At nine months pregnant, I never expected to collide with the Don of my life and the woman who had replaced me—inside a private hospital wing reserved for crime royalty.
The moment I collected my medical file from the nurse’s station and turned the corner, my world shattered. There they were—my husband, Don Beckett Shaw, heir to one of the most feared families in the underworld… and Delaney Cross, the woman cradling his other unborn child. They stood close, whispering softly, hands protectively hovering over her stomach like proud parents awaiting their future.
Delaney noticed me first. Her lashes fluttered as she put on a performance of false hesitation.
“Don Beckett… you shouldn’t be escorting me here,” she murmured, voice sugar-coated with fake worry. “If your wife finds out, she’ll be distressed. She’s expecting too, after all. Aren’t you afraid she’ll react badly?”
Beckett didn’t even blink. A low, mocking laugh slipped from his throat.
“If she loses control and makes noise,” he replied coldly, “I’ll cut her loose. A wife can be replaced.”
Each word struck me like a bullet.
In that instant, I finally understood my position in his empire. I was never his queen—only a convenient figurehead. If the Don no longer wanted me or the child I carried, then I would not humiliate myself begging for scraps of loyalty. I would leave with my dignity intact and raise my baby beyond the reach of his blood-soaked world.
With trembling hands and a heart already breaking apart, I called the one man powerful enough to shield me from Don Beckett Shaw—my father, who had once ruled his own syndicate overseas.
“Papa,” I whispered, fighting tears, “I’ve decided. I’m ending my marriage. I’m taking the baby and coming to you.”
His voice came steady and unshaken through the line.
“You should have done this sooner. The Shaw family may control half the city, but our name still carries weight. If staying puts you in misery, then leave. I’ll protect you and my grandchild.”
After the call ended, I booked the fastest flight money could buy.
Two weeks. Just fourteen days. That was all it would take for me to disappear from Don Beckett’s world forever.
And yet…
Why was it that months later, that ruthless Don appeared at my wedding with bloodshot eyes, on his knees before everyone—begging me to come back?
---
Earlier that same day—while my baby shifted heavily inside my body—I had received my prenatal results. That was when I saw them together inside a secured wing of the hospital. My husband was not attending my appointment like a loyal man should… he was escorting his first love instead.
Delaney clung to his arm as if she had every right.
“Don Beckett,” she said softly, pretending to hesitate, “you shouldn’t keep appearing beside me so openly. If Evelyn discovers this, she’ll crumble. She’s due to give birth soon too. Doesn’t that worry you at all?”
Beckett leaned down and brushed his lips against her belly—an intimate gesture meant for a devoted father—before replying without remorse,
“She doesn’t have to know. Her emotions have been unstable lately anyway. I won’t allow her to disturb your peace.”
Delaney lowered her voice, pretending fear.
“We can’t stay hidden forever. If she uncovers the truth—”
“She won’t do anything,” he interrupted. “I must fulfill my responsibility to you. This is my blood inside you. And if my wife dares stir chaos? I’ll sever the marriage without hesitation.”
The calm cruelty in his tone turned my entire body cold.
If Don Beckett Shaw had already chosen to erase us, then I would strike first. I would vanish before he could discard me like damaged property.
With shaking fingers, I contacted my father once more.
“I’m done, Papa. I’m divorcing him. I’ll bring the baby and live with you.”
“You’re finally seeing clearly,” my father answered firmly. “The Shaws hold power, yes—but our legacy does not bow. Come home. You’ll never be alone again.”
After ending the call, I secured the soonest flight out of the country.
That same morning, I had asked Beckett to accompany me to my appointment. He had claimed Don business demanded his presence. Now I understood—his loyalty was never at work. It was with her.
Throughout my entire pregnancy, not once had that man sat beside me in a hospital room.
Three months earlier, Delaney’s engagement had collapsed. The moment she returned to the country, Beckett began responding to her every summons. Our home became empty. Our marriage turned silent. Every message from her made him abandon everything—including me.
He embraced her openly in front of my eyes.
I confronted him more than once. Every time, he fed me the same excuse—that she was fragile, grieving, unstable, and needed protection. He claimed he was only helping her survive in the cruel world again. He said her pregnancy placed a moral duty upon him.
Yet he ignored the truth completely:
I was pregnant too. And I was further along.
For months, I suspected the child she carried belonged to him. I hinted carefully. I even told him that if his heart was no longer mine, he should say it directly. Every question was blocked with irritation. When I finally dared ask whose child Delaney carried, his fury exploded.
Still, he kept reassuring me until I chose to trust him.
I told myself he was simply kind.
That he had not fallen out of love with me.
But the truth stood naked before my eyes now—her baby had always been his.
They had used me as their shield, hiding their betrayal behind the title of marriage.
When Beckett casually mentioned divorcing me, I caught the slight gleam of triumph in Delaney’s narrowed gaze.
“I never wanted to steal you from your wife,” she said softly, tears gathering. “If my engagement hadn’t collapsed, none of this would have happened. I only wanted to protect my dignity. If you hadn’t stood by me when I returned… I don’t know what would have become of me.”
Her tears fell gently. Beckett pulled her into his arms without hesitation.
“I told you already—you’ll always have me,” he murmured. “If it weren’t for you back then, I wouldn’t even be alive today. Taking care of you is only right.”
“She’s your wife,” Delaney whispered faintly.
“And she should understand,” Beckett replied flatly. “Even if she finds out, I won’t abandon you.”
Just then, the doctor exited the exam room and smiled at them warmly.
“You’re truly blessed, Mrs. Shaw. Your husband never misses a check-up. He treats you with such devotion.”
Delaney blushed shyly. Beckett nodded as if it were his rightful role.
I stood frozen, nails cutting into my palms, watching the Don of my life play husband to another woman.
Two weeks.
Just two more weeks—
and I would vanish from Don Beckett Shaw’s empire forever.
