Isla’s POV
The next morning, my assistant approached me quietly, her expression unusually careful.
She closed the office door behind her before speaking. “Everything has been scheduled,” she said. Then she hesitated, fingers tightening around the folder in her hands. “Ma’am… are you certain you don’t want to tell Mr. Montenegro? The pregnancy is already well along.”
“There’s nothing he needs to know,” I answered evenly.
My hand drifted to my abdomen, resting there without thought. The faint curve beneath my palm felt heavier than it had days ago. The child inside me—once so active, so alive—had gone unnervingly still. The absence of movement weighed on me more than any kick ever had, as though the life growing inside me understood that I’d already made my choice.
If I were honest, up until yesterday, I’d still been clinging to a delicate illusion.
I’d convinced myself I was content. That this half-life, hidden and unacknowledged, was enough. That being loved in secret was better than not being loved at all.
Alaric had always been meticulous. Calculated. If he wanted to continue seeing Sabrina without my knowledge, he easily could have. With his influence, his resources, and his talent for keeping appearances intact, I might never have discovered the truth.
But something had changed.
Maybe my pregnancy had advanced too far. Maybe he believed that once I was carrying his child, I’d be too trapped to leave. After all, what woman—pregnant and dependent—would dare walk away from the head of a crime family?
He had underestimated me.
I’d waited ten years for him. Since I was sixteen. I’d endured loving him silently, endured becoming a secret, endured carrying his child while being fed lies and half-truths. Waiting, I knew how to do.
What I refused to endure was being reduced to a function—kept only to produce an heir, then quietly replaced once my role was complete.
On the way to the hospital, I stopped at the commercial center next door, hoping to force down something light. I wasn’t hungry, but I needed the energy.
That was when a familiar voice cut through the air.
“This wing needs closer evaluation. Luxury brands here are expanding faster than projected.”
My steps slowed.
I turned.
Alaric stood a short distance away, immaculate as ever, his posture relaxed but authoritative. At his side was Sabrina. Both of them were dressed with deliberate precision, the kind meant for inspections and public appearances. They looked composed. Powerful. Like a matched set.
A sharp ache tightened in my chest.
I was about to turn away when a bright, artificial laugh rang out.
“Well, what a surprise,” Sabrina said pleasantly. “Miss Frostwyn—what are the odds?”
She walked toward me, heels clicking crisply against the polished floor. Her smile was flawless, polished to perfection, devoid of warmth.
Before I could respond, the mall’s general manager hurried over, all smiles and nervous enthusiasm. “Mr. Montenegro, Mrs. Montenegro—this way, please. We’ve arranged the new sector for your review.”
Sabrina laughed softly. “Just Sabrina, please. Let’s keep things professional.”
As she spoke, her gaze flicked toward me—brief, intentional.
My hands curled at my sides.
So this was it. The man who had hidden me for years hadn’t even waited for my child to be born before openly presenting her—introducing her to partners, allowing assumptions to flourish.
She turned back to me, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “You won’t mention this to anyone, will you? The company doesn’t know yet. We’re planning to announce things properly after the engagement.”
She said it lightly, as though sharing an innocent confidence. As though she didn’t know exactly who I was.
Alaric’s jaw tightened. For a fleeting second, guilt crossed his eyes—followed immediately by warning. Silent. Firm. Don’t make this difficult.
My chest ached, but I still forced a polite expression.
“Of course,” I replied calmly. “Your secret’s safe.”
Because once the procedure was over, I wouldn’t be here anymore. Whatever future they were building together would no longer involve me.
“I thought you’d be understanding,” Sabrina said brightly. Then her eyes sharpened. “But tell me—why are you here alone? Where’s your partner?”
There was unmistakable triumph in her gaze as she looped her arm through mine, feigning closeness.
“All this business talk makes me nervous,” she added sweetly. “It’s so male-dominated. Will you keep me company for a while?”
I gently pulled my arm free and deliberately avoided looking at Alaric.
“I don’t have a partner,” I said.
For a fraction of a second, something dark crossed his face. Then it vanished, replaced by his usual detached authority.
“Since you’re here,” he said coolly, “show Sabrina around. She’s still familiarizing herself with our properties.”
Without waiting for my reply, he turned and walked off with the manager.
I frowned and stepped back, but Sabrina leaned in close. Her smile disappeared, her voice dropping into something sharp and cruel.
“I know exactly what you are to him,” she murmured. “But let’s not pretend. You’re temporary. A means to an end. Alaric is mine. Once that child is born, I’ll be the woman standing beside him.”
Ice spread through my veins.
“Let go,” I said quietly.
I pushed her away—barely more than a nudge, just enough to create space.
She screamed.
In the same breath, she stumbled sideways and slammed into a woman passing by with a baby in her arms. Both of them crashed to the floor.
The infant’s cry pierced the air.
The woman scrambled up, fury blazing in her eyes as she pointed at me. “Are you insane?! You’re pregnant—how could you shove someone like that?! Are you trying to kill someone?!”
I stepped forward instinctively. “No—it wasn’t—”
Sabrina cut me off instantly.
Tears streamed down her face as she bowed repeatedly, voice shaking with apparent remorse. “Please—this is my fault! Don’t blame her. She didn’t mean anything! I lost my balance. Please, I’m begging you—”
Her acting was perfect.
And standing there, surrounded by strangers’ judgment, I finally understood something with absolute clarity.
I was completely alone.
