Chapter 1

Julian' s hand was warm on my belly, his thumb tracing slow circles.

"He's going to have your eyes, Elara," he murmured, his voice smooth like the expensive whiskey he favored. "And my ambition. He'll be a president, not just a congressman."

I smiled, leaning into his touch. The nursery was perfect, painted in soft blues and grays, a custom-made mobile of tiny, silver stars hanging over the crib. Everything in my life was perfect. A fairy tale.

A girl from the gritty side of town, the community organizer who fought landlords and city hall, now the wife of Congressman Julian Vance, the golden boy of a political dynasty. And I was seven months pregnant with our son.

But a cold feeling settled in my stomach, a dread that had nothing to do with the pregnancy. It was a lie. This perfect life, his perfect love-it was all a lie.

I knew this because I had just overheard the truth.

An hour ago, I had woken up thirsty. I walked quietly down the marble hallway, heading for the kitchen. I was about to turn the corner when I heard Julian' s voice from his study, low and urgent.

He was on the phone.

"Leo, you have to calm down. Panicking won't help Brooke."

My breath caught in my throat. Brooke. His high school sweetheart. The one that got away. The "white moonlight," as his society friends called her. Her tech mogul father was about to be indicted, and the whole family was facing ruin.

"What other choice do we have?" Julian's voice was strained. "Peterson is the key. He can make this all go away for her."

There was a pause. I crept closer, my bare feet silent on the cold floor.

"No, it's the only way," Julian insisted. "She's perfect for it. Pregnant, vulnerable... he won't be able to resist. We set it up, a 'chance' encounter. We get the evidence, and Peterson is ours. He'll drop the investigation into Brooke's family. It's a clean trade."

My blood turned to ice. He was talking about me. He was going to use me, his pregnant wife, as bait. A gift for a corrupt federal prosecutor, a man known for preying on women like me.

A trade. To save her.

My world, the perfect, beautiful world he had built around me, didn't just crack. It exploded into a million sharp, glittering pieces.

I backed away silently, my heart pounding a sick rhythm against my ribs. I made it back to our bedroom, the silk sheets feeling like sandpaper against my skin.

Now, as he stroked my belly and whispered about our son's future, all I could feel was the cold, hard truth. I wasn't his wife. I was a tool. A sacrifice. And the man I loved was a monster.

He kissed my forehead. "I love you, Elara."

The words were poison. I closed my eyes and forced a smile. "I love you too, Julian."