"Sign it, Althea. Lyra is carrying the heir our family desperately needs, and our marriage ends here." Caspian slid the thick stack of divorce papers across the table. The linen tablecloth muffled the sound. He didn't look down. He met my eyes. His tailored tuxedo fit perfectly. His expression held zero guilt. "I know this sounds harsh," Caspian lowered his voice. The charity medical gala buzzed around us. Doctors and hospital investors clinked champagne glasses just a few feet away. They were celebrating the latest advancements in biotechnology. They had no idea a marriage was ending at table four. "But my grandfather gave me an ultimatum," Caspian continued. "If I don't marry her before the baby is born, I lose my seat on the board." I stared at the papers. My name was printed on the top line. "You are the only woman I actually love." Caspian leaned closer. He tried to take my hand. I pulled it back. My hands stayed in my lap. "This is just a temporary contract," he said. He kept his voice low, urgent. "Once the child is born and my inheritance is locked in, I will divorce Lyra. We can get married again. I'll give you the wedding you always wanted. A real one. Not the small ceremony we had." He really believed his own words. He thought I would wait in the shadows while he played house with my stepsister. "How long?" I asked. My voice came out steady. Caspian blinked. "What?" "How long have you been sleeping with my stepsister?" He adjusted his platinum cufflinks. He looked at the crystal chandelier above us, then back at me. He avoided eye contact for exactly two seconds. "It was a mistake. After the medical board meeting in Boston last month. She came to my hotel room. I had too much to drink." "Stop." I raised a hand. The details didn't matter. The betrayal was exactly the same. Lyra had spent her entire life taking things from me. She moved into my house when her mother married my father. She took my childhood bedroom. She stole my father's attention. Now, she was taking my husband. And Caspian had let her. "Althea, be rational." Caspian tapped the table. The ice in his water glass clinked. "If I don't do this, my grandfather will cut me off. We will lose everything. The penthouse, the accounts, the hospital shares. It all goes to my cousin. Do you want me to lose my future?" I wanted to throw my wine in his face. I wanted to tip the table over and walk out. Instead, I picked up the heavy brass pen. Caspian didn't know who he was talking to. He thought I was just an ordinary nurse at his family's private hospital. A quiet, obedient wife who needed his money to survive. He didn't know I was the majority shareholder of that very hospital. He didn't know I owned the patent for the revolutionary Q-Core drug his family was desperate to acquire. I signed the first page. I flipped to the next and signed again. The ink bled slightly into the expensive paper. My left hand rested against my stomach under the table. It was flat. It was a secret. I was eight weeks pregnant. Yesterday, the ultrasound technician had pointed to two distinct heartbeats on the monitor. Twins. Caspian was throwing me away for a fake heir. He would never know about the real ones. He didn't deserve to know. I signed the last page and pushed the stack back to him. He let out a long breath. I saw it. The relief in his eyes. Not regret. Not sorrow. Just pure relief. "You are making the right choice," Caspian said. He picked up the documents and slid them into his leather briefcase. "I promise you, once this is over—" "Save your promises." I dropped the pen. It clattered against a plate. "Lyra will need them." I pushed my chair back and stood up. The ballroom tilted. A sudden, violent wave of nausea crashed through me. I grabbed the edge of the table. My knuckles turned white against the dark wood. Caspian half-stood. "Are you alright?" "Fine." I forced my fingers to release the wood. "The food here is cheap." I turned and walked away. I walked past the ice sculptures. I walked past the tables of investors discussing the future of medicine. Nobody looked at me twice. I was just Caspian Sterling's boring wife leaving early. I pushed through the heavy glass doors. The cold night wind hit my face. I stopped by a stone pillar near the valet stand. I leaned against the cold concrete. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing. In and out. I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. My phone buzzed inside my clutch. I pulled it out. A text from my attorney. *Althea, Soren Sterling's office called again. He wants a face-to-face meeting regarding the patent acquisition. He says it is urgent. Do I decline again?* Soren Sterling. The most powerful man in the healthcare industry. He controlled the largest private medical network in the country. He was ruthless. He destroyed competitors without a second thought. He had been trying to buy my patent for over a year. He didn't know the ordinary nurse he was looking for was the sole owner of the holding company. Caspian thought he had taken everything from me. He thought I was leaving with nothing. I unlocked my screen. My fingers didn't shake at all. I typed a quick reply to my lawyer. *Set the meeting. Tomorrow morning.* I hit send. The wind whipped my hair across my face. I pulled my coat tighter around my shoulders. Less than a second later, the screen lit up. A reply from Soren Sterling's private assistant. Meeting confirmed. I dropped the phone back into my bag. I looked up at the glowing lights of the charity gala. A storm was coming to the medical world tomorrow. And they had no idea I was the one bringing it.
