Two pink lines.
I stared at the plastic stick resting on the bathroom counter. The harsh fluorescent light offered no room for misinterpretation. I was pregnant.
My fingers trembled as I picked it up. Yesterday, this would have been the happiest moment of my life. Today, it felt like a cruel joke. My fiancé abandoned me at the altar, my bank accounts were locked, and now, I was carrying his child.
I tossed the test into the trash bin and marched out of the bathroom. I needed answers about the money, and Kael needed to know about the baby. Maybe this would wake him up. Maybe this would pull him out of whatever spell Serena had cast on him.
The heavy oak front door swung open before I reached the foyer.
Kael walked in. His arm was wrapped tightly around Serena’s waist, supporting her weight as she leaned against his chest.
"What is she doing here?" I demanded, stopping dead in my tracks.
Kael didn't look at me. He guided Serena toward the plush velvet sofa in the living room. "Careful. Sit down slowly."
"Kael," I said, my voice rising. "I asked you a question."
He finally turned. His jaw set into a hard line. "Serena was discharged today. She needs a place to recover."
"She can go to a hotel. Or a rehab center. Not my home."
"It’s my penthouse," Kael shot back. "And she has no one else. I am not leaving her alone in some sterile facility."
"You locked my bank accounts," I said, crossing my arms. "You left me at the altar, you stole my access to my own funds, and now you’re moving your ex-girlfriend into our home?"
"I secured my assets," he replied coolly. "You threatened to have Dominic Thorne destroy my company. Did you really think I’d leave the joint accounts open for you to drain?"
"That was my money too!"
"It's a temporary freeze. Until you calm down and start acting rationally."
"Rationally?" I pointed at the woman lounging on my sofa. "You brought her here!"
Serena let out a pathetic whimper and clutched her chest. "Kael, please. The yelling… my heart is racing."
Kael rushed to her side and pressed a hand to her forehead. "Deep breaths, Serena. I’m right here." He shot me a furious glare over his shoulder. "Are you happy now? You're stressing her out."
"I want her out," I stated.
I thought about the plastic stick in the trash can. The words died in my throat. I couldn't tell him. Not while he was holding her like that.
"She stays," Kael ordered. He stood up and adjusted his suit jacket. "I have to get to the office. The board is breathing down my neck because of the wedding fallout. You are going to stay here and look after her."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Kael closed the distance between us, his shadow falling over me. "Be mature, Evelyn. She is recovering from a major cardiac event. Make sure she takes her medication. Get her whatever she needs."
"I am not her nurse."
"No, you’re my fiancée. Act like one. Show some basic human decency."
He didn't wait for my response. Kael grabbed his briefcase from the console table and walked out the door. The lock clicked shut behind him.
Silence stretched across the living room.
I turned to look at Serena.
The fragile, sickly woman from a moment ago was gone. Serena sat up straight, crossing her legs. A smug smile spread across her lips.
"Get me a glass of sparkling water," she said. Her voice held no trace of weakness.
"Get it yourself." I turned toward the kitchen.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Serena reached into her designer tote bag resting on the cushion beside her. She pulled out a velvet jewelry box and popped it open. A massive diamond pendant caught the sunlight.
"Do you like it?" she asked, tracing the jewels with a manicured nail. "Kael bought it for me this morning. He said it matched my eyes. He also bought this bag. Limited edition."
"I don't care what he bought you."
"You should." Serena snapped the box shut. "It proves who he really values. You played house with him for three years, dressing in cheap clothes, pretending to be a nobody. And where did it get you? Replaced."
I clenched my fists. "You faked the heart attack."
"Prove it." She laughed, a sharp, grating sound. "The doctors saw a spike in my heart rate. A little panic attack goes a long way when you know how to play the monitors. Kael came running the second I called."
"You're pathetic."
"I'm winning." Serena leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Now, go to the kitchen and make me a salad. I want the dressing on the side."
"I am not making you anything."
Serena sighed dramatically. She picked up her phone and unlocked the screen. "Such a shame. Kael told you to take care of me. If I call him right now and tell him you refused to give me my medication, what do you think he'll do?"
"He won't believe you."
"He believed I was dying yesterday. He believed I had nowhere to go today." She tapped a contact on her screen. "He thinks you're a jealous, bitter woman. If I tell him you pushed me, he'll throw you out on the street."
My stomach twisted. She was right. Kael was completely blind to her manipulation.
"Put the phone down," I said.
"Then get to the kitchen." She pointed a finger toward the hallway. "And after you make my lunch, I want you to unpack my suitcases. Put my clothes in the master bedroom."
"You are not sleeping in my bed."
"It's Kael's bed. And he wants me comfortable." Serena leaned back against the cushions, studying her nails. "Chop chop, Evelyn. My chest is starting to hurt again."
I stood rooted to the floor. The urge to slap the smug expression off her face burned through my veins. But I needed a plan. If I left now, Kael would keep my money locked, and my father would unleash hell on Montgomery Enterprises.
I walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge, twisted the cap off, and carried it back to the living room.
I slammed the bottle down on the glass coffee table. Water sloshed over the rim.
"Careful," Serena scolded. "You'll ruin the rug."
She reached for the bottle. As her fingers brushed the glass, she intentionally knocked it sideways. The bottle tipped, spilling freezing water all over her lap.
"What are you doing?" I asked, stepping back.
Serena didn't answer me. She let out a piercing scream.
"Kael!" she shrieked, tears instantly flooding her eyes.
The front door burst open. Kael stood in the entryway, his phone pressed to his ear, his face pale. He must have forgotten his briefcase on his way to the elevator.
He took one look at Serena sobbing on the wet sofa, and then his eyes locked onto me.
"What did you just do?" Kael roared.
