Genevieve

I gave up my twenty-billion-dollar inheritance and cut ties with my family, all for my boyfriend of five years, Ignatz.

But just as I was about to tell him I was pregnant with our child, he dropped a bombshell.

He needed me to take the fall for his childhood sweetheart, Everleigh. She'd been in a hit-and-run, and her career couldn't handle the scandal.

When I refused and told him about our baby, his face went cold. He told me to terminate the pregnancy immediately.

"Everleigh is the woman I love," he said. "Finding out you're pregnant with my child would destroy her."

He had his assistant schedule the appointment and sent me to the clinic alone. There, the nurse told me the procedure carried a high risk of permanent infertility.

He knew. And he still sent me.

I walked out of that clinic, choosing to keep my child. At that exact moment, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a glowing article announcing that Ignatz and Everleigh were expecting their first child, complete with a photo of his hand resting protectively on her stomach.

My world shattered. Wiping away a tear, I found the number I hadn't called in five years.

"Dad," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I'm ready to come home."

Chapter 1

"What did you just say?"

The question hung in the air of our minimalist apartment, the one I had designed. My voice was barely a whisper.

Ignatz Turner, my boyfriend of five years, didn't even look up from his phone. He just repeated it, calm and matter-of-fact.

"I said Everleigh needs you to take the blame. It was a hit-and-run, Gen. A minor one, nobody was seriously hurt, but her career can't handle a scandal right now."

I stared at him, at the handsome face I had loved for so long. Now, it looked like a stranger's.

"You want me to say I was driving her car? That I hit someone and fled the scene?"

"It makes sense," he said, finally lifting his eyes. They were cool, rational. "You're a private person, an architect. You don't have a public image to protect. You can handle the heat. Everleigh... she's fragile."

My hands started to shake. "Fragile? Ignatz, she broke the law. What about my record? My career?"

"It won't affect your career," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "Our lawyers will handle it. A fine, maybe some community service. It's nothing."

I felt a cold anger rise in my chest. "Nothing? Ignatz, do you have any idea what you're asking? I left my family for you. I gave up my name, my inheritance, everything, so we could have a normal life away from their influence. I did that for you."

"And I appreciate that, Gen, I really do," he said, his voice softening. He stood up and came toward me, trying to take my hands. "That's why I know you're strong enough to do this one more thing for us. For me."

He was close now, his familiar scent filling my senses. It used to comfort me. Now it made me sick.

"There's something else," I said, my voice trembling as I backed away from his touch.

He stopped, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "What now?"

"I'm pregnant."

The words came out, quiet but heavy. I had just found out this morning. I had been planning a romantic dinner to tell him, to celebrate.

Ignatz froze. His charming expression vanished, replaced by a look I had never seen before-a cold, hard panic.

"No," he said.

"Yes. I took a test. I'm six weeks along."

He ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, pacing the room. "This is a disaster. An absolute disaster."

I laughed, a broken, hollow sound. Tears I didn't know were there started streaming down my face. "A disaster? It's your baby, Ignatz."

"Everleigh can't handle this right now!" he snapped, turning on me. "The stress of the accident, her anxiety... finding out you're pregnant with my child would destroy her. She's not strong like you, Gen. She needs my full support."

"So I'm the one who gets sacrificed? Again?" The words were squeezed out from between my teeth. "My life, my reputation, and now... our baby?"

He stopped pacing and looked at me, his eyes now holding a chilling sort of pity. "We can't have this baby. Not now."

My world tilted. The floor felt like it was dropping out from under me. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you need to terminate it," he said, his voice dropping to a low, persuasive tone. "It's for the best. For everyone. Once this all blows over with Everleigh, we can try again. It's just... bad timing."