Divorced at Dawn, Pregnant by Night

Chapter 2

The address Damien had sent was a penthouse downtown. Sleek, towering glass walls that reflected the city like a mirror of my own tangled thoughts. I hadn’t been inside his world in years—not since the divorce papers were signed, not since I had learned the cost of loving him.

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped into silence. Too quiet. Too polished. Too dangerous.

“Lilith,” a voice said from the shadows.

I froze. My pulse hit my throat. Damien. Of course. He had that knack for appearing when I least wanted him to, and always where I couldn’t hide.

He stepped into the light, impeccably dressed, looking every bit like the man who had once owned my heart and shattered it with a single word. “You came,” he said. His voice was calm, measured. But his eyes… his eyes were stormy.

“I… you said to come,” I stammered, though I hated the way my voice trembled.

He smirked faintly, almost predatory. “I did. One night. No one can know.”

I swallowed. My instincts screamed danger, but I had no choice. The secret I carried—our child—was fragile, delicate. And Damien… he was the only one who could threaten it without knowing it.

He motioned toward the sleek leather couch. “Sit.”

I did. Carefully, deliberately. He stayed standing. Silence stretched between us. Every second, my nerves twisted tighter.

Finally, he spoke. “Do you know why I called you here?”

I wanted to lie. To pretend I had no idea. But I didn’t.

“I can guess,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

He chuckled, low and dangerous. “Guessing is never good enough. I like facts, Lilith. Facts I can see. Facts I can touch. Facts I can control.”

The words made my stomach twist. Control. That had always been his way. Always. And now I had nothing to protect me except my own wits—and the secret he would kill me for if he ever found out.

He circled me slowly, like a predator, studying every inch of me. “You’ve changed,” he said. “But some things… they never change.”

My breath caught. “What do you mean?”

He stopped, just close enough that I could feel his heat. “I mean you… think you can hide from me. That the past is gone. That I don’t know what you’re capable of.”

My hands clenched in my lap. He didn’t know. He couldn’t know. Not yet. I had survived this long by keeping secrets. I wasn’t about to give him the one thing that could ruin everything.

“I’m not hiding,” I said, forcing calm into my voice. “I just… I didn’t think you needed to know.”

He tilted his head, his gaze piercing through me like a blade. “You think I don’t need to know? Lilith, I need to know everything. Every thought, every move, every lie. Because if I don’t… you’re in my world now. And in my world, lies cost more than just your pride.”

My heart stuttered. My mind raced. What was he planning? What did he want from me?

Before I could answer, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it, and his expression darkened. “Someone knows,” he muttered.

“Knows what?” I asked, panic rising in my chest.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned sharply, grabbing his coat from the rack. “We have to go.”

“Go? Where?” I asked, confused and alarmed.

He didn’t reply. He pulled me along, out the door, into the waiting black car. The city blurred past as we sped toward an unknown destination. My pulse thundered in my ears.

Finally, we stopped in front of a secluded warehouse on the edge of downtown. Dim lights flickered. Shadows danced along the walls. This was no casual meeting.

He opened the door before I could protest. “Inside. Now.”

I hesitated, but the intensity in his gaze left me no choice. I stepped inside, heart racing.

The warehouse was empty. Too empty. Too silent. And then… the sound of heels echoed. Slow, deliberate. Someone else was here.

And when the light hit her face, I realized exactly how little control I had left.

Kate.

Not alive, but someone who looked like her. Someone wearing a mask of calm and revenge. My chest tightened. My breath caught. I realized with horror that this night… was going to change everything.