Calla's POV
I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips as I stepped out of the meeting room, clutching the envelope against my chest. Today was the day. The day I would tell Heron that our lives were about to change forever. I was pregnant. Soon, we would have the family I’d always dreamed of. After the tragedy of losing my parents, I’d finally found happiness again. Or so I thought.
The anticipation in my chest made my steps lighter as I exited the elevator on the executive floor. Heron’s office was just ahead. Our relationship had been a secret—he was one of my employees, after all. But none of that mattered now. We would tell everyone soon. Everything was falling into place.
I pushed open the door, ready to surprise him, but froze when I heard his voice. He wasn’t alone. My best friend, Vivien, his secretary, was there with him. I stepped back, hiding behind the half-closed door. Their voices were low, but their words were unmistakable.
“Now that you’re pregnant, we can’t wait any longer,” Heron said, his tone cold and calculated. “Calla’s money will set us up for life. Once she’s gone, everything will be ours.”
My heart plummeted. Vivien’s laughter was a knife in my chest.
“Do you think she suspects anything?” Vivien asked.
“She’s too naïve to suspect us,” Heron replied dismissively. “All I need is her signature on a few documents. After that, we get rid of her.”
Every word was a hammer blow. My fiancé. My best friend. The two people I trusted most were plotting my death.
I stepped back, the floor beneath me spinning. My heel caught on the edge of the carpet, and the faint sound drew Heron’s attention. The door swung open, and there he was, his piercing gaze locking onto me.
“Calla,” he said, his voice warm, but his eyes were sharp. “How long have you been standing there?”
My lips parted, but no words came out. His eyes scanned my face, and I knew he saw the fear. I forced a weak smile. “I just got here. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
His jaw tightened, but he nodded.
“Okay, let's just talk later.” I turned and walked away, my legs trembling with every step. I barely made it to the elevator before my composure cracked. Inside, I gripped the railing, struggling to breathe as their words replayed in my mind. They wanted me dead.
That night, I paced the halls of my mansion, my mind racing. I had to get away from Heron and Vivien, but how? If I left without a plan, they’d find me. They’d win.
A sharp knock at the door startled me.
I opened it to find Heron standing there, a bottle of wine in one hand and that disarming smile plastered on his face.
“Dinner?” he asked.
Every instinct screamed at me to say no, but I couldn’t risk arousing suspicion. “Sure,” I replied, forcing a smile.
In his car, Vivien sat in the back seat, her eyes glinting with malice. My stomach twisted as the air grew thick with tension. Heron drove silently, his hands gripping the wheel tighter than usual.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice shaky.
Vivien leaned forward, her lips curling into a smirk. “We know you heard us, Calla.”
My blood ran cold.
Heron parked the car at the edge of a cliff, the city lights twinkling in the distance. He turned to me, his face devoid of emotion. “You should’ve stayed clueless, Calla. It would’ve been easier for everyone.”
“What are you talking about?” I whispered, trying to feign ignorance.
Vivien shoved a document into my lap—a marriage certificate. “Sign it,” she ordered.
“No,” I choked out, tears streaming down my face.
Heron leaned in close, his voice a dangerous whisper. “Sign it, or we’ll make this more painful than it needs to be.”
With trembling hands, I signed. My mind raced for a way out, but the moment I set the pen down, Heron grabbed the wheel, and Vivien pushed the gear into neutral.
“No!” I screamed as the car lurched forward.
Heron and Vivien stepped out, watching with cold satisfaction as the car rolled toward the edge.
“Goodbye, Calla,” Vivien said with a wave.
The icy wind rushed past me, and the world blurred. My heart pounded, and just before everything went black, I heard a voice—soft, firm, and unfamiliar.
You are not alone, Calla.
My eyes fluttered shut, the words echoing in my mind as the darkness swallowed me whole.
