The Fiancé He Severely Underestimated

ed fragments of my life swirling around me. The thought of Ember and Jax, in our apartment, planning their future, a baby part o

ity's usual night sounds. This was raw, terrified. My instincts, honed by years of s

e to confront. Two hulking figures were wrestling a smaller, struggling person. One had a hand cla

natural in my grip. I moved like a phantom, my movements fluid and precise. One swift, brutal swing to the back

breath coming in ragged gasps. I extended a h

e. Ember. Her eyes, wide with terror, stared back at m

ted from me to the two unconscious men, then back to the reb

ing Carlisle. "I need an extraction. Two hostile subjects, one rescu

was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Anger, disgust, a flicker of satisfaction

I approached. Carlisle had informed me she was stable but shaken. I told myself it was stra

and drawn, holding Ember's hand. He looked up, his

w and menacing. He jumped to his feet, placing hims

devoid of warmth. "And I'm here to understand why. Unless you'd prefer I just let

uthless, Ava! You always were! You don't care about anyone but yourself. You wouldn't lift a finger unless it ser

'twisted agenda'?" My mind reeled back, a torrent of memories flashing before my eyes. The nights I spent working three jobs so he could finish his business degree. The times I put my own dreams on hold

ard of ice. "You chose her. You let Harris walk all over our business for her. And now you have the audacity t

hing I couldn't quite decipher. Guilt? Regr

is voice softer, laced with w

w this, Jax. The city sees my ruthlessness. You will see it too. And it will be directed at everythin

Continues: Rescues Rival's Mistress, Then Issues Chilling Warning to Ex-Partner." The headlines

w. I was impeccably dressed, my face a mask of serene indifference. My empire, desp

vely resting on her stomach. Jax, next to her, looked tired but radiant, his eyes constantly seeking hers. They were

e for her, and she's already parading around, probably pregnant." The woman gestured v

ip on the glass dangerously tight. Co

hey don't know anything." He glanced at Jax and Ember, his jaw tight. "Wa

n the sun." I watched Jax's loving gaze directed at Ember, then at her han

t mine, a flicker of triumph, then a sudden, raw fe

rned. He followed her gaze, his eyes landing on me. A fr

, her voice barely audible. "Just... A

pulling her closer. "She c

you see that? The way she looked at Ember? She's clearl

nt, almost numb. I needed fresh air. I made my way to the

y breath catching in my throat. Ember. She stood the

anything to discuss," I

me. He's happy. And... and I'm pregnant. With his baby." Her

dream, now hers. My stomach twisted, a wave of nausea threatening to overwhelm me.

family." She paused, then added, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper, "And Ava, I'm so sorry. I know you wanted children, but... it was never going to happen fo

shining with malevolent triumph. "He just loved what you could do for him. He told me.

. Not meant to be. He never loved me. He said he only felt truly human with her. Every sin

called me 'too ruthless'? And you, 'pure'?" The irony was a cruel joke. He had shaped me, molded me into the

he just wanted... softness. Purity." She took a step closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "He als

not the real one. He knew the curated version, the one I had allowed hi

ously soft, "that he believed I could never leav

lowed, then nodded slowly. "He... he did say something like that. He sa

stretched my lips.

rival; she was a mirror reflecting the ugliness of my broken dreams, a testament to Jax's ultimate

ass. "You think you've taken his heart, his future, our legacy." I stepped closer, my shadow engu

away, Ember. I'm taking everything he values. Everything." My hand went to my phone, a silent threat. He had a powerful, estranged family in Washington D.C., a family

, the words a chilling promise