BETRAYED HEARTS, RECLAIMED DREAMS.

CHAPTER 1: THE ENVELOPE Judith's POV The hospital corridor smelled of antiseptic and despair, but I barely noticed as I clutched the brown envelope in my trembling hands, my wedding ring catching the fluorescent light as I stared at the words printed across the top: DNA Test Results. Three years of marriage, three years of playing the perfect wife to Benjamin Crawford, CEO of Crawford Enterprises, and it all came crashing down because of a single envelope that arrived this morning while he was in surgery. I had opened it thinking it was another hospital bill, we had been trying for a baby for two years now and the fertility treatments were expensive, but what I found inside made my blood run cold. According to the document in my hands, Benjamin had a four-year-old daughter named Brielle, and the mother was listed as Sandra Reeves, my supposed best friend since college, the woman who had been my maid of honor, the woman who currently worked as Benjamin's personal assistant. My hands shook as I read the results again, hoping I had misunderstood, but the truth stared back at me in black and white: probability of paternity 99.9 percent. Sandra had a daughter before I even met Benjamin, which meant she had known him first, which meant everything about our friendship might have been a lie. The elevator stopped on the executive floor where Benjamin's office was located. Crawford Enterprises owned this private hospital and he served on the board, which meant he had an office here for meetings, and I knew Sandra would be there preparing for his afternoon schedule. I found her exactly where I expected, sitting at the desk outside Benjamin's office and typing on her computer, her perfectly styled hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders. "Judith!" She looked up with that familiar warm smile. "What are you doing here? I thought you had that gallery showing today." I had given up my career as a photographer when Benjamin and I got married because he wanted me to focus on starting a family, another sacrifice I had made for a man who apparently already had a child. "We need to talk," I said quietly, walking into Benjamin's empty office and knowing she would follow. Sandra came in and closed the door, concern etched on her beautiful face. "What's wrong? You look upset." I threw the envelope on Benjamin's desk and watched her expression carefully. "When were you going to tell me about Brielle?" The color drained from Sandra's face and she sank into one of the leather chairs. "How did you find out?" So it was true. "The DNA results came to the house this morning," I said, surprised at how calm my voice sounded when everything inside me was screaming. "You want to explain why my husband has a four-year-old daughter that I knew nothing about?" Sandra looked up at me with tears streaming down her face. "It's not what you think." "Then explain it to me," I demanded. "Benjamin and I were together before you met him," Sandra whispered. "We dated for a year but he broke things off because his family didn't approve, they wanted him to marry someone from their social circle, someone like you." The words hit me like a physical blow because I knew what she meant, my family had money and connections that Benjamin's family wanted. "I found out I was pregnant after we broke up," Sandra continued. "I was going to tell him but then you came into the picture and everything happened so fast, you two got engaged within months and I couldn't bring myself to ruin it." "So you decided to become my best friend instead?" I asked bitterly. "I thought I could handle it," Sandra said. "I thought I could raise Brielle on my own and move on, but then Benjamin found out about her last year and insisted on being part of her life." My stomach twisted. "Last year? He's known me for a year and didn't tell me?" Sandra nodded miserably. "He wanted to but he was worried about how you'd react, worried it would complicate things with the fertility treatments." The door opened and Benjamin walked in, still wearing his surgical scrubs. "I heard raised voices, what's going on here?" He looked between Sandra and me, his blue eyes questioning. I picked up the envelope from his desk and held it up. "This came to the house today, want to explain why DNA test results for a child I didn't know existed were mailed to our address?" Benjamin's face went pale and he closed the door quickly. "Judith, let me explain." "I'm waiting," I said, my voice deadly calm. He ran his hand through his hair. "I was going to tell you, I swear, I just needed to find the right time." "The right time?" I laughed bitterly. "We've been married for three years, Benjamin, we've been trying to have a baby for two years, and you've known about this child for an entire year, when exactly was the right time?" Benjamin moved toward me. "I know how this looks but please, let's talk about this at home." "I want a divorce," I said quietly. "Judith, no," Benjamin reached for me. "Please, we can work through it." "There's nothing to work through," I said, looking up at him and seeing a stranger. "I want every penny I put into that research center back, with interest." Benjamin's eyes narrowed and something cold flickered across his face. "We'll see about that." I walked out of his office and past Sandra who was still crying, but as I reached the elevator, I heard Benjamin's voice behind me, low and menacing in a way I had never heard before. "You're going to regret this, Judith, I promise you that.”