Chapter 1
Claire's POV:
On my wedding day, my husband's childhood sweetheart showed up to offer her congratulations, her pregnant belly on full display. She'd faked her death a year ago.
"Congratulations! You get to be a mother without ever having to carry the baby yourself."
Everyone else smiled at me knowingly.
"This is her second baby, too. Aren't you lucky, Claire?"
I was still trying to process it when my husband's sister hurried over, stepping between us protectively.
"My brother didn't want you to suffer, so he had someone else carry your children for you. Be a little more accommodating until the second child is born. She's scared of storms at night, so she and my brother will take the honeymoon suite. You can sleep in the guest room next door and help look after the older child."
My eyes were red with tears as I asked Nathan what this was supposed to mean.
He approached me, his expression solemn.
"Haven't you always wanted a son and a daughter? Vanessa's giving you exactly that. The older one's a boy, and he just turned 1. We've confirmed that the second child's a girl."
When he saw how pale I'd gone, Nathan frowned and rested a hand on my shoulder.
"We'll have a son and a daughter as soon as we're married. Isn't that what you wished for before the wedding?"
I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.
Whatever faith I'd had in him was gone.
I looked at the man who'd once braved gunfire at my side and made my final wish to System.
*****
I turned to leave. One of Nathan's men abruptly raised his gun and pressed it to the back of my head.
"Mrs. Mercer, now that you've married Mr. Mercer, Greyhaven Island's safety must come first. Please don't leave the island without permission."
I turned around to face the barrel, but my gaze settled on Nathan.
"Don't worry. I've invested too much into this island to just walk away."
I brushed the gun aside and looked at Vanessa Foster, who now stood openly at Nathan's side.
She arched an eyebrow and gave me a brazen, seductive smile.
"I knew you'd be a generous woman, just like your mother."
Vanessa was my father's daughter from an affair.
Five years ago, her mother had brought her into our home and driven my mother to jump into the sea. Her body had never been found.
Nathan knew how much I hated them both. A year ago, after he'd helped me seize Greyhaven Island, the first thing he'd done was capture Vanessa's mother and bring her to me for revenge.
"Claire, everyone who's ever hurt you deserves to die!"
Vanessa had been forced to jump into the sea with her mother.
Back then, Nathan hadn't hesitated to get blood on his hands or cut ties with his family to help me avenge my mother.
Everyone on Greyhaven Island knew he loved me more than anything.
When we moved onto the island, brilliant fireworks lit up the sky for three straight nights. He'd said Greyhaven Island would be our home from then on.
I'd believed him completely.
In the end, it had all been an act.
Marcus Cole and Diana Mercer stood beside him. These people had faced death with me, yet every one of them had known Vanessa was alive.
'I've been the only one kept in the dark all along!'
It was almost funny, even as a a dull ache settled in my chest.
Diana had said I'd given her a second chance at life when I'd rescued her from that gang. She'd sworn I was the only woman she'd ever accept as her sister-in-law.
Now all she cared about was protecting Vanessa.
Vanessa's son was 1 year old. Counting backward, she'd conceived him while Nathan was recuperating at Greyhaven Recovery Center, when I'd been so worried about his injuries.
The island had still been unstable then. I'd spent my days managing its affairs for him, working until I nearly fainted, while Nathan had been holding Vanessa in his arms and sleeping with her behind my back.
I clutched my chest and stumbled.
Nathan helped Vanessa sit down and told her to take care of herself. Only then did he return to me, a trace of concern mingling with the guilt in his eyes.
"Claire, that was a long time ago. It's time you let go of your grudge against Vanessa. I know how you feel about children born from affairs, so we'll have you put down as the legal mother of both children."
I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. It was beyond ridiculous.
"What, putting my name down makes them any less illegitimate? You want me to raise the little bastards you conceived behind my back, so you can carry on with your affair!"
Vanessa's expression shifted, but then she gave a little laugh.
"Don't be so nasty, Claire. The only reason I agreed to do this for you is that you can't carry a child yourself."
