Chapter 4
1 stepped past Ryan, ready to walk out.
But he dropped to his knees in front of me, blocking my path.
His hands were trembling as he reached toward my stomach.
The mere thought of those hands touching me–hands that probably caressed Olivia just last night–made
me sick.
Before he could lay a finger on me, I spat out, “Don’t touch me. You disgust me.”
Ryan’s fingers curled into his palms, nails digging so deep that blood started dripping onto the floor.
He looked up at me, pleading, his voice broken.
“I’m not dirty, Mia, I’m not.”
Then, suddenly, he laughed–a hollow, desperate sound.
His eyes met mine with unsettling clarity.
“Mia, tell me the truth. If I die, will you keep the baby?”
He grabbed the fruit knife from the table and pressed it against his throat.
I didn’t even flinch.
If anything, my disgust only grew.
“Ryan, listen to me carefully.”
“You could die a hundred times, and I still wouldn’t keep this baby.”
I stepped around him, determined to leave.
But once again, he lunged forward, blocking my way.
“Mia, there’s nothing between Olivia and me!”
“Please, you have to believe me! Don’t do this–please!”
I snapped.
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apter 4
“Olivia, Olivia, Olivia!”
“You say her name like she’s the only person that matters.”
“I don’t care if you two did something or not. I don’t want to fix this. I want you gone.
“Now get the hell out of my life.”
I shot Daniel a look.
He got the message. Grabbing Ryan by the arm, he held him back, giving me the chance to walk out of the hospital room.
Behind me, Ryan’s cries turned into broken sobs.
He was screaming, begging me not to do this.
But it was too late.
It was over.
Even with the anesthesia, I could still feel the sharp pain of the life being torn from my body.
And when the meds wore off, the agony only worsened.
My stomach felt like it was being ripped apart.
I curled up on the hospital bed, hugging myself tightly, trying to dull the pain.
By the bedside, Ryan was kneeling, clutching a paternity test in his shaking hands.
99.9% match.
His voice was soft, pleading.
“Mia, do you need anything? Are you cold? Hungry?”
“Please, just let me take care of you.”
His voice grated on my nerves.
“Can you just shut up and get the hell out?”
“You’re annoying as hell. I need to rest.”
Ryan nodded quickly.
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Chapter 4
“I’ll go. But Mia, if you need anything–anything at all–just tell me.”
“Let me make it up to you.”
As soon as he left, I grabbed my phone and booked a flight to Paris.
Two days from now, I’d be gone.
There was no redemption for him.
No second chances.
I asked Daniel to go to Ryan’s place to grab some of my clothes.
Ryan, eager as ever to prove himself, insisted on going with him.
Perfect.
Once they were gone, I finally had a moment of peace.
Exhaustion swallowed me whole, and I drifted into a deep sleep.
When I woke up, something was wrong.
I wasn’t in my hospital bed.
I was in a rundown, filthy room, tied to a chair.
A large man sat on a tattered couch nearby, chugging a bottle of beer.
Panic shot through me.
“Who the hell are you? Where am I? Why did you kidnap me?!”
The man stood up.
That’s when I saw her.
Olivia.
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Chapter 5
Chapter 5
