I walked home in a daze, the city lights blurring through my unshed tears. Our penthouse apartment, once a haven, now felt like a cold, empty tomb. The silence screamed Jaxon' s absence, amplifying every echo of his betrayal.

I showered, letting the hot water wash over me, trying to cleanse away the dirt and degradation. I dried my hair methodically, then collapsed onto the bed, too exhausted to even properly get dressed. My mind was a chaotic mess, replaying every cruel word, every dismissive glance.

Just as the exhaustion threatened to drag me into a restless sleep, the front door creaked open. My heart leaped.

Jaxon.

He walked in, his shoulders slumped, his tie loosened. He looked tired, his eyes heavy-lidded. "Alexis?" His voice was soft, laced with a feigned concern. "Are you alright? You haven't answered my calls."

I didn't answer. I just stared at the ceiling, feeling nothing but a profound emptiness.

He came to the bed, sitting gently beside me. He didn't touch me. He just picked up the towel from the floor, and began to softly dry my hair. The familiar rhythm of his fingers, once a source of comfort, now felt like a cruel violation.

"Are you still angry?" he asked, his voice a low rumble. "I told you, it's just a temporary arrangement. A year, Alexis. And then it's just us."

I closed my eyes. He knew exactly how to twist the knife, how to prey on my lingering hope, my desperate need for his love. He was gaslighting me, making me question my own sanity.

He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. "Just be patient, my love. For us."

"What if I refuse?" I asked, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. "What if I can't just 'be patient'?"

His hand stilled. His face hardened, the kindness in his eyes replaced by a cold, steely resolve. "This isn't a request, Alexis," he said, his voice low and firm. "It's how things have to be." He paused, then softened his tone, a practiced shift. "Kassie has no one else to rely on. We have to be understanding."

He stood up and began packing a small duffel bag. A sick feeling churned in my stomach. "I'll be gone for a few days," he said without looking at me. "If you need anything, call me." He walked out, leaving me alone once more.

The tears came then, hot and stinging, blurring the edges of my vision. He knew. He knew I was pregnant, alone, and heartbroken, yet he chose to leave. He chose Kassie. I felt worthless, a forgotten shadow in his grand plan.

Days bled into weeks. Jaxon' s calls became rarer, his messages shorter, sent late at night, a superficial check-in. I stopped replying. Eventually, they stopped coming altogether. The silence was deafening, a constant reminder of my abandonment.

I was three months pregnant when it happened. I had decided to go for another check-up, just to hear the doctor's reassuring words again, to feel connected to the tiny life inside me. I was walking out of the clinic, a tiny ultrasound picture clutched in my hand, when I literally bumped into her. Ella Fuller. Jaxon's older sister.

Her eyes, cold and sharp like Jaxon's, widened in shock as she recognized me. Then they dropped to my hand, to the ultrasound. Her face twisted into a sneer.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, tearing the picture from my hand. Her eyes scanned the image, then narrowed dangerously. "And what is this? Another man's bastard, Alexis? How dare you try to trap my brother with this?"

I recoiled, my blood boiling. "It's Jaxon's baby!" I snapped, snatching the picture back. "How could you even think-"

"Don't lie to me!" Ella cut me off, her voice rising. "My brother is married! And his wife is also pregnant! With his child! You think we're fools? You think you can just show up with some random baby and claim it's a Fuller?" Her eyes blazed with contempt. "You're pathetic, Alexis. A lying, manipulative schemer." I could feel the stares of passersby, their whispers like daggers.

The hospital hallway, once a place of quiet healing, transformed into a public arena. Every passing glance felt like a burning brand, every whispered comment a fresh stab wound. Shame, hot and prickly, crept up my neck. I tried to walk away, to disappear, to escape the suffocating scrutiny.

But Ella was relentless. She blocked my path, her slender frame radiating a menacing fury. "Where do you think you're going, you little harlot?" she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "Running away again, are we? Just like you ran away from your responsibilities back home?"

My chest tightened, my breath catching in my throat. I felt trapped, cornered. "What do you want from me?" I choked out, my voice hoarse with unshed tears. "I told you, this is Jaxon's child! If you don't believe me, call him! Ask him!"

Ella laughed, a harsh, grating sound that drew more attention. "Call him?" she scoffed, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Oh, honey, Jaxon is with his real wife right now, at her prenatal appointment. The one carrying his actual child." She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper. "The one he chose. Not your little mistake."

"How could you say that?" I seethed, my own anger finally breaking through the wall of despair. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing? You think Jaxon would just abandon his own child?"

"If it was his child, why would he abandon you?" Ella shot back, her words like poisoned arrows. "No, this is clearly a desperate attempt to cling to the Fuller name. But know this, Alexis, our family won't let you get away with this little scheme." She snapped her fingers, and suddenly, two burly men in dark suits appeared from nowhere, flanking her.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I fumbled for my phone, my fingers shaking as I tried to dial Jaxon. I needed him. I needed him to tell his sister the truth, to protect me.

But before I could even unlock the screen, Ella's hand shot out. A sharp, stinging slap landed across my face, the force sending my phone skittering across the polished floor. My head reeled.

"You really think he'd answer your call?" she whispered, grabbing a handful of my hair, yanking my head back. Her eyes were cold, devoid of any humanity. "You're nothing to him. A discarded toy."

The two men moved swiftly, roughly grabbing my arms. I struggled, but their grip was like iron. They half-dragged, half-carried me out of the clinic, shoving me into the back of a black SUV. The world outside blurred as we sped away.

We arrived at a sprawling, opulent estate. The Fuller family mansion. My stomach dropped. I was being held captive. As I was dragged through the massive double doors, I saw them. Jaxon and Kassie. They were sitting in the living room, a picture of domestic bliss. Kassie was nestled against Jaxon, her head on his shoulder, a beatific smile on her face.

I, disheveled, bloody-mouthed, and bruised, stood before them, a stark contrast to their serene image. My clothes were disarrayed from the struggle, my hair a tangled mess.

"Jaxon!" Ella announced triumphantly, pulling me forward. "Look what I found trying to sneak out of the clinic! This… thing was trying to trap you with another man's baby!"

I looked at Jaxon, my eyes pleading, begging him to say something, anything. To deny her lies, to defend me. But he didn't even look at me. His gaze was fixed on the marble fireplace, his face unreadable.

"Lock her in the guest house attic," he said, his voice flat, emotionless. "She needs to learn her place."

Something inside me snapped. A final thread, stretched to its breaking point, finally gave way. My heart, which had been clinging to a sliver of hope, died. I gazed at Jaxon one last time, his averted face etched into my memory. No more pleas. No more tears. Only a chilling emptiness remained.

They dragged me up a narrow, winding staircase to a dusty, suffocating attic. The door slammed shut, the heavy lock clanking into place. Darkness swallowed me whole. Only the persistent scratch, scratch, scratch of rats in the walls kept me company.

As night fell, a large, dark shadow scurried across the floor. A rat. It boldly approached me, its beady eyes glinting in the faint moonlight filtering through a grimy window. I shivered, not just from the cold, but from the utter despair.

Suddenly, the attic door creaked open, a sliver of light illuminating the dusty space. The rat, startled, darted back into the shadows. Standing in the doorway, a triumphant smirk on her face, was Kassie.