From Broken Fiancée To Corporate Queen

find my fiancé, Derrick, holding

o save her from scandal, while our child, the one I was se

e as his mother called me a whor

to a clinic and forced an abortion, killing my seven-month-

s later,

I walked into the Bradford Corpor

een a ghost, not realizing I was

t made me his boss and

d," I whispered. "L

pte

lemen

ck Bradford, comforting his high-school sweetheart, Charlotte Sawyer, who was als

und her, a gesture of tenderness I hadn't seen in weeks. She giggled,

hushed environment. "Said he' d come straight here the moment I c

sted possessively on her swollen belly. Derrick'

ely flew to my still-flat stomach. Our ba

y met mine, darted up. They locked onto mine across

, his voice a st

ng to his feet. He moved fast, a blur o

trides, grabbing my arm. His

I whispered, my v

ken. The shock had frozen my

eyes wide and frantic. "It's no

r down the hallway,

insisted, his words tumbling out. "I swea

a cold path down my cheek. My

d, his voice cracking. "I love you

race, but I stiffened. My heart

voice cut through the a

face a mask of wounded innoc

fake tears. "You promised you'd tell her everyth

ped towards

don't understand," Derrick stamm

loving. "Oh, I understand perfectly, Derrick. You just confir

trembling lip. "He always was a coward, Ava.

d. It was a cruel

her voice dripping with false sympathy. "To protect my fami

away a tear I hadn' t even realized was

the truth, Charlotte," he

lay all our cards on the table, shall we? You can claim my baby, and we c

r, thick with malice. Then her gaze dropped

dent, for now. A temporary lapse of

ious smile spread

d disbelieving. My grief turned to co

t?" I demanded, my voice rising. "

s crumbling, piece