Falling for his charms

Chapter 1

The Invited

When Elise Sinclair knocked on my door, I was sorting through baby clothes for my little one. It had been three years since I married Gavin Monroe, and I was pregnant for the first time. We both cared deeply about our child. I once asked Gavin whether he preferred a boy or a girl, and he simply replied that he would be happy as long as the baby took after me. At that moment, I felt so loved.

Even though I was only four months along, Gavin had already brought home piles of baby clothes for me to sift through at my leisure.

As I was going through the items, there was a knock at the door. Setting the photos aside, I gently placed a hand on my belly and got up to answer it. A woman stood there whom I didn't recognize, but there was something oddly familiar about her eyes.

"Hello, how can I help you?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at me with a hint of disdain. "I'm Elise Sinclair. Don't you recognize me?"

I hesitated, unsure where I would have seen her before.

"I'm sorry, but I don't. Now that we've met, how can I assist you?"

A flash of surprise crossed her face, quickly replaced by anger. I felt a rush of anxiety and instinctively patted my belly, feeling more protective. I was not alone anymore-I had a child to consider.

"You really don't recognize me?" Elise scrutinized me, as if trying to provoke a reaction. But I was certain she was a stranger, even if there was something unsettlingly familiar about her.

I licked my lips, ready to ask what she wanted, when she interrupted, "A stand-in? Seriously? You don't have a clue who I am? Gavin never mentioned me?"

I was taken aback. "Stand-in?" My voice wavered, but I forced a polite smile. "No, he's never mentioned you. He told me about a former girlfriend and that they'd broken up..."

She smirked. "Ah, yes. That would be me."

I tried to remain composed. "If you two broke up, why are you here now?"

Her smirk remained. "Did he tell you how we ended things? We had a massive fight, and I left the country overnight."

I had no idea why she was sharing this, but I felt a faint ache in my belly. I rubbed my bump, striving to stay calm. This stranger was clearly here to create trouble.

"The very next day, Gavin booked a flight to follow me across the ocean. I told him I didn't love him anymore and took another flight to get away. He searched for me everywhere, like a madman."

My hand tightened over my belly. "What are you trying to say? You and Gavin broke up. We're married now, and I'm carrying our child. This is irrelevant."

Elise laughed, clearly amused by my words. "After a year of searching for me, he finally gave up and returned home. I heard he started dating some undergrad who was infatuated with him and, lucky for her, happened to look a bit like me."

I felt the blood drain from my face. That young student...that was me.

I was four years younger than Gavin, just starting college while he was finishing. I had heard the stories about him and seen a few paparazzi photos with his ex, but I had never met her. In those photos, she had looked beautiful and confident-just like the woman standing in front of me.

"He was angry with me, so within three months, he got a marriage certificate with her-no ceremony, nothing."

When I first entered college, everyone seemed to know about Gavin. He was handsome, came from a distinguished family, and always ranked at the top of his class. After graduation, he joined his family's business.