Chapter 1

Eight months into my pregnancy, Jason's first love, Mia, shot me in the stomach.

Blood spread from beneath me. Jason called in the best doctors he knew.

The anesthesia had barely worn off when I struggled to sit up — and caught the tail end of his conversation with the doctor.

"Captain Jason! Caitlin is hemorrhaging. She needs surgery now!"

Jason glanced over at me, barely conscious, and spoke in a voice that was completely calm.

"Caitlin's organs weren't hit. She's not in immediate danger. Mia is injured — she has a congenital clotting disorder. Even a minor scrape could be fatal for her. Her case is more urgent."

He gave the order on the spot. Every unit of blood reserved for my delivery was transferred to his first love, Mia.

On the edge of death, I used the last of my strength to grab the hem of his jacket.

He frowned down at me, his voice cold.

"Mia has depression. She was in the middle of an episode. You studied medicine — you know she didn't mean it."

Then he pulled out a pre-written liability waiver, seized my blood-soaked hand, and pressed my fingerprint onto the signature line by force.

"Hang on a little longer. I'll have the doctors take care of you after."

The moment the words left his mouth, he gathered Mia in his arms and walked out of the operating room.

The empty hallway filled with nothing but cold wind. No one looked back.

The baby inside me kept kicking. Once. Then again.

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