Chapter 2

I could feel the sparks my words had ignited in the air. Outside, the storm continued to rage, rain hammering against the windows with relentless fury, but the tension inside had completely drowned out nature's roar.

Cooper stared at me, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light I'd never seen before. Then he smiled—a chilling, bone-deep cold smile.

"I'm not leaving," he said slowly, his voice low and threatening.

"I already told you—"

"Told me?" Cooper cut me off. "Your word means shit. I want proof."

He suddenly turned and strode toward Owen's study. My heart pounded as I struggled to get up from the couch.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Finding some truth," Cooper said without looking back. "If Owen's your husband, there's got to be medical records here, or something that proves the timeline."

I heard him ransacking the study—papers being scattered, drawers yanked open and slammed shut. Panic made me push through the pain and force myself up from the couch.

"Don't touch my husband's things!" I rushed to the study doorway and saw Cooper rifling through Owen's private files.

He turned around, his eyes full of mockery. "Husband?" He gave me a shove—not hard, but enough to make me stumble backward. "Some sloppy seconds keeper? Ha, that's what you call a husband?"

I felt dizzy, whether from anger or physical discomfort, I couldn't tell. "You bastard—"

"Bastard?" Cooper raised an eyebrow. "I'm just trying to get back what belongs to me."

That's when Iris, who had been sitting quietly on the couch, suddenly spoke up.

"Cooper, stop wasting time." She stood up and slowly walked to the fireplace, her gaze appraising the entire living room's décor. "This house has got to be worth 500K, right?"

I froze. Her whole demeanor had changed—the pitiful, vulnerable act had completely vanished, replaced by calculating greed.

"What are you talking about?"

Iris turned to me with a smile that sent chills down my spine. "Cut the act, honey. We're all adults here. Let's talk straight."

She settled gracefully into the chair by the fireplace, acting like she owned the place. "I propose we make a deal. Give us 100K, and we'll leave. Never bother your perfect little life again."

"What?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Otherwise," Iris continued, her voice soft but full of threat, "we go the legal route. DNA tests, media exposure... Think about it, that kind of news is a reporter's wet dream."

I laughed bitterly. "So that's it... you're here to blackmail us."

"Blackmail?" Iris feigned hurt. "This is negotiation. Smart as you are, you should know how to choose. What's 100K to you people? Look at this house, this furniture—you can afford it. Our request isn't unreasonable."

Cooper sneered from the side. "Exactly. Either pay up, or I'll let the whole town know Owen's raising another man's bastard."

Rage burned in my chest like fire. These two... they weren't here for the child at all. They came for money. This had been a carefully planned con from the start.

"You fucking parasites," I said through gritted teeth. "Think I'm going to be intimidated by you?"

"You should be intimidated," Cooper suddenly held up a stack of papers. "Look what I found—Owen's company contracts, emails with the city council. What do you think happens if I leak these along with our little 'family drama' to the media?"

Those files contained Owen's most important business materials. If they were maliciously interpreted or taken out of context...

"No!" I lunged toward Cooper, trying to grab the documents.

But I'd forgotten my current condition. With my huge belly, I was slow and clumsy. Cooper easily stepped back. I lost my balance and crashed hard into the edge of the coffee table, the corner slamming into my lower abdomen.

Excruciating pain ripped through my body.

"Ahh!" I let out an agonized scream and curled up on the floor. Something warm and wet was flowing out. I looked down, and terror consumed me.

Amniotic fluid. My water had broken.

"Shit," I gasped. "The baby... the baby's coming."

Cooper and Iris stared at each other, their arrogant expressions instantly turning to horror.

"What?" Iris shrieked. "Now?"

Another violent contraction hit me, and I could barely breathe from the pain. "Now... it's happening now!"

Cooper dropped the files, looking completely panicked. "This... this wasn't part of the plan."

"You think labor can be planned, you moron?" I gritted my teeth, trying to control the pain through breathing, but the contractions were getting stronger.

Iris jumped up from her chair and started pacing around the living room. "We need to leave, Cooper. Right now."

"Leave?" Cooper looked down at me. "She's giving birth!"

"That's not our problem!" Iris's voice became shrill. "We came here for money, not to deliver babies!"

I lifted my head, and even through the excruciating pain, I could see their true expressions clearly. Fear, panic, and... disgust.

"You... you don't give a damn about this child," I panted. "You just want money."

Cooper glared at me viciously but didn't deny it. Iris was already gathering her things.

"Call an ambulance. If you leave now," I said, enduring another wave of contractions, "I swear... I'll make you regret ever showing up in my life."

"Threatening us?" Cooper laughed coldly. "You can't even stand up."

But I could see the panic in their hearts. A woman in labor, a storm, and everything they'd just done... If something happened to me here, they'd be directly responsible.