Chapter 1 CHAPTER ONE

Alyssa

Today was my in-law’s fortieth wedding anniversary and the whole huge fancy house was filled with the sound of people laughing and soft music and the clinking of expensive glasses.

I stood near a big window watching all the important people in my husband Damon’s world talk and smile as they converse.

A smile tugged onto my lips as I rubbed on my bump that was barely visible.

I was pregnant and the thought was insane, terrifying and exciting.

After seven years of trying, after all the doctor's visits and the quiet sad nights wondering if it would ever happen for us it finally had.

I found out two days ago after my visit to the hospital, I had used a pregnancy test first and staring at that little stick with two pink lines felt surreal I had to go get a test.

And when it came out postive.

I’d been planning on how to break the news to him and to my inlaws that have spent years of taunting, insulting and disregarding me, only cause I come from a poor family that is leeching off on their son and can’t even give them a heir.

Maybe after breaking the news they’d accept me as their own.

I love Damon, he had been my everything for seven years my best friend my husband the man who made me feel loved and safe every single day.

He was more than I ever dreamed of.

My eyes moved across the room finding him talking with his parents and his brother,

I took a small sip of my water thinking about the baby growing inside me our baby.

Damon suddenly picked up a spoon and tapped it gently on his champagne glass the ringing sound made the whole room go quiet everyone turning to look at him.

He smiled that easy confident smile that always made my knees feel a little weak.

“Thank you all for coming to celebrate my wonderful parents,” he said his voice strong and clear. “It’s amazing to see such a long and happy marriage it really is something to look up to.” “And actually since everyone we love is here I have an announcement of my own to make.”

My breath caught in my throat wondering what he had to say.

“I—“ he paused as the big double doors of the grand hall opened.

Everyone’s head turned.

A woman I had never seen before was standing there looking beautiful and confident in a red dress and next to her holding her hand was a little boy.

He looked about five years old.

Then the little boy let go of the woman’s hand as his face lit up and he yelled, “Daddy!” and he ran his little feet pattering on the marble floor straight through the crowd straight towards Damon.

Damon bent down and opened his arms a huge real smile on his face as the little boy jumped into his arms and Damon lifting him up. “Hey, champ!” he said laughing.

My whole body went cold.

I couldn’t move or think.

Daddy?

The woman in the red dress walked slowly towards Damon with a sweet smile on her face.

She walked right up to Damon, he slipped his left hand around her waist still holding the boy leaning in and kissed her on the lips.

Right in front of me.

Right in front of everyone.

“Honey,” he said to her.

The world started to spin.

The music the laughter it all sounded like it was coming from far, far away.

I felt like I was going to be sick as I walked towards where my husband stood unable to digest what was going on.

“Damon… what… what is going on?” I whispered my voice trembling.

Damon turned to look at me his expression hardening as he still had his arm around the woman in the red dress.

“Alyssa,” he said, like he was introducing a business partner. “This is fiancée Rachel and this,” he said, kissing the little boy’s head, “is my son Leo.”

My son.

The words hit me like a physical punch I stumbled back a step.

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way” he said but he didn’t sound sorry at all. “But it’s time to stop hiding, Rachel and I are in love we have been for a long time and we’re going to get married.”

I looked at his parents my mouth open in shock.

His mother gave me a small cold smile and nodded. “It’s about time,” she said, her voice loud in the quiet room. “My son deserves to be truly happy and not be leached on by his poor incompetent wife anymore.”

The insults felt like slaps.

Leached on?

Poor?

Incompetent?

I gave up everything for him! I gave up my fortune for him, everything that he is and will ever be was because of me and although my support to him financially has been anonymous over the year, I made sure he secured every client, project and business deals that would give a name to his family’s company I supported him with every single bit of my energy and love.

I gave up my own career dreams to help him build his and this is what they thought of me?

Tears were streaming down my face now hot and fast that I couldn’t stop.

I looked back at Damon the man I had shared a bed with for seven years.

“Damon please,” I begged, my voice cracking. “What are you saying? Is this some kind of horrible joke? Please stop it. Please! I… I have news! I’m pregnant! We’re going to be a family! We’re having a baby!”

I stutter the words coming out so fast and helpless.

He laughed a short ugly sound. “Pregnant? Don’t make me laugh Alyssa. You can’t even give me a proper heir I’ve spent so much money on you on all those fertility treatments and you are of no use to me. Nothing...”

The cruelty of his words stole my breath.

No use.

“The company…” I choked out, pointing a shaking finger at him. “The company we built! I helped you.. everything you are is because of me Damon”

His mother interrupted, laughing a sharp, mocking laugh. “You? Help? Alyssa do you take us for a joke? You have been nothing but a gold digger, I never liked you for my son… I don’t even know what he saw in a poor girl from a poor family that is clinging onto my rich and successful son.”

The room was full of their friends their family, they were all whispering and giggling as the Johnson’s Humilated me.

I felt so completely stupid my heart shattering into a million pieces inside my chest.

I gulped a lump assembling my thoughts as I fall onto my knees and grabbed onto Damon’s legs sobbing uncontrollably. “Damon please! I love you! Don’t do this! Don’t do this is, we can finally be a family, I’m pregnant please belive me baby, please don’t throw us away!”

I felt his body stiffen. “Get off me Alyssa,” he said his voice ice cold.

He tried to shake me off but I held on my tears soaking his expensive trousers. “No! Please”

I loved Damon so much I couldn’t imagine a life without him, I gave up seven years to build what we had I didn’t want it to end this night.

Damon pulled me up as I shudder holding onto my arms, I pulled him into a hug as I broke into new set of sobs “Pleass Damon, I love you so much don’t do this to me… I can’t imagine a life without you… what will—“

Rachel shoved me away from Damon with so much force I almost lost balance.

“Let go of him you whore! Damon is mine he’s always been mine”

“Where are the divorce papers?” Damon asked reaching out for them as his brother Noel passed it to him.

I shake my head vigorously, “Don’t do this Damon, I swear to you’ll regret this… you don’t want to do this to me, to us—“

A felt a sharp pain on my left check causing me to lose balance.

I fell backwards hard my stomach hitting the corner of a small heavy table on the way down.

A sharp blinding pain exploded in my lower belly so intense it made me see stars.

“Ahh” I cried out curling into a ball on the cold floor.

I felt a warm wet sensation spreading between my legs and as I looked down and saw the red stain blooming on light-blue dress.

A scream tore from my throat, “No! My baby”

I looked up and through my blurred tear-filled vision I saw Damon’s face and for just a second I thought I saw a flicker of something like worry but it was gone too fast replaced by that same cold look.

He just stood there holding his other son with his Rachel by his side.

“Please, help me… I don’t want to lose my baby” I cried out clutching on my bump as the pain got excruciating.

The last thing I remember was Damon turning away with his new family before everything completely faded to black.