Chapter 1

I clutched my agonizing stomach, curled up in the passenger seat on the way to the hospital for an abnormal fetal heartbeat.

Julian’s first love, Celeste, insisted on driving to an isolated trail, only for their tire to get punctured.

I tried to stop Julian, who was frantic and about to turn the car around, suggesting we call roadside assistance.

Instead, he slapped me hard across the face.

Usually so composed, his voice raw with fury, he roared at me, “Willow, are you even human? Celeste is stranded out there, terrified, in a place she doesn’t know, and you’re still making a scene?”

“Let me tell you this! I care about Celeste more than my own life. Not a single strand of her hair can be harmed!”

With that, he shoved me out of the car and sped away without a backward glance.

I stood by the roadside under a blazing 104-degree Fahrenheit sun, trying to flag down a car, my consciousness already fading.

If this was how it was going to be, then this baby had no future.

Let him and his obsession be together forever.