My fingers trembled as I tapped the screen—delete message sent. Too late. I’d just texted the wrong man.

Not the discreet, profile-vetted escort I’d booked for a single night. No, I’d messaged Elliot Vance: six-foot-two, storm-gray eyes, and a voice that made my spine tingle during our one unforgettable encounter. I thought he was just another paid fantasy. But now he’s standing in my office doorway, holding his phone up like a smoking gun.

"So," he says, slow and deliberate, "you’re looking for a sperm donor?"

Heat floods my face. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to care.

"It was a mistake," I say, forcing steel into my voice. "A private matter. I’ll compensate you for the confusion."

He steps forward, closing the door behind him. "I’m not interested in your money, Jenna. I’m interested in why you ran. And why you think you can erase what happened between us."

Outside, the city hums with indifference. Inside, my world teeters on the edge of exposure. If Kathleen finds out I slept with the wrong man, she’ll use it to destroy me.

But Elliot isn’t backing down. "Let’s make a real contract," he says. "One that includes me—as the father."