Divorced At Midnight, Claimed By The Devil Billionaire

“Congratulations to the future Mrs. Ethan Vale!” The applause exploded across the ballroom. Serena froze. The champagne glass slipped from her trembling fingers and shattered against the marble floor. For one horrifying second, the entire anniversary hall became silent. Then whispers spread like wildfire. “What did she just say?” “Future Mrs. Vale?” “Isn’t Serena already his wife?” Serena’s pulse pounded violently inside her ears as she stared at the giant screen hanging above the ballroom stage. A picture appeared. Ethan. Her husband. Kissing another woman. Not just kissing her. Holding her stomach possessively. Pregnant. The words beneath the photo nearly stopped Serena’s breathing completely. COMING SOON: THE WEDDING OF ETHAN VALE & LILIAN HART. Her vision blurred. No. No… This had to be some kind of sick mistake. Tonight was their fifth wedding anniversary. Five years. Five years of loving Ethan. Supporting him. Building his empire beside him while everyone mocked her poor background. Her fingers instinctively moved toward her handbag where the pregnancy test rested hidden inside. Positive. She had spent the entire afternoon trying to gather enough courage to tell him he was finally going to become a father. But now— Her stomach twisted violently. “Serena.” Ethan’s cold voice sliced through the chaos. She slowly turned toward him. Her husband stood near the center stage in his tailored black suit, impossibly calm despite the destruction unfolding around them. Beside him stood Lilian Hart. Beautiful. Elegant. And visibly pregnant. The sight nearly destroyed Serena on the spot. The reporters surrounding the ballroom immediately raised their cameras. Flashlights exploded everywhere. “Mr. Vale! Are the rumors true?” “Is this your mistress?” “Did you cheat on your wife?” “Is Miss Hart carrying your child?” Serena stared at Ethan desperately. Waiting. Begging silently for him to deny it. Instead… Ethan walked toward Lilian and wrapped an arm around her waist protectively. “Serena,” he said emotionlessly, “we need to stop pretending.” The world around her tilted dangerously. Pretending? Pretending? She felt hundreds of eyes burning into her skin. “You’re humiliating me…” Serena whispered shakily. “No,” Ethan replied coldly. “This marriage has been over for a long time.” The words hit harder than a slap. Her breathing became uneven. “What about me?” she asked brokenly. “What about us?” Ethan’s expression darkened impatiently. “There was never an us,” he said. The entire ballroom gasped. Serena physically staggered backward. Five years. Five entire years reduced to nothing with one sentence. Lilian suddenly smiled softly and rested a hand over her stomach. “I’m sorry, Serena,” she said, though her eyes held no apology at all. “But Ethan deserves a real family now.” Serena’s hand instinctively flew to her own stomach. A real family? Then what was the baby growing inside her? Tears burned her eyes violently. “You’re pregnant…” Serena whispered. Lilian smiled wider. “Three months.” Three months. Serena’s knees nearly buckled. Three months ago Ethan had held Serena in his arms and promised to renew their vows. The room spun painfully. “So while you touched me…” Serena’s voice cracked. “You were sleeping with her?” Ethan’s silence answered everything. A wave of nausea slammed into Serena so hard she nearly collapsed. The reporters kept filming. Nobody looked away. Not even Ethan. He simply reached into his pocket calmly and pulled out divorce papers. “I already signed them,” he said. The papers fell onto the table before her. Her entire body turned ice cold. “You planned this…” she whispered. “Sign the papers, Serena.” Her heart pounded painfully against her chest. Too painfully. Suddenly— A sharp stabbing ache exploded through her body. Serena grabbed the edge of the table as dizziness consumed her vision. Not now. Please not now— The doctor’s warning echoed inside her head. Your heart condition is worsening rapidly. Stress could trigger a fatal attack. But Ethan noticed nothing. Or maybe he simply didn’t care anymore. “You should leave quietly before embarrassing yourself further,” Lilian said softly. Something inside Serena shattered completely. Her trembling fingers slowly opened her handbag. She stared at the hidden pregnancy test. Two pink lines. Positive. A broken laugh nearly escaped her lips. How cruel. How unbelievably cruel. She was carrying Ethan’s child while he publicly replaced her with another woman carrying his baby too. The pain inside her chest suddenly intensified violently. Serena gasped sharply. Her vision blurred again. “Mrs. Vale?” Someone in the crowd noticed her swaying. But before anyone could react— Serena turned and ran. Out of the ballroom. Out of the cameras. Out of the humiliation. Rain crashed heavily outside the hotel. Thunder exploded across the dark city sky as Serena stumbled blindly onto the empty roadside, tears mixing with the storm. Her chest hurt so badly she could barely breathe. Everything was gone. Her marriage. Her future. Her child’s family. Another sharp pain struck her heart. Serena grabbed her chest desperately. Then— SCREEECH! Headlights suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A black luxury car spun violently across the wet road before slamming directly into the highway barrier with a deafening crash. Serena screamed instinctively. The front of the vehicle erupted with smoke. For one terrified second, nobody moved. Then she heard it. A weak groan from inside the wrecked car. Someone was alive. Serena’s breathing shook violently as flames slowly began spreading beneath the engine. Oh God. The car was going to explode. Her survival instincts screamed at her to run. But another painful groan came from inside. Without thinking, Serena sprinted toward the burning vehicle. Rain soaked her instantly as she pulled at the damaged driver’s door desperately. It wouldn’t open. Inside the car sat a man covered in blood. His head rested against the steering wheel. One side of his face was cut badly. And despite his injuries— He looked terrifying. Powerful. Dangerous. The kind of man who could destroy lives with one command. His dark eyes slowly lifted toward hers. For one chilling second, Serena felt something strange pass between them. Recognition. Obsession. Danger. Then the man suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly. Blood slid down his hand. “Don’t…” he rasped weakly. Serena’s heart pounded. The fire beneath the car suddenly exploded larger. “We have to get out!” she cried. But the stranger’s grip tightened painfully around her wrist. And then he whispered something that made Serena’s blood freeze completely. “They’re trying to kill me.” BOOM! Another explosion erupted beneath the car— As black SUVs suddenly appeared through the storm behind them.