resist awkwardly kissing him back. From that night on, there was no turning back.
Ashton treated me with great care. Everyone at the company knew how much he doted on me. His employees would even whisper about how envious they were of me behind our backs.
I had everything I ever wished for—the admiration and favor of those around me.
Now, Mallory was back. It was time for me to wake up from the dream.
I placed a hand over my still-flat abdomen. If Mallory found out about the baby, she would surely pressure Ashton to make me terminate the pregnancy. I could live without Ashton, but I could not bear to lose this child.
I began packing my things, determined to leave before Ashton returned. I had a small apartment under my name in Regensburg, where I had occasionally stayed before our marriage.
When I arrived, the place was covered in dust. I called a cleaning service to help tidy up and checked into a hotel for the night.
As I was in the early stages of pregnancy, I often felt fatigued. By 9:00 pm sharp, I was already fast asleep. All of a sudden, I was startled awake by the sound of my phone ringing. I answered it without thinking.
Ashton’s voice came through, low and tense with suppressed anger. “Piper Stevens, where are you at this hour?”
I immediately snapped awake.
