Three Years Dead: The CEO's Regret

Xavier, do you think Elena will actually donate her kidney to me? Serenas voice drifts through the air, dripping with that sickeningly sweet innocence.

Floating near the ceiling, I let out a cold, jagged laugh. Donate? Honey, Ive been dead for three years. The worms have already stripped my bones clean. You want a kidney? Can't you find one abroad? Because theres nothing left of me to give.

But Xavier doesnt know that. Right now, hes pounding on the door of my old apartment. His fist slams against the wood, the sound vibrating through my translucent form.

"Elena! Stop playing games!" he roars at the empty air, his voice cracking with desperation. "Just give Serena the damn kidney, and Ill marry you! I swear, Ill make you my wife!"

Pathetic. Hes going to be waiting a long time. That door is never opening again.

Chapter 1

My history with Xavier runs deep. A twisted, bloody tether that started because I was broke, starving, and stupid enough to sell my own blood to survive. I have Rh-negative bloodliquid gold in a plastic bag.

Five years ago, the call came. "Is this Elena?"

I was juggling three gig-economy jobs, exhausted, smelling like fryer grease and despair. The local number confused me. "Yeah? Who's this?"

"This is Nurse Amy from City General," the voice on the other end was frantic, breathless. "We have a critical patient. Same blood type. Were out of stock. We need you. Now."

Before I could process the request, the phone was snatched away. A male voice replaced the nursesdeep, commanding, and arrogant. "Get in a cab. Now. I'll reimburse the fare. Name your price. Whatever it is, I'll pay it. Just get here."

My jaw clenched. The audacity. You don't beg for a life-saving favor like you're ordering a steak. Rage flared, hot and sharp, but then the guilt kicked in. Someone was dying. Saving a life is supposed to be the ultimate virtue, so I couldn't have that on my conscience.

I hailed a cab. The hospital was a blur of fluorescent lights and the sharp tang of antiseptic. I didn't even get to catch my breath before they dragged me into a chair. The needle pierced my vein. A sharp sting. Then the drain.

They took a pint. Maybe more. My head spun, and the room tilted. I lay back on the recliner, waiting for the dizziness to pass, waiting for the "generous benefactor" to show up with my check.

He didn't.

I pushed myself up, ready to stumble out the door, when Nurse Amys voice cut through the haze. "There. That's Elena."

I turned. A man stood there. Tall. Imposing. Dressed in a black cashmere coat that probably cost more than my entire existence. My heart slammed against my ribs. Thump. Thump. Thump.

It wasn't just some rich stranger. It was Xavier. The senior Id worshipped from afar back in college. The guy whose smile used to make me forget my own name.

He strode toward me, his steps heavy with purpose. My breath hitched. I thoughtstupidlythat he was coming to thank me. He stopped inches from my chair. He didn't look at me. He looked through me.

"You can't leave, Elena," his voice was devoid of warmth, just cold, hard business. "Beatrice isn't stable yet. If she crashes, I need you here. Don't worry. I'll make it worth your while."

He turned and walked away without a backward glance. I sat there, frozen.

"Rich prick," I whispered, the words tasting like ash. "I must have been blind."

Blind. Stupid. And doomed. That was the official beginning. Our official introduction started with his sister, Beatrice.

Chapter 2

Xavier took the stairs. Seven flights. He moved with a terrifying speed, his breath even, his face a mask of dark, pressurized fury.

"Knock."

Anderson, his assistant, didn't hesitate. He hammered his fist against my door. Bang. Bang. Bang. Dust motes danced in the stagnant hallway air. No answer.

Xaviers jaw clenched. The silence was pissing him off. "Elena, enough!" he barked at the wood. "Quit the games."

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a gravelly, desperate pitch. "Serena is critical. Im done asking. You give her the kidney, and you get the ring. You get the name. Ill make you my wife. Is that what you want?"

Floating near the ceiling, I rolled my eyes so hard it should have hurt. "Xavier, is your brain missing a few screws?" I hissed at his unaware figure. "Still breadcrumbing me? Still dangling that carrot? I'm not biting. I don't love you anymore."

Anderson glanced at his boss, shifting uncomfortably in his suit. "Sir perhaps Miss Elena isn't home?"

Xavier opened his mouth to snap back, but the screech of hinges cut him off. The door next to mine opened. Mrs. Potts poked her head out, her eyes narrowing behind thick glasses. She was my landlady, my neighbor, and the only person who gave a damn about me when I was rotting away.

"What is all this racket?"

Anderson stepped forward, flashing his polished, corporate smile. "Apologies, ma'am. We're looking for the tenant in 7B. Is Elena home?"

Mrs. Potts stared at them. Her expression went flat. "Elena's dead. Died three years ago."

Xavier flinched. It was a small, violent jerk, like hed been electrocuted. The color drained from his face, leaving it ashen. He stared at the old woman, his eyes wide, refusing to process the words.

"What did you say?" His voice shook. Then, anger flooded back in. "Thats impossible. How much did she pay you to say that? That is a pathetic, clumsy lie just to hide her!"

Mrs. Potts squinted at him. Recognition flashed in her eyes. "Wait. I know that face."

She stepped fully into the hallway, grabbing a straw broom leaned against her wall. "You're him. The bastard."

Whack.

She swung the broom, the bristles slapping against Xaviers expensive black coat. He stood there, frozen, too stunned to dodge.

"Get out! You heartless piece of trash!"

"Hey!" Anderson jumped in, shielding Xavier with his own body as Mrs. Potts took another swing. He hustled Xavier toward the stairwell. Xavier looked hollow. Blank. Like a computer that had just crashed.

Then, his pocket vibrated. He pulled out his phone. The screen lit up: Serena.

The trance broke. His brows knitted together, worry instantly replacing the shock. "Serena? What's wrong?"

I couldn't hear her reply, but Xaviers knuckles turned white around the phone. "Hold on. I'm coming down now. We're going to the hospital."

Down on the street, Serena was leaning against the car, looking like a porcelain doll about to shatter. As soon as she saw Xavier, her eyes welled up. A perfect, single tear slid down her cheek.

"Xavier" Her voice trembled. "Did Elena say no? Am I going to die soon?"

Xavier guided her into the backseat, pulling her fragile frame against his chest. He stroked her hair, his voice low and soothing. "No. I'll find a donor. Even if Elena refuses, Ill fix this."

Serena buried her face in his shirt, sobbing softly. "But the doctor said only Elena is a hundred percent match. It's okay, Xavier. If she hates me that much if she wants me dead"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and terrified. "At least I can die in your arms. Thats enough for me."

Chapter 3

I sat cross-legged on the roof of the speeding car, the wind whipping through my translucent form. I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they might detach.

God, give the girl an Oscar.

What a performance. What a manipulative, tear-stained little masterpiece. Its a shame, really. Im dead. The maggots and the damp earth have already claimed my flesh. I dont have a kidney left to give you, Serena. I dont even have a body.

The car screeched to a halt in front of the hospital. My stomachor the memory of ittwisted into a cold, hard knot. I hated this place. The smell of antiseptic triggered a phantom ache in my arm, a ghost of the needle pricks that defined my existence.

When I was alive, this building was my second home. Not for check-ups. For draining. Needle in. Blood out. Repeat until I died. But I had no choice. For some twisted cosmic reason, my soul was tethered to Xavier. An invisible chain dragged me wherever he went.

"Doctor! We need help! Now!"

Xavier didn't wait for a gurney. He scooped an unconscious Serena into his arms and sprinted through the automatic doors, bypassing the waiting room and heading straight for the VIP wing. Doctors swarmed. Monitors beeped. They stabilized her.

Watching her pale face on the pillow, I wondered if this was karma. Serena was actually sick.

My mind drifted back. The beginning of the end.

Xavier and I we were a setup. Orchestrated by his sister, Beatrice. Xavier didn't object. I was head over heels. And shockingly, the prestigious Fu family welcomed mean orphan with zero connections and a negative bank balancewith open arms. It felt like a fairy tale.

Until Serena came back.

Her return to the country set the tabloids on fire. Thats when I learned the truth: Serena wasn't just a childhood friend. She was "The One That Got Away." His untouchable obsession. I panicked, but Xavier shut it down.

He gripped my shoulders, his eyes burning with intensity. "Elena, listen to me. She is history. You are my future. The only Mrs. Fu I want is you."

I looked into those dark, mesmerizing eyes and I folded. I chose to believe him. Everyone has a past, right? But the red flags were there. Beatrice was always "frail." Always "anemic." And I was always the convenient cure.

My best friend, Quinn, called it over cheap margaritas one night. "Elena, wake up," Quinn slammed her glass down. "They aren't adopting you into the family. They're farming you. You're a walking blood bag to them. They want you to become a Fu so they can guilt-trip you. Once you're family, you'll have no choice but to give blood to the sister-in-law."

I shook my head, laughing it off. "You're wrong, Quinn. Xavier loves me. His family treats me like a daughter."

Quinn always held hostility towards the Fu family, but she didn't push it because she saw how happy I was. God, I was naive.

The night of the engagement gala was supposed to be my coronation. Beatrice personally picked out my gowna shimmering silver number that hugged every curve. I walked into the ballroom on Xaviers arm, cameras flashing, applause rippling through the crowd. For a few glorious hours, I felt like the most important woman in the world. Beatrice paraded me around, introducing me to the city's elite, bragging about her future sister-in-law.

We were laughing, clinking glasses. Then, the air left the room.

Serena arrived.

She wasn't wearing a party dress. She wore a simple, white floor-length gownpure, innocent, and completely inappropriate for someone else's engagement. She wore almost no makeup. She looked exhausted, fragile, her eyes red-rimmed as if shed been weeping for days.

She cut through the crowd like a spectre and stopped in front of me, raising a glass of wine with a trembling hand.

"Congratulations, Elena," she whispered, her voice cracking just enough for Xavier to hear. "I wish you and Xavier a hundred years of happiness."

Chapter 4

She downed the champagne in one gulp.

A single, perfect tear tracked through her foundation. She looked at me like I was the villain. Like I had ripped her heart out and stomped on it. And maybe I had. Maybe I really did steal him.

The reaction was instant. Violent red blotches bloomed across her neck and chest. Her breath hitched, turning into a ragged wheeze. My jaw dropped. I stood there, frozen, the glass in my own hand trembling.

Xavier tore through the crowd. I opened my mouth to explain, to say I didn't hand her the drink, but he didn't give me the chance. He turned on me, his eyes blazing with a fury I had never seen.

"Elena! What the hell is wrong with you?" His voice boomed across the silent ballroom. "You know Serena has a severe alcohol allergy! One drop could kill her!"

"I didn't"

He didn't listen. He shoved me asidehard. I stumbled back, my heel catching on the carpet, nearly crashing into a waiter. In front of the entire city's elite, Xavier scooped Serena up in his arms. He didn't look back. He just ran for the exit, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

And I was left standing there. Alone. The laughingstock of the entire city.

I locked myself in my apartment. I pulled the shades down. I silenced my phone. I sat in the dark and let the time bleed out. One day. Two days. Three days. Xavier didn't call. Not once. Not a text. Not a voicemail.

On the afternoon of the third day, the front door slammed open. Quinn.

She had cut her business trip short. She stormed into the living room, tossing her suitcase aside, her face flushed with rage. Shed seen the headlines.

"I knew it!" She paced the floor, her heels clicking like gunshots. "Xavier is using you. You are nothing but a walking blood bank to him! And that that Serena?"

Quinn stopped, pointing a manicured finger at me. "That was a setup, Elena. A classic takedown. She knows she's allergic. She drank that wine on purpose just to frame you. Its textbook manipulation."

I stared blankly at the wall, my eyes dry and gritty. "Quinn is the 'first love' really that powerful? Can she really just show up and erase me?"

Quinn sat next to me, her anger softening into pity. "Forget first loves. Forget all that romantic garbage. I'm done playing this game." She grabbed my hands, her grip tight. "Elena, you have to break up with him. Now. We are normal people. We don't belong in their messed-up, high-society games. Serena and Xavier grew up together. They are childhood sweethearts. You can't fight that kind of bond."

I slumped against the cushions, the energy draining out of me. "But the Fu family they gave me so much warmth. They made me feel like I belonged."

Tears finally spilled over. Hot and fast. "I never had a family, Quinn. They treated me like a daughter."

Quinn pulled me into a hug, rubbing my back as I sobbed into her shoulder. She knew. She knew how desperate I was for a home.

Buzz. Buzz.

My phone lit up on the coffee table. Xavier. The room went silent.

"Answer it," Quinn hissed, her eyes narrowing. "Put it on speaker. I want to hear what that excuse for a man has to say."

I wiped my face, took a shaky breath, and swiped right. "Xa"

"Elena." His voice cut me off. Cold. Detached. "I get it. You see Serena as a threat. You're jealous. But poisoning her? That is a new low."

My breath caught in my throat.

"It's been three days," he continued, his tone dripping with disappointment. "And you haven't even shown up to the hospital to apologize. Are you really that heartless?"

Quinns mouth opened, a stream of profanity ready to launch, but I didn't let her. I ended the call. My hand shook as I dropped the phone back onto the couch. He didn't ask what happened. He didn't ask for my side. He just sentenced me.

Is this the man I loved? Is this the Xavier who promised to protect me?

"He's trash, Elena," Quinn said, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Absolute trash. If you don't break up with him after this, Ill drag you out myself." She looked me dead in the eye. "A relationship without trust isn't a relationship. It's a trap. And he just proved he doesn't trust you at all."

Chapter 5

Quinn was on a rampage. She paced the living room, her words flying like shrapnel, dissecting Xaviers character with surgical precision. My phone buzzed on the coffee table. Again. And again.

Xavier.

Quinn didn't pause. She snatched the phone up, her eyes flashing. She didn't decline the call; she held the power button down until the screen went black.

"Dead," she declared, tossing it onto the cushion. "Just like that relationship."

Night fell, heavy and suffocating. A knock echoed through the apartment. Sharp. Authoritative.

I opened the door, expecting Xavier. Instead, I found Beatrice. She swept into my tiny apartment, her designer coat looking out of place against my peeling wallpaper. She didn't waste time on pleasantries. She sat on the edge of the sofa, her posture rigid.

"Elena, I assume youre spiraling about Xavier and Serena." She crossed her legs, smoothing her skirt. "You need to understand the history. The Fu and Shen families go back generations. But the Shens they fell. Lawsuits. Scandal. Suicide."

She paused, watching my face. "Serenas parents killed themselves when she was a child. We took her in. She grew up in our house. She ate at our table."

I nodded slowly. "You didn't come here for a history lesson, Beatrice."

Beatrice offered a tight, pitying smile. "The Fu family will never let Serena marry into the family. Yes, she is a Shen by blood, but on paper? My parents adopted her. She is legally a Fu. She is our sister."

She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you understand now, Elena?"

The air left my lungs.

It wasn't just a childhood crush. It was forbidden fruit. If Xavier and Serena got together, it wouldn't just be romance; it would be a scandal. Incestuous. Social suicide for a high-society dynasty like theirs. The realization hit me like a physical blow to the gut.

I wasn't the girlfriend. I was the shield.

Xaviers year of devotion, the flowers, the public displays of affection it wasn't love. It was a cover-up. He needed a clean, orphan girl with no background to distract the world from his obsession with his adopted sister. Beatrice left, satisfied that shed put me in my place.

But I couldn't sit still. My skin felt too tight for my body. I drove to the hospital. I told myself I needed closure. I told myself I needed to hear him say it. I thought maybe she was playing the "martyr for love" cardgetting drunk to test if Xavier still cared. I thought shed won.

I stopped outside the VIP suite. The door was cracked open.

"Xavier, you should go to Elena tomorrow," Serenas voice floated out, weak and trembling. "You left her alone at the gala. Shes a laughingstock now. How is she supposed to be Mrs. Fu after this? How can she be my sister-in-law if everyone hates her?"

Through the crack, I saw Serena sitting up in bed. Her hives were gone. Her skin was porcelain perfect again. She looked like a tragic angel.

Xavier was sitting by her side, peeling an apple. He shook his head, his expression dismissive. "Serena, stop worrying about her. Shes just throwing a tantrum. Once she cools off, shell come crawling back. She always does."

He sliced a piece of apple. "Youre too kind, Serena. Always thinking of others."

Serena gave a soft, watery laugh. "I just don't want Elena to hate me, Xavier. I really didn't know I couldn't drink it. I thought I thought the glass I picked up was juice."

Snap.

Something inside my brain fractured. She thought it was juice?

I didn't hand her anything. She took that glass. She toasted me.

Rage, hot and blinding, flooded my veins. I didn't think. I slammed the door open. It banged against the wall with a deafening crash. I marched into the room, my finger pointed at the bed.

"Liar!" I screamed, my voice raw. "You grabbed that glass yourself! You toasted me! You knew exactly what was in"

"Enough!" Xavier roared.

He stood up, placing himself between me and Serena like a human wall. His face was twisted in anger. Not at her. At me.

"Elena! Look at her! Shes trying to forgive you, and you come in here screaming?"

"Shes lying, Xavier! She"

"I said enough!" He cut me off, his voice icy and final. "Serena says she doesn't blame you. We are done discussing this."

Chapter 6

I stared at him, my vision blurring. The air in the room felt too thin. "So that's it?" My voice cracked, raw and jagged. "You won't even listen to my side? Youre just going to take her word as gospel?"

Xavier rubbed his temples, letting out a heavy, exhausted sigh. He looked at me like I was a petulant child throwing a tantrum. "Elena, stop. Serena has had this allergy since she was a kid. Why would she risk going into anaphylactic shock just to frame you? It doesnt make sense."

I let out a dry, hollow laugh. It doesn't make sense?

I thought I had found true love. I thought I had found my Prince Charming. But standing here, under the harsh fluorescent lights, I realized the punchline. I realized this was all just a sick, twisted joke.

"Fine," I whispered, the fight draining out of me. "I won't disturb your little tragic romance any longer." I straightened my spine, looking him dead in the eye. "Xavier. We're done."

I didn't wait for his reaction. I turned and sprinted out the door.

I ran. My wails echoed through the entire hospital. I didn't stop at the elevator. I hit the stairs. Tears streamed down my face, hot and blinding. My chest heaved, gasping for air that refused to fill my lungs.

By the time I reached the hospital lobby, the world was tilting. Black spots danced in my peripheral vision. The noise of the crowd warped into a dull roar. My legs turned to rubber. Then, the floor rushed up to meet me.

Blackout.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The rhythmic sound of a monitor pulled me back. I opened my eyes. The ceiling was white. Sterile. A hand gripped mine. Tight. Possessive.

"Elena? Thank God. You're awake."

It was Xavier. The memory of the hallway crashed back into me. I ripped my hand away from his grip and turned my head, refusing to look at him.

"Elena."

A different voice. Smooth. Calculating.

I looked past Xavier. Beatrice stood at the foot of the bed, a soft, predatory smile playing on her lips. "Congratulations, my dear." She paused, letting the silence stretch. "You're pregnant."

My brain stalled. "I've already started the arrangements," Beatrice continued, her tone efficient, like she was planning a merger, not a wedding. "We'll fast-track the ceremony. You just need to focus on protecting the heir."

My hand flew to my stomach. Pregnant? I stared at the siblings in horror. I carried Xavier's child.

"But" My voice was a whisper. "We broke up."

Xavier didn't let me finish. He grabbed my hand again, squeezing it until my knuckles went white. "Elena, I'm sorry," he pleaded, his eyes wide with a desperation I hadn't seen before. "I messed up. I misunderstood everything."

He leaned in, his forehead resting against our joined hands. "I was stressed. I snapped at you. Hit me, scream at me, I don't care. Just please. Don't leave. Keep our baby."

I looked down at my flat stomach. A life. A tiny, fragile life was growing inside me. My baby.

But the doubt gnawed at me. Does he want me? Or does he just want the incubator for the Fu bloodline? And will he ever truly cut Serena out?

The doctor said it was a close call. Threatened miscarriage. I was ordered to stay on bed rest. For the next few days, Xavier was a model partner. He slept in the chair next to my bed. He fed me soup. He hovered.

Then, Serena showed up.

She walked in carrying a fruit basket, her face a mask of practiced guilt. But the moment she stepped inside, the temperature in the room dropped.

Xavier stood up, blocking her path to the bed. "Go back to your room," he said, his voice clipped and cold.

"But Xavier, I just wanted to see"

"Elena needs rest," he interrupted, not even looking at her. "Leave."

Serena flinched. She looked at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, silently begging for a scrap of affection. He gave her nothing. Her gaze shifted to me. For a split second, the mask slipped. I saw itpure, unadulterated venom. Jealousy. Hatred.

"Fine," she said softly. "Rest well, Elena." She turned and left.

Quinn used to call me "love-brained." She said I wore rose-colored glasses that filtered out all the red flags. She was right. The moment Xavier shoved me aside at the gala to save Serena, those glasses shattered. I wasn't delusional anymore. I knew exactly who he was.

But I couldn't walk away. Not now.

My hand rested over my womb. Im an orphan. I grew up in a system that didn't care if I lived or died. I have no family. No blood. This baby this is the only family I have.

I couldn't raise a Fu heir alone. They would destroy me in court. They would take the baby and leave me in the gutter. So, I made a choice. A deal with the devil. If I had to turn a blind eye to survive, I would.

I looked at Xavier, studying his face. "Xavier," I asked, my voice steady. "Are you sure you love me?"

This is it, Xavier. Your last chance.

Chapter 7

He hesitated.

It was only a second. A single, fleeting beat of silence. But in that second, the truth screamed louder than any confession.

He looked up at me, his eyes devoid of the fire I craved. "Yeah." His voice was flat. "I'll marry you. Just focus on the baby. Don't overthink things."

I forced the corners of my mouth up into a smile. There it is. He didn't love me. He never did.

I was discharged from the hospital and transported straight to the Fu estate. They called it "resting for the baby." I called it what it was: Incarceration.

The mansion was a golden cage. I was forbidden from leaving the grounds. My "freedom" ended at the front gate, where security guards stood like statues. Even my phone calls to Quinn were monitored; a maid would "dust" nearby every time I dialed her number, her ears pricked for any sign of rebellion. I thought they were paranoid. I thought they were just terrified Id run off and terminate the pregnancy.

I was so wrong.

The first trimester was a physical nightmare. I lived in the bathroom. The morning sickness wasn't just in the morningit was a twenty-four-hour assault. I couldn't keep water down. I was withering away, my collarbones protruding like jagged rocks under my skin.

The kitchen sent up endless bowls of expensive herbal soups and tonics. I gagged at the smell of them. "It's normal, Elena," Beatrice said, sitting on the edge of my bed, smoothing the sheets. "Once the first three months pass, the nausea will fade."

I shook my head, sweat matting my hair to my forehead. "You don't get it, Beatrice. You've never been pregnant. It feels like I'm dying. I can't eat."

Beatrice chuckled softly. "Back when I"

She froze.

The air in the room seemed to stall. Her eyes widened, panic flashing behind her pupils. She cleared her throat, laughing nervously. "I mean back when my friend was pregnant. She was sick just like you. But she bounced back in the second trimester."

I retched into the bucket by the bed, too busy emptying my stomach to analyze her slip-up. I missed the red flag waving right in front of my face.

Xavier vanished for a month.

When he finally returned, he looked like a storm cloud. Dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes, and his jaw was set in a permanent clench. He didn't come to see me. He marched straight to the study. Beatrice followed him, shutting the heavy oak doors behind them.

I didn't want to intrude. I assumed it was business. But then, a sharp cramp seized my lower abdomen. I gasped, clutching my belly. I needed to tell someone. I stumbled down the hallway toward the study and reached for the brass handle.

"Sister, the hospital just sent news." Xaviers voice pierced through the wood, low and grim. "Theo is critical. His condition is deteriorating fast."

"What do we do?!" Beatrice screamed, shrill and hysterical.

I froze. My hand hovered over the knob.

"I don't want Theo to die! He is my flesh and blood!"

My blood ran cold. Theo? Her flesh and blood? Beatrice had a son? I pressed my ear against the wood, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"Xavier, please," she begged, her voice breaking. "Theo is your own nephew. You have to save him. You're the only one who can fix this."

I held my breath. Save him? How? Was she asking Xavier to donate bone marrow? A kidney? Money? Xavier didn't answer immediately. I imagined him standing there, wrestling with the decision.

Finally, his voice came through. Low. Heavy. Resigned. "Fine. I'll handle it."

Handle it? Handle what?

The cramp in my stomach vanished as adrenaline flooded my system. I couldn't be found here. I turned and crept back to my room, my bare feet silent on the plush carpet. I closed my door and leaned against it, sliding down to the floor.

My mind raced. Beatrice had a secret son named Theo. He was dying. And Xavier was going to "handle it." I tried to piece the puzzle together, but the exhaustion dragged me under. People say "pregnancy brain" makes you slow. Maybe they're right. I shook my head, dismissing the gnawing fear in my gut.

Don't be paranoid, Elena. Just focus on the baby.

Chapter 8

The invisible noose around my neck loosened after the first trimester. The maids stopped hovering every time I picked up my phone. I dialed Quinn immediately.

"Hey, stranger. What are you doing?"

"Elena? Whats wrong? Bored in your ivory tower?"

I sprawled out on the bed, my limbs heavy, staring at the crystal chandelier. "God, yes. I want to go out. I want real food. I want to breathe."

Quinn snorted on the other end. "Don't even think about it. Last time I took you out, I got three warnings from Master Fu."

I giggled, a little apologetic. "Sorry, sorry. I just miss you."

"Uh-huh. Spit it out. You didn't call just to whine."

Quinn always knew. I lowered my voice, glancing at the closed bedroom door. "Quinn Beatrice has a son."

Silence.

Then

"WHAT?!" Quinns scream nearly blew out my eardrum. "Beatrice? The Ice Queen? The one engaged to the heir of the Sterling fortune? She has a secret kid?"

"Keep it down!" I hissed. "Yes. His name is Theo."

"Holy sh*t," Quinn breathed. "That is a PR nuke. If the Sterlings find out shes hiding a bastard child, the wedding is off. Her reputation will be incinerated."

"It gets worse," I whispered. "The kid is sick. Really sick. I heard her begging Xavier to save him. She said something about his body his organs."

"So what? She needs Xaviers kidney? Bone marrow?" Quinn paused, her tone shifting from shocked to skeptical. "Wait. Xavier is the uncle. Is he a match?"

"I don't know," I said, rubbing my belly. "But if he donates a kidney, will he be okay?"

Quinn let out a bark of laughter. "Worried about his performance in the bedroom? I hear a missing kidney kills the stamina."

My face flushed hot. "Quinn! You have no shame!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Look, I have to run to a meeting. Just keep your head down. Protect that baby. I'll come see you as soon as this project wraps."

Two weeks crawled by.

Beatrice was still living at the estate, but the arrogant shine was gone. She looked hollow. Dark circles bruised her eyes, and a permanent frown etched lines into her forehead. She moved through the halls like a ghost.

Then, Serena came to visit. She breezed in carrying bags of high-end prenatal supplementscollagen, imported tonics, the works. She sat by my bed, her smile dripping with synthetic sweetness.

"Sister-in-law," she cooed. "Xavier told me how sick you were. I didn't want to intrude while you were vomiting, but look at you now! You're glowing. The baby must be stable."

Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, or maybe it was just my tolerance for bullshit hitting zero, but I snapped.

"You seem to know an awful lot about stabilizing a pregnancy, Serena. Speak from experience? Have you popped one out before?"

The smile froze on her face. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish. She stared at me, her eyes instantly glossing over with that practiced, weaponized fragility.

I rolled my eyes. It was ninety degrees outside, and I didn't have the energy for her crocodile tears. "You know what? I'm tired. You can show yourself out."

I heaved myself up, clutching my lower back. My belly was heavy now, making every step a waddle. I left her sitting there and headed for the master bedroom. I had just lowered myself onto the mattress, closing my eyes, when a voice drifted up from the living room.

Xavier was home.

"Xavier, you're back!" Serenas voice. High, breathless, excited.

My eyes snapped open. Rage flared in my chest. She was still here? I pushed myself off the bed, groaning as my joints popped. I walked to the door, intending to go down there and throw her out myself.

But then, Serenas voice floated up the stairs again, clearer this time. "Xavier have you told Elena yet?"

I froze. My hand hovered over the doorframe. Told me what?

Chapter 9

"Xavier, Theo is running out of time!" Serenas voice drifted up the stairs, shrill and demanding. "Beatrice is falling apart. That boy is her entire life. You have to do this."

I stood at the top of the stairs, my knuckles white as I gripped the banister. My blood boiled. I was furious. Doesn't Xavier's life matter? What if something happens to him? What about me and the baby?

I took a step forward, ready to speak. But Beatrice spoke first.

"Xavier. If you are too weak to ask her, I will do it myself." Her voice was ice. Cold. Sharp. Practical. "Why do you think the Fu family has been feeding her? Why do you think we pampered her like a prize show dog? It was for this moment."

She paused, her tone softening into something sickeningly reasonable. "Besides you two are young. You can have more children. You can breed again."

Thump.

My heart slammed against my ribs. The world tilted on its axis. Breed again?

The air left my lungs. My hands started to shake, a violent tremor that rattled my bones. They didn't want a kidney. They didn't want bone marrow. They wanted the baby.

My baby. They wanted to harvest the life inside me to save Beatrices secret son.

I backed away, stumbling on the plush carpet. I had to get out. I had to hide. I made it to the bedroom, collapsing against the wall. Tears blurred my vision, hot and stinging. Panic clawed at my throat.

I am so stupid. I fell for it again.

I fumbled for my phone. My fingers were slippery with sweat. I dialed Quinn.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Voicemail. I dialed again. Nothing. Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Heavy. Deliberate. Getting closer. I opened the text app, my thumbs flying across the screen.

Elena: Quinn. SOS. They are going to kill the baby.

Click. The door handle turned.

I shoved the phone under the pillow just as Xavier walked in. He wasn't frantic. He wasn't crying. He was terrifyingly calm. He looked at me, his dark eyes scanning my tear-stained face.

"Elena. You heard everything, didn't you?"

My blood ran cold. Of course. The surveillance. The "security." He knew I was listening. I pushed myself up, using the wall for support. I looked at the man I thought I loved, and all I saw was a stranger.

"So that's it?" My voice shook, barely a whisper. "You married me you got me pregnant just to create a biological spare parts bank for your sister's kid? You're trading our child for hers?"

He looked at me, a flicker of pain crossing his face, but he didn't deny it. "Elena, we can have another baby later," he said, stepping closer, his hands out like he was calming a wild animal. "But Theo Theo is dying now. He doesn't have time."

I laughed. It was a bitter, angry sound that scraped my throat. "You think this is a negotiation?"

I screamed, the rage finally exploding out of me. "Xavier! Do you hear yourself? You are talking about killing your own flesh and blood! Even wild beasts don't eat their own young, but you? You're worse than an animal. You are a monster."

He stood there, taking my insults, his face a mask of tragic resolve. "Elena, please. Once this is over once Theo is safe you can rest. We will have the wedding. We will start over. We will try again."

Try again. Like my baby was a failed experiment. A rough draft.

I moved before I thought. Smack.

My hand connected with his cheek. The sound was like a gunshot in the silent room. My palm stung. "You bastard," I hissed. "You sick, twisted bastard."

Then, the pain hit. It wasn't in my hand. It was low in my belly. A sharp, twisting cramp that doubled me over.

"Ah!" I clutched my stomach.

Warmth. Wet, sticky warmth flooded between my thighs, soaking through my pants. I looked down. Red.

"Blood" I whispered.

"Elena!"

Xaviers calm shattered. He scooped me up in his arms, shouting for help. "Anderson! Get the car! Now!"

He ran into the hallway. Beatrice and Serena were already there, their faces masks of faux concern. "To the hospital! Hurry!" Beatrice yelled.

As Xavier carried me down the stairs, my vision fading, I looked over his shoulder. I saw Serena.

She wasn't panicked. She wasn't sad. She was looking right at me. And she was smiling.

I am the joke. And the punchline is death