Chapter 1

I sat hunched on the edge of the bed, clutching the medical report so tightly it crumpled along the edges. I read the doctor's words again, even though every word pinted on the paper was embedded in my brain.

'You are not a match for your son's bone marrow transplant.'

I had built an empire from nothing, fashioned power out of pain and learned to wield both with precision. I had connections in every industry that mattered, money that could open almost any door in the world. But not this one. Not when it was my son's life on the line.

Alex was almost five, but seemed younger and weak but he was my brave little boy. He slept so still in the next room. The same dark curls lay soft and wild against his pillow, catching the faint light. His smile, that single dimple deep on one cheek, was a treasure Jace had never given me, but Alex lavished on me with the devotion only a child can.

He had the same eyes as his father, hazel eyes with flecks of gold that glimmered wuth mischief because he was always up to something every day. Eyes I sometimes loved and hated in equal measure.

I stood and crossed to him, brushing a stray curl from his forehead. His skin was too pale, but his breathing was steady. My heart stretched as I touched him, as if my love alone could cure what modern medicine and money could not.

The front door opened sharply, distracting me from my thoughts. Kelsey's bright voice carried through the hall, the subtle lilt of her French accent always a reminder of how far from New York I'd come.

"Rora?" she called, setting her bag down. Her blonde hair was a bit out of place, her cheeks flushed from the biting wind. Since my first days navigating the French biotech circles, she'd been my anchor and the face of my company to the world.

I tried to pull myself together as she entered, but my hand shook as I handed her the report.

My voice shook. "It's no use. I'm not a match for him. All my money, Kelsey, all these specialists and not one of them can help us. I would pay any price. Any fucking price and still nothing." I cried out.

She didn't hesitate simply crossed the room and caught me as my knees gave away, her arms closing around my shoulders before the tears could even fall.

"There has to be a way. We'll find one." She said to me her own voice shook with fear of the unknown.

I'm sure she still had the same question I had in my head. What if we don't find another option? Or what if the last option doesn't work. Kelsey was the best friend and sister I could ever ask for.

Kelsey's company, Lexington Innovations, was a powerhouse. It was a digital global branding company with tech deals spanning continents.

And then there was mine, Biogenix Therapeutics. In just a few years, I'd turned a fledgling medical research project into designing next-generation drug delivery systems and rare disease treatments that sent shockwaves through Europe's pharmaceutical world. Too bad even my company couldn't help my son right now.

Carter Holdings, Jace's company, was a company that consisted finance, tech, and pharmaceutical mergers. They'd tried luring Lexington and Biogenix both always thinking Kelsey was the mastermind, never seeing me behind my pseudonym.

"Does Carter Holdings realize you're the brains?" Kelsey had asked more than once, teasing, but I always shook my head.

No one would tie Aurora Carter, ex-wife and ghost, to Biogenix or the refusal slips crossing Jace's desk. Not even Jace at least, I was determined he wouldn't.

Everytime she asked me that question I always laughed shaking my head.

She wiped away a tear with her thumb, then gripped my hand. "You're scaring me. What are we going to do now?" She asked gently.

I stared at my sleeping son. "I need to see his father."

Everything about Kelsey changed in an instant, her mouth parted, the colour draining from her cheeks. "He's alive? Aurora, all this time... I thought..."

I shook my head. "He's alive, Kelsey. We haven't spoken for years. But he's the only hope Alex has left."

"Are you going to tell me who he is?" She asked me.

I sighed. "The CEO of Carter holdings."

"What the hell? Wait..." She exhaled with a shaky laugh. "Is he... is he the reason you won't sell to Carter Holdings? The CEO?"

I nodded. "Maybe?"

Her eyes widened comically. "Okay. Now it all makes sense the refusals, the secrecy. Well, damn, Rora."

I bit my lip and released a huge sigh. "I haven't told him about Alex. I...I never wanted to even..." I shook my head. "But Alex needs him now. Will you stay with him? Just until we are sure that this will go well or...I don't even know."

Kelsey gave me a nod running soothing hands down my back. "You know Alex is my baby too. I'll make sure it's okay, you just do what you have to do. And, if Jace gives you issues, just come to me. I'll deal with him."

I offered her a grateful smile. At least I had someone on my side.

Before dawn the next morning, I packed my bags. I kissed my son goodbye and promised him I'll be back soon.

The flight crawled by, every hour etched with unease. I replayed what little memory I had left of Jace. Some that still haunted me like our last night and how I had tried to reach out to him after finding out I was pregnant with our son. I shook my head...I didn't want to remember that at all.

When the plane landed in New York, my heart felt raw and open, everything inside me trembling.

I checked into a hotel near the Upper East Side. I just dropped my bag and after freshening up, I made my way to Jace's company.

Carter Holdings had one of the tallest buildings in America. It towered over me and it felt like I was walking into my death trap. The lobby inside was as cold as its reputation. The receptionist met my eyes with a tight professional smile that slipped into skepticism as she took me in.

"Can I help you?" she said without warmth.

"I'm here to see Jace Carter," I answered, willing my pulse to still. "It's urgent."

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked me coldly.

"No. But..."

She cut me off, voice clipped. "Mr. Carter does not take walk-ins. You'll need to schedule through proper channels. This isn't just any company. Only those with appointments get upstairs."

"I know that but if you could just let him know..."

"Why? You think you are special? If it's really important then you should have scheduled a meeting or better still I would have been told about it." She said to me.

"And I'm just saying if you could call him and tell him that..."

She dismissed me. "Come again another time. And make sure to schedule an appointment."

I groaned in frustration. "Could you tell Jace that his ex.."

"Ex wife?" She scoffed. "Or is it ex girlfriend now? We've had several walk inside claiming they were Mr. Carter's wife and none happened to be real. And besides, i thought people were past this shit. It's been years already."

I frowned. I had no idea what she was talking about but I wasn't giving up until I got my son the help he deserves.

"Now look here," I made a show of looking at her name tag. "Charlotte, is this how you guys treat people here?"

"Only those that don't deserve it."

"Really? And that's because you now know people that deserve to be here and people that don't? Let me guess, because you are the boss or you have the hots for him? Or perhaps you've already slept with him?" I asked her.

Petty and unnecessary, yes but I was fucking annoyed. I came kind and as someone who had something to loose. All she had to do was place the fucking call to his office and I'll be able to speak with him.

She opened her mouth to speak when a familiar voice made her and even me pause.

"Mrs. Carter?"

Chapter 2

Aurora's POV

"Mrs. Carter?"

I spun around, heart leaping to my throat. My gaze landed on George, the last person I expected to see, though the familiar voice should have warned me. And then again, I was in Jace's company. I should have known he would be around.

Not much had changed, he was still broad-shouldered, with a boyish grin that was all sincerity and none of the corporate polish you'd expect from Jace's right hand.

"George?" I called out, the shock evident in my voice.

He closed the distance in three long strides, his face torn between a smile and a frown.

"Holy hell, it's really you. Where have you been?" His voice was a flood, questions spilling out before I could respond. "Are you okay? What are you doing here? How are you? What are you doing now? Oh, Mr. Carter is going to lose it when he sees you. He's been searching for you all this while."

There was so much warmth and confusion in that greeting that I almost laughed, my shoulders loosening for the first time since I touched down in New York. But there was no way Jace had been searching for me. He didn't care. He never did and I was very certain he wasn't going to care that I had shown up.

George was practically vibrating with excitement. I could understand because we had been a bit friendly while I was with Jace. He was one of the people I had hated living behind.

When I found out Jace's assistant was a young man fresh out of university, I was shocked but as time went on, I understood why Jace had chosen him. He did his work well and effectively.

"You look...wow, you look good." He fixed me with a serious look, softer around the edges. "I always hoped you'd come back. Me. Carter never really got over..."

He trailed off, shaking his head at his own candor. "Come on, you have to see him. He's upstairs, I swear, he'll be fucking ecstatic to see you, Mrs. Carter."

I doubted that, but the lump in my throat wouldn't let me say it out loud.

George didn't give me more time to stall. He must have sensed my nerves, because as we walked together through the maze of Carter Holdings, past the sleek conference rooms and the smell of expensive cologne, he kept talking, peppering me with questions about my life, telling me I hadn't aged a day and making jokes just to lighten the walk. Each step, my mind spun faster. How do I tell Jace about Alex? Would he even listen? How would be react?

I was so lost in thought I had no idea when

we stopped in front of Jace's office. It looked like something out of an architectural magazine with floor-to-ceiling windows, a wall of thick glass,with the city skyline stretching behind him. George's grin was back in full force. "Wait here."

He slipped inside, closing the door behind him. I stared at the plaque with Jace's name, heart hammering so hard I thought it might shatter. My palms were sweating, knees shaky. I pressed a trembling hand to my chest, willing myself to be the version of Aurora who could slay a boardroom. The stakes had never been higher.

A few seconds passed, then the door swung open.

Jace stood there.

He was taller than I remembered if that was even possible which I know it wasnt. For a second he simply stared, mouth parted, his hazel eyes staring back at me, eyes that reminded me of Alex and why I was here even with his delicious my ex husband looked right now. Then all of a sudden, as if something broke, he crossed the room in two quick steps.

He pulled me into his arms.

I froze, caught in the familiarity of his embrace and the shock of it. I never planned for this, never planned for the way my body still remembered the shape of him, or how his warmth seeped into the cold places I pretended no longer existed.

Jace held onto me as if afraid to let go. My arms just hung there, too stunned to lift. When he finally loosened his hold, he cupped my face, and I saw a flurry of things cross his eyes, hope, anger, relief, and the ache of too many unspoken words.

He spoke softly. "Where have you been, Aurora? What happened? Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

I ignored his question going straight for a private moment. "Can we talk somewhere private?"

His gaze softened even more, and he nodded. "Of course. Come in."

He held the door wider as I stepped past him into the office. The lights were dimmed low, city light filtering through the windows. The place smelled comfortingly of coffee, rich, dark, exactly how I used to like it. Jace noticed my glance and, with that uncanny precision he used to wield so ruthlessly in the business world, placed a cup before me.

I stared. It looked perfect, just the way I always took it extra hot, one sugar, dash of oat milk. A shiver ran over my skin. Had he always noticed these things and simply never shown it?

He took the seat opposite, his expression openand soft. It was so unfamiliar and fucking weird that I almost forgot why I was there.

"I'm glad you're here, Aurora." His voice was gentle, as if one wrong word might fracture the space between us. "You look... you look good."

I pushed the coffee aside with a subtle hand, clearing my throat. I wasn't here because of Jace. I was here because of my son

"We need to talk," I said, my voice coming out steadier than I even expected. "It's... it's about something urgent."

Jace nodded. "I suspected. But whatever it is you need help with I'll help you. You just need to tell me."

For a moment, I just stared at him. This tenderness, this willingness to help, where had it been before? Why now, after all these years? Why was he behaving so different?

But there was no time for old wounds. I took out my phone, found the photo I'd saved hours before, and slid it across the desk.

His frown deepened as he picked it up the temperature in the room dropping to the chill I always felt whenever I was with Jace.

"What the fuck is this?" He growled out, he face contorted in anger.

Chapter 3

Aurora's POV

The air between us turned to ice the second Jace's gaze landed on the photo.

His jaw tightened until it looked almost painful. "What the hell is this, Aurora?" He growled out. "Did you come here to show off how perfect your life is? Is that it? To flaunt everything you have? To show me your child?"

What the fucking hell? Has Jace always been this dumb? This wasn't about us at all.

"Jace, calm the fuck down." My voice was harsh like his and steely. "That's not a family photo as you can see very well. That's your son. Our son. His name is Alex. And he needs your help. He's very sick, he needs a bone marrow transplant. I'm not a match."

He slammed the phone down with a scoff, disbelief painted on every part of him. "My son? Yeah...that's not fucking possible. You know why? It's because we haven't had contact with each other for years We haven't spoken in years. You vanished, Aurora, you slipped out of my life without a trace and never looked back. Do you expect me to believe you just kept my child secret all this time?"

"Did I ever tell you I kept him a secret?"

"Then why am I just finding out about him now especially when he is sick huh?" He asked me.

"Oh mighty one, why don't you ask yourself that question? I called you, idiot. I reached out to you. I sent emails to you so you could learn about your son." I screamed at him.

That's a lie. I mean not really a lie since I only sent one email after all my calls left unreturned with only one answered. But he had no fucking right to be mad at me when he was the one who wanted nothing to do with us.

"You can stop with the lies, Aurora." be told me. "I did every fucking thing for you and you just left. So stop the lies."

"And you can stop with the stupid matyr act. You were never hurt. You did everything the way you wanted to. Everything you did..."

He surged to his feet, rage simmering hotter than before. "Every fucking thing I did was for you!"

"Cheating wasn't for me!" I screamed at him. "That was for you."

He stared at me with a frown. "What the fuck are..." but I didn't let him speak.

I couldn't even bear to listen to his pathetic excuses whatever they may be.

"You did everything you wanted. Not what I needed. Not once did you ask what would make me feel safe. All those parties, events, headlines...you mean to tell me you did all those for me? Who the fuck are you kidding?"

He braced his hands on the desk, knuckles white. "Everything I did was to protect you. Every thing I did was for you. I did it to protect you."

I laughed manically. He really was insane if he thought I was going to fall for his stupid tricks. There was no way that was going to happen.

I took a slow breath, pushing down the tide of old, aching memories. "That's not what this is about," I said, more tired than angry now. "This is about Alex. He needs your help, Jace. He has leukemia. The doctors said his only hope is a bone marrow transplant. We're running out of time, and you're his father. You're his only chance."

He shook his head once, hands trembling before he hid them behind clenched fists. "Go to your husband, then. You look like you're doing fine. Your rich, perfect man can buy any treatment. Why come here?"

I paused. God knows where he got the gist that I was married...oh, I turned to the ring I always wore on my finger. It was a way to make men stop coming after me especially since I only needed to care for my son. I didn't need another man who would wreck my life. It wasn't real. I was not married but Jace didn't need to know that.

I let out a bitter laugh. "That's not how this works, Jace. Alex is your son. Money can't buy a matching donor. If you don't help, and something happens to him, it'll be your blood I wipe off my hands. Your legacy, your pain, not just mine." I slid a slip of paper with my number across the desk. "If you care about anything, you'll call. Get tested. That's all I need from you now."

"Get out, Aurora." he growled out in anger.

"Oh, and just so you know, we are not on any terms where we call each other by our given names. You refer to me as Miss. Thompson." I said to him cooly, walking out of his officem

I didn't look back. As I reached the door, I paused, there was no way I was going to leave things as they are. So I gave him the middle finger. Petty, yes but I wasn't going to cower in his presence. If he wanted to be an ass then that's on him.

The elevator doors closed around me, and by the time I'd sunk into the backseat of a cab, the tears came, silent, hot, unstoppable. I pressed a shaking hand to my mouth, willing my body to stop gasping with grief.

Nothing has gone as planned. Not even a little bit. I mean I knew we were going to exchange words. I knew this was fifty-fufty but I never thought that it would end up like this. Seeing Jace reminded me of what was. What had been and was no longer and I was disgusted with myself for even feeling something for him when he had behaved like I hurt him. But that was all a lie. I could never hurt Jace. When it came to our relationship, I was the only one hurt. It was always me never Jace.

I had failed Alex. I should have at least gotten him a father that loved him not one that wanted nothing to do with him.

Fuck.

If Jace wanted nothing to do with our son, if he didn't want to get tested, then how was I going to save my son? I couldn't go back to my family because they didn't want me. They disowned me when I divorced Jace. And with the attitude I received back when I called them...no. I couldn't even think about it.

What the hell was I going to do now?