He left me when I refused to end my pregnancy. Five years later, he saw my twins at a mall, and his mother’s two-million-dollar lie finally came crashing down.

He had pushed an envelope across the table like a coward.

Inside was money.

A private clinic appointment.

A lawyer’s card.

A neat solution for a situation he considered inconvenient.

He told himself he was protecting his company, his family name, his future, his mother’s expectations, and the empire he had spent years building.

Mara had looked at the envelope.

Then she looked at him.

“You did not just make a decision, Damien,” she said. “You showed me exactly who you are.”

Then she left.