Danae hit the heavy brass door of the women's restroom with both hands, shoving it open.

She bolted for the furthest stall, slammed the door shut, and threw the deadbolt.

Her back hit the metal partition. She slid down until she was crouching, her hands clutching her chest as her heart hammered violently against her ribs.

She ripped open her designer handbag. Her hands were shaking so badly that the orange prescription bottle slipped through her fingers.

It hit the tile. The plastic cap popped off.

Tiny white beta-blocker pills scattered across the floor, clicking against the porcelain.

Danae dropped to her knees. She snatched two pills from the dirty tile, shoved them into her mouth, and swallowed them dry. The chalky medicine scraped down her throat.

She squeezed her eyes shut, counting her breaths. One. Two. Three.

Slowly, the frantic pounding in her chest began to dull. The chemical calm washed over her nervous system.

Danae stood up. She unlocked the stall and walked over to the long marble vanity.

She turned on the gold faucet. She cupped the freezing water in her hands and splashed it directly onto her face, ruining her foundation.

She grabbed a paper towel, patting her skin dry. She looked at her reflection. Her eyes were sharp, cold, and completely devoid of the terrified girl she had been three years ago.

The heavy brass door to the restroom clicked open.

Jordyn walked in. Her silver stiletto heels echoed sharply against the tile.

Jordyn stopped right next to Danae. She looked into the mirror, her eyes widening in mock surprise as she pressed a hand to her chest.

"Oh my god," Jordyn gasped, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "It's uncanny. We really do look so much alike."

Danae pulled another paper towel from the dispenser. She didn't even turn her head.

Jordyn turned on the water, delicately washing her fingertips. "This gown? Adrian had it custom-made for me in Paris. Did you ever get to wear anything like this when you were with him?"

Jordyn tilted her head, that same calculated, venomous angle.

Danae balled the paper towel up. She tossed it perfectly into the trash bin. She finally turned her body to face Jordyn.

Danae's eyes slowly dragged up and down Jordyn's body, her lips curling into a look of absolute disgust.

"It looks cheap on you," Danae said, her voice a flat, icy blade.

Jordyn's fake smile vanished. The muscles in her face twitched.

Jordyn took a step closer, dropping her voice to a vicious hiss. "Don't think you can just show up with a new title and steal him back. He's mine."

Danae didn't back away. She stepped forward, using her two inches of height to look down directly into Jordyn's eyes.

"I don't recycle trash," Danae whispered.

Jordyn's face flushed dark red. Her hands balled into tight fists, her manicured nails biting into her palms.

Danae picked up her handbag. She turned her back on Jordyn and started walking toward the door.

Jordyn let out a frustrated growl. She lunged forward, her hand shooting out to grab Danae's shoulder.

Danae saw the movement in the mirror. She sidestepped violently to the right.

Jordyn's hand grasped empty air. Her silver stiletto slipped on a drop of water on the marble floor.

Jordyn pitched forward, her arms flailing as she stumbled hard, barely catching herself on the edge of the sink to keep from eating the tile.

Danae stopped at the door. She looked back at the pathetic display and let out a single, cold scoff.

She pushed the brass door open and walked out.

Danae marched down the thick carpet of the hotel corridor, her pace aggressive as she headed straight for the elevator banks. She needed to get out of this building.

"Danae! Wait!"

Jordyn's voice echoed down the hall, artificially pitched up into a desperate, trembling whine.

Danae ignored her. She reached the elevators and slammed her palm against the call button.

Footsteps rushed up behind her. Jordyn's hand clamped down hard around Danae's left wrist.

Danae stopped. She turned her head, her eyes narrowing with pure irritation. "Let go of me."

Jordyn's acrylic nails dug painfully into Danae's skin, leaving crescent-shaped indentations. But Jordyn wasn't looking at Danae. Her eyes were fixed on the far end of the hallway.

Danae followed her gaze.

Coming around the corner was Adrian, flanked by his executive assistant.

The moment Adrian was in clear view, Jordyn turned back to Danae. A sickening, triumphant smile stretched across Jordyn's face.

Then, Jordyn let go of Danae's wrist.

Jordyn threw her own body backward. She launched herself through the air like a ragdoll.

Her back slammed violently into a heavy wooden display pedestal against the wall. The impact echoed loudly down the corridor.

Jordyn slid to the floor. She curled into the fetal position, clutching her flat stomach, and let out a blood-curdling, agonizing scream.

Adrian's head snapped up.

He dropped the leather folder in his hands. The papers scattered across the floor.

"Jordyn!" Adrian roared.

He sprinted down the hallway, his heavy shoes pounding against the floorboards beneath the carpet.

Danae stood frozen in shock, staring down at the woman writhing on the floor.

Adrian reached them. He didn't slow down. He dropped his shoulder and rammed his body full-force into Danae.

The impact knocked the breath out of her lungs. Danae flew backward, her spine crashing brutally against the cold steel doors of the elevator. Pain radiated down her ribs.

Adrian dropped to his knees. His hands were shaking violently as he pulled Jordyn into his chest.

"She pushed me!" Jordyn sobbed, burying her face in Adrian's neck. "Adrian, my stomach! It hurts so much!"

Adrian's head whipped around. The look in his eyes wasn't just anger; it was pure, unadulterated murder. The muscle in his jaw ticked so hard it looked like the bone might snap.

"You vicious monster," Adrian snarled, his voice vibrating with rage.

Danae rubbed her bruised shoulder, standing up straight. "She threw herself backward. It's an act."

Jordyn let out another pathetic whimper, her fingers digging into Adrian's shirt.

Adrian's eyes went completely feral. He slid his arms under Jordyn's knees and back, lifting her effortlessly into his arms. He held her tight against his chest.

He turned his head to the two hotel security guards who had just run up to the scene.

"Detain her," Adrian ordered, pointing his chin at Danae. "Do not let her out of your sight."

The two massive guards stepped forward. They boxed Danae in, crossing their arms over their chests.

Danae watched Adrian carry Jordyn away, his face pale with panic.

A cold, heavy stone settled in Danae's stomach. When she was in labor, dying on a hospital bed, he hadn't even answered the phone. Now, he was ready to kill for a woman with a scraped elbow.

The betrayal froze the blood in her veins. She lowered her hands, her face turning to stone, and let the guards escort her toward the medical wing.

The guards marched Danae out into the quiet, brightly lit corridor.

Standing by the nurses' station, looking furious, was Professor Stratford-the head of Danae's medical research fellowship.

Stratford stomped over to her. He shoved a folded white doctor's coat into Danae's chest.

"Put it on," Stratford hissed, his face red. "You are going in there and examining Ms. Webster right now."

Danae pushed the coat back at him. "Absolutely not. I am not participating in this theatrical garbage."

Stratford grabbed her arm, pulling her close. "Adrian Rosario just threatened to pull the NIH federal grant from our lab. If you don't walk through that door, our entire research team is defunded by tomorrow morning. Put the damn coat on."

Danae's jaw clenched. The humiliation burned the back of her throat like battery acid. She thought of the three years of grueling work her team had put into their genetic research.

She snatched the coat from his hands. She shoved her arms into the sleeves.

She walked over to the sanitation station, scrubbing her hands aggressively before snapping a pair of blue latex gloves onto her wrists.

She pushed open the heavy, soundproof door to the VIP suite.

Adrian was sitting on the edge of the massive hospital bed, holding Jordyn's hand with both of his.

When Adrian heard the door, he looked up. His eyes sliced into Danae like shattered glass.

Jordyn was propped up on the pillows. She looked pale, but the corners of her mouth twitched with a smug, victorious satisfaction.

Danae kept her face entirely blank. She walked to the side of the bed and powered on the ultrasound machine.

She grabbed the bottle of clear coupling gel and squirted a generous amount directly onto Jordyn's exposed abdomen.

The gel was freezing. Jordyn gasped, her stomach muscles contracting as she flinched away, pressing closer to Adrian.

"Watch your damn hands," Adrian snapped, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.

Danae ignored him. She pressed the transducer wand into Jordyn's skin, sliding it across her lower abdomen.

She stared at the black-and-white static on the monitor.

Danae's eyes narrowed. As a top-tier medical professional, it took her exactly three seconds to read the screen.

The uterine lining was thick, but the gestational sac was highly irregular. The measurements didn't align with a standard second-trimester pregnancy. There was no clear fetal pole, no definitive heartbeat echoing on the doppler. It looked like a blighted ovum, or worse, a medically induced chemical facade.

Jordyn's pregnancy was highly suspicious. It was a setup.

Before Danae could speak, Jordyn let out a loud, dramatic sob, burying her face in her hands.

Danae pulled the wand away. She ripped three paper towels from the dispenser and threw them onto Jordyn's stomach.

"Vitals are stable," Danae said coldly, pulling the wand away and looking directly at Adrian. "But the scan is highly irregular. There is no definitive fetal heartbeat. I suggest a full blood panel before you jump to conclusions."

Adrian stood up. His massive frame blocked out the light from the window. He stepped into Danae's personal space, his chest almost touching hers.

He leaned down, his mouth inches from her ear. "If anything happens to my child," he whispered, his breath hot against her skin, "I will bury you."

Danae didn't flinch. She tilted her chin up, her eyes locking onto his.

"You always did like using your money to bully people," she mocked softly.

The air between them crackled, thick with a toxic mixture of absolute hatred and a dark, unresolved tension.

Danae pressed her hands against his chest and shoved him backward. She turned on her heel and walked to the sink to strip off her gloves.