Chapter 2

Claire's POV

The room goes quiet for a few seconds. Elijah freezes, then laughs.

He shakes his head, pulls out his phone, transfers money, and sends a voice message. "You won. She said exactly what you thought."

He pockets his phone and looks at me. "Isabelle said you'd pull this move. I bet her you wouldn't. Guess women really do know each other, huh? Cost me a fortune."

He leans against the desk, impatience clear in his voice. "Can you try something new? This one's getting old. Claire, you really think I'm falling for it?"

My name sounds strange coming from him.

"I'm not joking."

"That makes it even more ridiculous." He laughs and shakes his head. "You actually think I'll let you walk away? You think you can just leave because you say so?"

I slap him.

His head snaps to the side, a red mark spreading across his cheek.

"Where's the guy who crawled back to his family on his knees? For me?"

He freezes, slowly turns back, rubs his cheek. Says nothing.

I stare at him. The past comes flooding back.

Ten years ago, when I was living on the streets, I saw a kid getting jumped by a group of men. He was on the ground, face bloody, and they kept kicking him. I grabbed a metal pipe and charged in, drove them off, dragged him somewhere safe.

He opened his eyes and looked at me. First thing he said was, "Why'd you help me?"

"Because it was five on one," I said. "Didn't sit right with me."

Later I found out he was the family's bastard son. His father threw him out and never looked back. He'd been on the streets for years, getting pushed around by everyone.

We started living together. Two orphans scraping by at the bottom of this city.

Then one day, some gang showed up demanding I come drink with their boss. Elijah stood in front of me. They beat him until he was coughing up blood, but he wouldn't move.

The next day, he went back to the family that abandoned him.

I watched him kneel in front of an old man. The old man sat in his chair, eyes ice-cold, looking down at him.

"Give me a chance," Elijah said. "Let me prove I deserve the Sterling name."

The old man laughed. "What makes you think you deserve it?"

"I'll do anything." Elijah pressed his forehead to the floor. "Just give me one shot."

The old man said nothing for a long time. Finally, he said, "We'll see if you've got what it takes."

From that day on, Elijah worked for the family. Every dirty, dangerous job they had, he took it. I was right there with him. Fighting our way up, spilling blood together. Two years later, we had our own territory and ran the underground in this city.

That's when a rival family came after me.

Took a bullet to the stomach. The doctor said it was a miracle I survived, but I'd probably never have kids.

I felt Elijah's hand trembling in mine. He didn't say anything, just left the hospital.

Three days later, that rival family disappeared from the city. Every single one of them.

Elijah came back covered in blood, dropped to his knees beside my bed. Wounds all over him, eyes red. "Got them back for you. If we can't have kids, that's fine. We've got each other. That's enough."

Right then, I swore I'd spend the rest of my life with him.

I spent years trying to heal after that. Took endless medication, saw doctor after doctor. Finally got pregnant.

I thought it was our new beginning.

He destroyed it himself.

"You remember what you said?" I stare at the man in front of me. "You said it didn't matter if we couldn't have kids. You said having each other was enough."

Elijah stays quiet for a few seconds, then lets out a cold laugh.

"That was back then. Everyone says stupid shit when they're young."

I freeze.

"I had nothing back then," he continues. "To protect you, I had to go crawling back to that old bastard. You think I didn't know what it would cost me? I was betting you were worth it."

"Turns out I was wrong."

"You still living in the past?" Mockery fills his voice. "We're not those street kids anymore. Wake up, Claire."

He turns, grabs his jacket.

"People change, Claire. Time you learned to accept reality."