CHAPTER ONE
I stared at the plastic stick in my hand. Two pink lines showed in the small window.I didn't want to look. Actually… I wanted to close my eyes and wake up in my cramped dorm room. I wanted to smell the old coffee on my desk. I had an Intermediate Accounting final tomorrow. I was supposed to be studying.
My chest tightened. I couldn't catch my breath.
Positive.I leaned against the tile wall. The cold seeped through my thin blazer. I slid down the wooden cabinets until I hit the floor with a dull thud.
A knock at the door made me jump.
"Isabella? It’s Nurse Miller."
I swallowed hard, trying to push the nausea down. "Yes."
The door pushed open. The nurse stepped in. She looked at the test on the counter, then back at me.
"The blood work just came back," she said. Her voice was low and quiet. "It’s confirmed. You’re six weeks pregnant."
I gripped my knees. My knuckles turned white. "There has to be a mistake. A lab mix-up."
"We ran the tests twice, Isabella."
"You don't understand," I said. I stood up. My hands
were shaking. "My father pays for everything. My tuition, my housing. Every cent I spend is monitored. If he finds out about this… he'll do to me exactly what he did to my older sister. He won't just be disappointed. He will erase me."
Nurse Miller sighed. She leaned against the sink. "We have resources—"
"He checks the mail," I interrupted. "He intercepts every letter. You’re going to mail the clinic bill, aren't you?"
"It’s standard procedure for insurance."
"Stop it. Please. I’ll pay in cash."
She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry. The billing department is automated. Your father will see the clinic's name on the statement in three days."
I grabbed my bag. The zipper caught, but I yanked it hard. I didn't wait for her to finish. I bolted out of the room.
I stepped onto the sidewalk. The humid city air hit my face. I pulled out my phone. My thumb slipped on the screen, but I hit the speed dial for Sienna.
"Hey," Sienna answered. I heard the rapid clicking of her keyboard. "Did you finish the practice exam?"
"Sienna," I said. "I'm pregnant."
The typing stopped instantly.
"What did you say?" she whispered.
"I'm at the clinic. Six weeks."
"Oh my god. Okay. Breathe. Does your father know?"
"No."
"Izzy, who is it?"
I closed my eyes. I thought about that night at the gala. The smell of expensive cedar. The way he looked at me on the balcony. "It was Aiden Thorne."
Sienna gasped. "Are you insane? He’s the CEO of Thorne International. If he finds out his one-night stand is pregnant, he won't help you. He hates scandals more than anything. He’ll hire a team of lawyers to bury you."
"I just need to stop my father from seeing that bill," I said. "If I go to Aiden, maybe I can get him to pay the private medical fees in cash today. It’s my only shot."
"You’re going to his office? Alone?"
"I don't have a choice."
I hung up.
I walked to the subway. Thirty minutes later, I stood in front of Thorne International. The building was a massive tower of glass and steel.
I pushed through the revolving doors. The air conditioning gave me goosebumps. I walked straight to the marble front desk.
A security guard in a dark suit looked up from his monitor.
"I'm here to see Aiden Thorne," I said.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No."
He pointed toward the revolving doors. "Then you need to leave. Now."
"Wait," I said. I stepped closer to the desk. He reached for his radio. "Tell him it’s about the balcony at the charity gala. Tell him Isabella is here. If he says no, I'll walk out."
The guard stared at me. He looked at my cheap shoes, then at my face. He picked up his phone and pressed a button. He spoke quietly into the receiver. He waited.
His expression changed. He put the phone down. He pointed to the private elevators on the left.
"Floor fifty-four."
I walked to the elevator. The doors opened. I stepped inside and watched the digital numbers climb on the screen. 10. 20. 40. My ears popped.
The doors opened on the top floor. A secretary sitting at a sleek desk pointed to the heavy wooden doors at the end of the hall.
I walked over and I pushed them open.
The office was huge. Aiden stood with his back to me, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window at the city skyline. He wore a white dress shirt, the fabric stretched tight across his shoulders.
He turned around. He looked at me with a completely cold expression.
"You have exactly three minutes," he said.
I stood my ground. I walked over to his mahogany desk. I reached into my bag, pulled out the crumpled plastic test, and dropped it onto the glass surface.
"We need to talk about your reputation, Aiden," I said. "Because in eight months, it’s going to have a name."
Aiden looked down at the test. He didn't blink.
