Maria Rodriguez had barely stepped out of the villa when her phone rang. It was Mrs. Miller—the caretaker of the family estate. At this late hour, Maria’s first thought went to Poppy Thomas, the only member of the Rodriguez family who had ever shown her a shred of kindness. She couldn’t ignore the call.

"Maria, get to the estate. Now." Mrs. Miller’s voice was clipped, no room for argument, and she still called her "Miss Rodriguez," same as always. Maria might’ve married into the family, but to the Rodriguez staff, she’d never be anything but an outsider.

Worry for Mrs. Thomas kicked through her. Maria set her luggage down and headed straight for the estate. Easton wouldn’t be home tonight—or anytime soon, really. Once she knew Mrs. Thomas was safe, she could come back for her things.

The family estate loomed up as Maria arrived. She walked in to find Mrs. Miller waiting by the door. "Mrs. Miller, what happened with Grandma?" she asked, breathless.

Mrs. Miller’s face pinched with irritation. "The old lady’s fine. It’s Mrs. Rodriguez who can’t sleep. She’s been waiting for you to give her one of her aromatherapy massages."

Easton’s mother, Lauren Rodriguez, had never approved of Maria. To her, Maria wasn’t Easton’s wife—she was a servant to be summoned whenever the mood struck. No. Less than a servant. At least Mrs. Rodriguez treated the staff with a little courtesy. Even now, knowing Maria was pregnant, she’d demanded her presence at this godawful hour. The contempt in Mrs. Miller’s eyes was plain, but for once, Maria didn’t rush to cater to Mrs. Rodriguez’s every whim.

Relief washed through Maria when she heard Poppy Thomas was all right—then, just as fast, the pain she’d been holding back came roaring up. A searing ache tore through her chest and abdomen, fresh from the trauma. She needed rest. She turned toward the stairs.

Mrs. Miller clearly hadn’t expected defiance. She blocked Maria’s path. "The old lady won’t be back for a while. She’s away at the resort with her friends." It was a warning wrapped in a fact. In this house, Maria had no allies.

But Maria was done being afraid—of Mrs. Rodriguez’s displeasure, of Easton’s disdain, of all of it. "If she can’t sleep, maybe she should take a sleeping pill," Maria said flatly, and kept walking.

Mrs. Miller looked stunned. The once-docile young woman had grown a backbone. She hurried upstairs to tattle, and almost instantly, Mrs. Rodriguez appeared outside Maria’s bedroom, shrill and furious. "What? I’m your mother-in-law—am I not worth your respect anymore? Don’t think carrying a Rodriguez baby secures your place here. If the old lady hadn’t insisted, do you think Easton would’ve ever let you have his child?"

The words spilled out of her, all disdain, unchecked now that Poppy Thomas was away. Maria lay in bed, too weak and in too much pain to open her eyes, let alone answer.

When Maria stayed silent, Mrs. Rodriguez’s frustration boiled over. She dialed Easton. "Son, Maria’s making trouble at the estate in the middle of the night," she complained.

Maria didn’t know when the pain had dragged her under, but she woke to the loud sound of her bedroom door being forced open. The servants had unlocked it. Easton walked in, cold as winter.

He stood by her bed, his expression colder than she’d ever seen it. "Weren’t you dying when you called me?" he taunted.

Was he disappointed she hadn’t died like he’d expected? She was alive—but their child was gone. If he’d believed her, if he’d come to the hospital sooner, maybe the baby could’ve been saved. But in this heartless world, there were no if onlys.

Despite everything, Maria felt compelled to defend herself. "I didn’t lie to you—"

"Spare me the act. And stop using the baby to get my attention," Easton cut in harshly.

He’d just come back from the lakefront villa, worried when he couldn’t find her, almost fearing the worst. Yet here she was, causing drama at the estate because he hadn’t fallen for her tricks. His face darkened with anger. "I never wanted the child."

She’d braced herself for his indifference, but hearing it said so bluntly still made her tremble. Did he think she had no feelings, that his every word and action didn’t cut her to the bone? Maria met his gaze without flinching. "As you wish. It’s already—"

Her words were cut off by Easton’s phone ringing. He answered fast. "Don’t worry, I’ll be right there…" he soothed into the phone.

"Don’t let foolish thoughts tempt you. My patience with you is limited." It was his parting shot before he turned and walked out.

Maria couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. They fell, unchecked. She’d seen the name on his phone: Darling. No need to guess who that was. In his contacts, she was just an unmarked number.

"Stop crying. Get up and give me a massage. You heard my son—defy me again, and I’ll have him divorce you!" Mrs. Rodriguez’s voice sliced through Maria’s grief. Maria’s defiance startled her; she couldn’t believe the girl would risk everything she’d worked so hard to gain.

Then, unexpectedly, Maria slid back under the covers. "Do what you want," she said, indifferent.

To Mrs. Rodriguez, that defiance was an insult. She marched to the bed and dragged Maria out. "You think because you’re pregnant, I won’t dare touch you? Someone drag her out of here—and bring me something to teach her the rules of this house!"

The servants shoved Maria to the floor. She curled onto her side, guarding her surgical wounds. Mrs. Rodriguez took a golf club from Mrs. Miller. "You manipulated my son, used the press to force him into marriage, and now you think you can tie him down with a child?" She swung. Maria threw up her arm, taking the blow across her forearm and shoulder.

Maria fought to pull free, but the servants pinned her down. Pain tore through her injured body, and her cries echoed through the room. Mrs. Rodriguez stopped only when Mrs. Miller gasped, "She’s passed out!"

Mrs. Rodriguez froze, fear flickering across her face. "Mrs. Miller, is she bleeding?" she demanded.

"There’s no bleeding," Mrs. Miller said after checking Maria.

A relieved breath rushed out of Mrs. Rodriguez. "Stubborn as she is," she scoffed, "but no more hitting—at least not until Poppy’s back."

Looking down at the unconscious Maria, Mrs. Rodriguez seethed. "She’s bewitched the old lady somehow. Forced Easton to marry her under false pretenses, and now she’s forcing this child on us!"

Her anger still burning, she commanded, "Lock her in the storeroom. If the old lady finds out…"

Mrs. Miller hesitated, but a sharp look from Mrs. Rodriguez silenced her. "Keep her alive. That’s all. If the child doesn’t make it until Poppy returns, so be it. We’ll say she lost it in a fall."

With a cruel smile, Mrs. Rodriguez dismissed the staff, leaving Maria unconscious on the floor. Mrs. Miller chuckled. "As you wish, madam."

"Water... I need water..."

Maria Rodriguez jolted awake with her body burning up, the thirst dragging her back to consciousness in the worst way. In the moonlight filtering through a small window, she took in her surroundings—a cluttered storage room. It wasn’t just thirst tormenting her; the cold had seeped deep into her bones. She braced a hand against the wall, pushed herself to her feet, and started toward the door. Every step left her breathless.

When she tried the handle, it was locked from the outside—just as she’d suspected. Maria knew screaming for help would only waste what little strength she had left. Silence was her only option. Instead, she focused on finding something—anything—that might take the edge off her thirst.

In a shadowed corner, she found a dusty crate of bottled water. She had no idea how long it had been sitting there. She had just cracked open a bottle when the door swung open.

She expected Mrs. Rodriguez. Instead, she was caught off guard by her sister-in-law, Piper Rodriguez.

Piper sneered, her voice dripping with mockery. "Did you really think Grandma’s protection would keep you safe here? When you plotted to marry my brother, did you ever imagine this day would come?"

Piper had just gotten home from a night out, and she relished the chance to torment Maria—who had defied her mother-in-law and was now paying for it.

"What are you waiting for?" Piper snapped at the servant behind her. "Look at the water in Maria’s hand—it’s expired! We can’t have her drinking that, can we? What if it hurts the baby?"

The servant rushed to snatch the bottle from Maria’s grasp. Maria knew Piper was doing this on purpose, but her strength was already fading. "Piper, please... just one sip."

"Thirsty, are you?" Piper crouched until they were eye level. "But begging requires the right posture."

Maria clenched her fists. "What do you want?"

Piper smiled. "Get down on your knees and beg. Maybe then I’ll let you have a drink."

"Piper, you’re going too far..."

"If you don’t want to, then forget it." Piper gestured to the servant. "Pour it out—all of it!"

"Yes, Miss Piper!"

Faced with a choice between pride and survival, Maria chose survival. If she died, who would take care of her mother?

Swallowing her humiliation and rage, Maria slowly knelt.

Piper burst out laughing. "Maria, do you know what you look like? Worse than a stray dog on the street!"

With a cruel grin, Piper planted her foot on Maria’s back, grabbed the bottle from the servant, and poured it over Maria’s head. "Here—I’ll help you drink!"

Piper emptied the entire crate, not letting Maria have a single drop.

Maria couldn’t stop her. She had nothing left.

"Why are you glaring? It’s for your own good—expired water isn’t safe to drink!" Piper glanced at Maria’s defeated expression and told the servant, "Go to the kitchen and find something Maria can drink."

The servant returned quickly with a tray carrying a small white porcelain bowl. "Miss Piper, it’s late, and the only thing left is the chicken broth you didn’t finish this morning."

"Even leftovers are safer than expired water," Piper said, waving the servant forward. "Hurry up! Can’t you see her lips are cracked?"

The servant obeyed, grabbing Maria by the hair and forcing the spoiled broth down her throat.

Maria choked and coughed. Watching her struggle only seemed to delight Piper more. "Still thirsty? If you want more, I can send the servant back to the kitchen."

Maria lay on the floor, barely responsive. She fixed her eyes on the doorway, refusing to let Piper see her cry. Seeing her like that satisfied Piper. "This quiet little spot is perfect for your rest. Take care."

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Easton Rodriguez stood over Kylie Taylor’s sleeping figure. No matter how hard he tried to focus on her, Maria’s face kept pushing into his thoughts. He remembered how unwell she’d looked.

He frowned and stood, but before he could leave the room, Kylie let out a terrified cry. "Don’t... don’t touch me..."

Easton turned back immediately, taking Kylie’s hand. "Kylie..."

She jolted awake, threw her arms around his waist, and sobbed, "I don’t know why—every time I close my eyes, I see that man from last night who wouldn’t let me go..."

"Don’t worry. I’m here," Easton reassured her, gently patting her back. "I’ve sent someone to find him. We won’t let him get away with it."

"Really?" Kylie lifted her tear-streaked face and stared up at Easton. "You can’t imagine how scared I was, thinking I’d never see you again..."

"It’s all right now." Easton brushed away her tears with his thumb. "I’m not going anywhere. Try to sleep."

"Are you sure you’re not tired?"

"I’m fine."

Kylie managed a small smile. "Meeting you is the greatest luck of my life, Easton."

Easton smiled faintly. "Just sleep."

Once she settled back down and her breathing evened out, Easton took out his phone and texted his assistant.

[Check Maria’s recent medical records.]

Half an hour later, he got a reply.

[Mr. Rodriguez, Ms. Rodriguez only came in for a routine checkup during the day. There are no other medical records.]

Easton’s eyes darkened. "A routine checkup—yet she colluded with hospital staff to trick me into going there! All to make me bond with a baby so she can secure her place as Mrs. Rodriguez!"

He let out a cold laugh. "Maria, you really are delusional!"

Resolved, Easton decided Maria would stay at the manor. With Poppy away, his mother could teach Maria some discipline.

Back at the manor, first thing in the morning, Mrs. Rodriguez received an unexpected call from Poppy announcing her early return. "Housekeeper, check on that wretched girl. See if she’s still alive."

The housekeeper was back within minutes. "She’s alive, but barely breathing."

"I thought I’d have more time to deal with that vile girl..." Mrs. Rodriguez murmured with concern. "I didn’t expect Poppy to return so soon. If she finds out..."

"What are you afraid of, Mom?" Piper yawned as she came down the stairs. "Just get rid of her. As long as she doesn’t die here, Grandma can’t hold us responsible."

Mrs. Rodriguez saw the sense in her daughter’s suggestion. "You’re right. Housekeeper, arrange for her to be taken to the lake house."

"That won’t work. Even if my brother doesn’t care about her, she’s carrying his child. He might feel sympathetic. You’ve seen Easton’s temper—when he’s angry, he doesn’t recognize family."

Mrs. Rodriguez pondered. "Where, then?"

"Send her back to her own home. It’s perfectly normal for a woman to return to her family. If anything happens, it’s on her."

"Agreed. Housekeeper, see to it right away!"

Maria’s family home was in an old city neighborhood, at the end of a narrow alley, surrounded by abandoned houses. The Rodriguez family dumped her at the doorstep like discarded trash.

The knife wounds, the lost child, Mrs. Rodriguez’s beatings, the drenching from Piper—all of it left Maria feverish and clinging to life only for her mother’s sake.

With no one nearby, she dragged herself up using the rusty wrought-iron gate, inching along the wall toward the mouth of the alley.

Eventually, Maria reached the alley’s opening, but after waiting what felt like forever, no one came. She was like a candle burned down to the wick; even the wall couldn’t hold her up.

"Maria, just wait a little longer. Someone will come. Someone will save you..."

As she collapsed, those thoughts were her last, desperate hope.

Maria woke in a hospital room that felt oddly cozy—nothing like the cold, sterile place she’d expected. After she collapsed, some Good Samaritan had found her and brought her in, saving her life. Naturally, she was desperate to know who.

When the nurse came in to change her bandages, Maria asked right away, "Is the person who brought me here still around?"

The nurse smiled. "They already left, but they made sure you were stable first. They even paid your hospital bill."

A stranger had shown her more kindness than Easton Rodriguez ever had.

"Did they leave any contact info?" Maria asked. She wanted to thank them—and repay them. If not for them, who knew what might have happened to her?

"We asked," the nurse said, "but they said it was inconvenient. Still, they seemed to know you. They knew your name."

Maria paused. A familiar feeling washed over her.

Only one person would care that much and then disappear without a trace. Her eyes burned at the thought of him. "May I borrow your phone?"

Easton’s house staff had thrown hers into a nearby river, so she had no way to call.

"Of course." The nurse unlocked the phone and handed it over before stepping out.

Maria took a deep breath and dialed a number she hadn’t used in years. It rang several times before a deep, familiar voice answered, "Who’s this?"

The sound nearly broke her. "Vance…"

She tried to keep it together, but her voice wavered.

Vance Perry didn’t answer right away. After a long pause, he asked curtly, "What do you want?"

His tone was ice, but Maria didn’t feel angry. If anything, it felt like a reckoning. "I’m sorry, Vance…"

Vance let out a bitter laugh. "And what exactly is Mrs. Rodriguez apologizing for? I don’t recall you ever crossing me."

Maria couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. "I let you down. I let our mentor down."

"You never cared, did you?" Vance shot back with a harsh laugh. "You left everyone for Easton Rodriguez—even the prodigy the National Research Division recruited at fourteen! You walked out on the girl who gave up days and nights in that lab for her research!"

Vance’s voice climbed. "Tell me, Maria—was Easton really worth sacrificing everything?"

Once, she would have said yes without blinking. Now, the answer had changed. "Vance, are you still recruiting for your AI tech project?"

Vance had trained in the same research lab as Maria under Professor Arthur Spencer. He had been her senior colleague long before she married Easton. Now he heard what she wasn’t saying. "Finally done putting Easton before yourself? You worked your way up for two years just to become his executive secretary. Five years of your life, Maria. For a man who barely looks at you."

The sarcasm didn’t sting. She knew it came from anger, not cruelty. "If you need someone, I want in."

The day she signed the divorce papers, she cut every tie to Easton Rodriguez. The Maria who had sacrificed everything for him was gone—left behind in the operating room where he had coldly wished her dead.

Vance paused. "If you’re serious, be at Apex’s top-floor conference room at nine-thirty a.m. next Tuesday. Don’t be late."

The line went dead.

"Next Tuesday…" Maria did the math. "It’s Saturday now. That gives me two days."

She knew her body wasn’t in any shape to leave, and the doctors might not discharge her by then. But if she wasn’t on time, Vance might never give her another chance.

Maria set her jaw. "I have to make this happen."

Two days later, against the doctor’s advice, Maria left the hospital.

Her first stop was the lakeside mansion. She wouldn’t have come back except to get her things.

To her surprise, Easton was there.

She hesitated for half a second, then headed upstairs, ignoring him on purpose. She just wanted her things. She wasn’t about to waste a single extra minute in his company.

"Stop." Easton rose from the sofa and caught her wrist, his stare hard. "Forgot what I told you the other day?"

He’d hoped some time at the family manor would teach her to fall in line. Clearly, she hadn’t learned a thing.

Maria hadn’t planned on answering, but the words tore out of her. "I haven’t forgotten. I never will."

His words had stayed with her, just like the scars on her body. She would never forget what her devotion had cost her.

Easton’s expression softened a fraction. "Maria, if you think playing the baby card will win you any affection, remember—I’m not like Grandma."

Maria clenched her fists. "Don’t worry. I won’t. The baby is already—"

Before she could finish, Easton’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, let go of her wrist, and walked toward the wide window overlooking the lake.

The shift in his face said it all. Kylie Taylor. Again.

Maria swallowed the old ache in her chest and kept going upstairs.

As she rolled her suitcase out, she remembered something she’d left behind. She unlocked a drawer in her dresser and took out the photo she treasured—the one of her with her father and brother.

She’d been in too much of a hurry last time and forgotten it. Thank God she remembered now.

She wiped the dust from their faces, tears slipping down her cheeks even as she smiled. "Dad, don’t worry. I miss you both. From now on, I’m living for myself and Mom."