The door clicked shut behind him, final as a coffin lid. I stood frozen in the penthouse, one hand resting on my belly where our child moved gently, unaware that their father had just called me a 'calculated liar' and sworn to cut all ties.\n\nThe engagement ring lay on the table—left behind like everything else he claimed to feel. My phone buzzed: Uncle Silas. Again. I hadn’t answered any of their calls since the diagnosis. Since the wedding was canceled. Since I became 'damaged goods' in society’s eyes.\n\nBut then another text flashed—this time from an unknown number: He’s already signing partnership papers with Voss Holdings. They’re coming for Blackthorne.\n\nMy knees didn’t buckle. My breath didn’t hitch. Instead, I walked to the mirror, placed both hands on the curve beneath my silk robe, and whispered the name I hadn’t spoken since childhood: 'Lennox.'\n\nIt was time to stop hiding.