His Love Not Mine Alone

I was once married to Manhattan real estate tycoon Julian Sterling, a man whose devotion to his wife was the stuff of legend in New York City.

I was the woman everyone envied.

But then a woman named Ava appeared, and I discovered that Julian's love wasn't as unbreakable as I'd believed.

He tucked Ava away in a seaside villa in the Hamptons and, behind my back, indulged her every whim.

Emboldened by his affection, she grew bolder, constantly taunting me with subtle jabs.

Ava's existence was a constant, painful reminder that I was no longer the only one in Julian's heart.

So, I accepted his silent decision and simply vanished from his world.

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1

After returning from that villa in the Hamptons, I drove aimlessly for hours, until darkness swallowed the city whole.

The housekeeper, Helen, had my daily fertility shot ready, placing it on my vanity.

A cold, medicinal scent lingered in the air. I stared at the syringe in a daze.

Julian and I never had children. The tests had revealed I would have trouble conceiving.

The day I found out, I nearly fell apart. Julian held me and promised he would find the best doctor in the world.

He arranged for an expensive, experimental fertility treatment for me.

He gave up his dream of becoming a professional race car driver just to spend more time with me.

I had been taking these costly injections for five whole years.

I once thought he was just trying to help me conceive, so we could have a child of our own.

I never imagined his "sacrifice" was merely to ensure I could never carry his child.

I couldn’t stop a bitter smile from forming at the thought.

I already had trouble conceiving, so why would he go to such lengths, giving me long-acting birth control shots?

It seemed he truly, truly did not want me to have his child.

When Julian entered the room, I was still staring blankly at the syringe.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder, his voice a low murmur. "What's on your mind, baby? Is the injection site sore? Want me to rub it for you?"

His breath, warm and familiar, brushed the side of my neck.

The sight of his affectionate expression made my stomach churn.

I fought back a wave of nausea and calmly moved his hand away. "It's nothing. I must have caught a chill outside; I’m not feeling well."

Julian's brows immediately knitted into a worried line.

"The temperature's dropped these last few days, and you're barely wearing anything. Are you sick? We should go to the hospital right now."

I shook my head.

"No need, I'm already feeling much better."

Seeing my insistence, he didn't press the issue.

I lowered my gaze to the syringe on the vanity, and my eyes began to sting.

Julian truly didn't want me to get pregnant with his child.

If he had really fallen in love with Ava, I could have just stepped aside. He didn't need to scheme against me like this.

After the injection, Julian gently pressed his fingertip to the spot on my arm.