Chapter 1

#Helix Technologies CEO Spotted at Airport in Intimate Embrace with Mystery Woman — Rumored Romance Exposed.

The push notification lit up her phone screen, the headline impossible to miss.

Jasmine Harris tapped the video and immediately recognized the blurry figure as Sean Gray.

Her boss — the one who was supposed to be back at the office signing contracts. Also her husband of three years, a marriage no one knew about.

In the video, he had his arms around a girl in a white dress. The smile on his face was wide open, carefree — a smile she had never once seen him give her.

Jasmine dug her nails into her palm until the sting brought her back to herself.

She looked down at the medical papers in her hand. On top was an ultrasound image.

Her hand drifted to her stomach. She stared at the tiny dot in the picture — too small to feel, too new to believe. She was pregnant. Three years of marriage, and this baby had finally come. But...

She flipped to the next page. At the bottom, two words hit her like a wave of dizziness.

Brain tumor.

"Ms. Harris, the tumor is in a very difficult location. Surgery would be extremely risky. And whether we go with treatment or surgery, the pregnancy cannot continue. You really should bring a family member with you when you come back."

The doctor's words had landed like a sentence — on her, and on the baby.

A brain tumor.

The video was still playing. Her husband stood there holding another woman, laughing like he hadn't a care in the world.

A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

The doctor's voice came back to her: "There are many medications we can't use during pregnancy. If you choose to keep the baby, three months is the absolute limit. Ms. Harris, please bring someone with you. A decision has to be made."

Three months.

There was a time when three months felt like forever. Now it felt like nothing — not enough time for the baby to grow, not enough time for her to put her affairs in order.

A dull ache began to press behind her temples. Jasmine let out a quiet, bitter laugh and closed the video. He didn't love her. She'd always known that. The only girl who could make Sean Gray smile like that was probably Kayla Bailey.

Her phone rang. It was Luna from the sales team. Not a surprising call.

"Manager Harris, Zachary Baker from Horizon Tech has been waiting in the conference room for over an hour. He's furious — says he's leaving no matter what, and we can't stop him." Luna's voice was tight with stress.

"Then let him go," Jasmine said, taking a slow breath. "Sean's not coming back."

"But the contract—"

"If the boss himself doesn't care, what are we supposed to do?" Jasmine gave a short, hollow laugh. Maybe the contract had never mattered much to Sean.

Luna hesitated. "Manager Harris, our whole sales team has been working this deal for over two months. The contract is sitting right there in the conference room. It just feels like such a waste to walk away now."

Even a regular employee could see what was being thrown away. Sean, apparently, could not.

"We do our jobs. The deal won't disappear. Let Sean go back and handle it himself." Jasmine hung up.

Sean could deal with the consequences of his own choices.

Three years. He probably never got over Kayla.

The sadness settled back over her.

Three years of a secret marriage, and Sean had always acted like she had ruined his life. But what about hers?

She had turned down an offer from a top research institution. She had given up a chance to study abroad. She had walked away from the career she loved.

And Sean had taken all of it for granted, as if she owed him something. She never had.

When her hand found her stomach again, something became very clear to her.

This was a baby that wasn't wanted.

But Sean was still the father. He had a right to know.

She needed to talk to him.

Sean came home past midnight.

Most nights, Jasmine would be waiting by the door. She'd take his coat as he shrugged it off and ask why he was so late again.

Tonight was different. The entryway light was on for him, but the living room was empty.

He came in smelling of alcohol, climbed the stairs with unsteady steps, and pushed open the bedroom door.

Jasmine was sitting up against the headboard, writing something in a notebook.

"Why aren't you asleep?" He yanked off his tie and tossed it onto the bed, his eyes flat with irritation.

Jasmine frowned slightly. "I've been waiting for you."

"You always do things like that," he said, not really listening. "Makes you feel good about yourself, doesn't it?"

"I need to talk to you about something." She kept her voice even.

He dropped his jacket on the bed and looked at her with open contempt. "What is it? Did Grandpa tell you to hurry up and give him a grandchild? Or are you here to ask me about that headline?"

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The bitterness spread through her chest. She had told herself so many times — in a marriage built on a deal, whoever gives their heart away loses.

When she didn't speak, Sean let out a cold laugh. "Or maybe you're feeling insecure. Rushing to get pregnant so you can hold onto the Mrs. Gray title?"

"Sean, if you're drunk, go sleep it off. I'm not doing this with you right now." Her brow furrowed, and the mention of a child sent a sharp pain through her chest.

He dropped one knee onto the bed and leaned toward her, his long fingers gripping her chin, his face close to hers. "So if I give you a baby, will you stop making a scene?"

His lips pressed against hers. The alcohol hit her like a wall. One hand cupped the back of her head, the other slipped under the hem of her shirt.

Jasmine recoiled, but his grip was iron. She couldn't move. She was forced to endure the kiss that tasted like liquor and nothing like care.

She wanted to fight back, but the alcohol in the air was making her head swim.

"Isn't this exactly how you trapped me into marrying you?" He pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes full of contempt. "You got what you wanted. Once there's a child, I don't owe you anything anymore." He leaned in again.

Three years ago.

That baby.

Jasmine's vision blurred with the memory — the red, the loss, a tiny life that never got the chance to know this world.

Her stomach lurched. She pushed against him with everything she had, but he only held on tighter. Her lips were already swollen from a kiss that had nothing gentle in it.

She bit down hard.

The moment he flinched, she shoved him off with every last bit of strength she had.

"You're a bastard, Sean."

The people closest to you always know exactly where it hurts.

The haze in Sean's eyes cleared a little. He wiped his lip with the back of his hand, a cold smirk on his face. "Am I wrong?"

"Get up." Jasmine straightened her pajamas quickly.

He sat back, unbothered. "You won't get pregnant if I don't touch you."

"Sean." Her patience was gone. "Would you like to explain what was so important that you left a multimillion-dollar contract sitting on a table to go pick someone up from the airport yourself?"

He looked at her with a thin, humorless smile. "Jealous? You think you've earned that right?"

"I'm talking about work."

He laughed like she'd said something absurd. "You really think you're Mrs. Gray, don't you? Since when do you care so much about company business?"

"What else am I supposed to be?" She wasn't backing down this time.

Their marriage existed, even if no one knew about it.

Sean leaned in slowly, looking down at her. "When your family delivered you to my bed three years ago, you should have understood what this was. A transaction. Nothing more. You've been here so long you've lost track of where you stand."

His contempt was almost tangible. "You're convenient. That's all."

"You bastard."

Three years of swallowing it down. The patience she'd built up hit its limit all at once.

Jasmine's eyes burned red. She pulled back and drove her foot straight into his groin with everything she had.