The ballroom was suffocatingly warm. The scent of expensive lilies and even more expensive perfume hung heavy in the air. Serena walked in, the Lego box tucked under her arm like a shield.

The chatter died down as she entered. It was a ripple effect, silence spreading from the door outward.

Julian was standing by the massive stone fireplace. His hand was resting on the small of Victoria's back. They looked like a magazine cover come to life. He was laughing at something she said, a genuine, relaxed sound that Serena hadn't heard in years.

Then he saw her. His smile vanished. His eyes went to her mouth, the red lipstick a glaring act of rebellion.

"Mommy!"

The scream was pure joy. Leo scrambled up from the Persian rug where he had been playing alone with a toy car. He ran toward her, his little legs moving as fast as they could.

Serena dropped the Lego box and crouched down just in time to catch him. He slammed into her, burying his face in her neck. He smelled of baby shampoo and milk.

"I missed you!" Leo cried, his voice muffled against her hair.

"I missed you too, baby," Serena whispered, squeezing him tight.

A cane tapped sharply on the hardwood floor.

"Leo," Katherine Sterling's voice was like a whip crack. "We have discussed this. She is not your mommy. She is the nanny."

Serena flinched. She felt Leo stiffen in her arms. He pulled back, looking at her with wide, confused eyes. "But... you are Mommy."

Victoria stepped forward. Her silver dress shimmered under the crystal chandeliers. She had a benevolent, pitying smile plastered on her face.

"It is okay, Katherine," Victoria said, her voice smooth like honey. "It is natural for him to be confused. Serena has been very... helpful."

She crouched down next to Serena, invading their space. She reached out a manicured hand toward Leo.

"Hi, Leo," she cooed. "I am Victoria. I brought you a limited edition Iron Man figure. It is in the other room. Do you want to see it?"

Leo looked at her hand, then at her face. He recoiled, pressing his back against Serena's chest. "I don't want it."

Victoria's smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

Julian stepped in. His shadow fell over them. "Leo, be polite."

Katherine tapped her cane again. "Enough of this charade. Since everyone is here, we might as well rip the bandage off. Leo needs to know his true lineage."

Serena looked up, a cold dread pooling in her stomach. "What do you mean?"

Katherine pointed a bony finger at Victoria. "Victoria is Leo's biological mother."

The room spun. Serena felt the blood rush out of her head. The sound of the jazz music seemed to distort, becoming a grotesque screech.

She looked at Julian. He wouldn't meet her eyes. He was looking at the floor, his jaw set tight.

Victoria sighed, a tragic, rehearsed sound. "My career was just taking off... I couldn't have a baby out of wedlock. It would have ruined me. Julian and I decided it was best to... hide him. Until the time was right."

"Hide him?" Serena's voice shook. She stood up, pulling Leo with her. "You abandoned him. For five years!"

Julian finally looked at her. His eyes were cold, dead. "It was a necessary arrangement. We needed a caretaker. You were... available."

A caretaker.

Serena looked down at Leo. The boy she had nursed through fevers. The boy she had taught to walk. The boy whose first word was her name. He wasn't an orphan. He was the secret love child of her husband and his mistress.

She was just the incubator for their reputation.

A wave of revulsion washed over her. She felt dirty. Used.

Leo started to cry. The tension in the room was terrifying him. "I want Mommy! I want to go home!"

Victoria reached for him again. "Come here, sweetie. Mommy is here."

Leo screamed. He slapped Victoria's hand away. "No! Go away!"

Victoria gasped, clutching her hand as if he had broken it. Julian stepped forward, his face darkening with anger. "Leo! Apologize to your mother!"

"Do not yell at him!" Serena roared.

The silence that followed was absolute. Serena Vance never raised her voice.

She was breathing hard, her chest heaving. She glared at Julian, hate burning in her eyes. "You make me sick. Both of you."

She hoisted Leo onto her hip. He wrapped his legs around her waist, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Where do you think you are going?" Julian demanded.

"Away from you," Serena spat.

She turned and marched toward the heavy oak doors. She didn't care about the contract. She didn't care about the money. She just needed to get the innocent child out of this nest of vipers.

The cold night air hit them like a physical blow as Serena burst through the front doors. The wind was howling off the ocean, carrying the salt spray from the nearby beach.

"Security!" Katherine yelled from the doorway behind them. "Stop that woman!"

Two massive men in black suits stepped out from the shadows, blocking the path to Serena's car. They didn't look like they wanted to hurt her, but they were walls of muscle that she couldn't pass.

Serena skidded to a halt. Leo was gasping against her neck. The sobbing had turned into a wheezing, high-pitched whistle.

Asthma.

Serena's panic spiked. Leo's asthma was triggered by stress and cold air.

"Move!" she screamed at the guards. "He is having an attack!"

Katherine hobbled out onto the porch, followed by Julian and Victoria. "Stop the theatrics, Serena. Put the child down."

"He can't breathe!" Serena fell to her knees on the gravel driveway, setting Leo down. She ripped open her purse, her hands shaking violently as she dug for the inhaler she always carried.

Leo's face was turning a terrifying shade of gray. His little chest was heaving, fighting for air that wouldn't come.

Julian froze halfway down the steps. He saw his son's face. The anger drained out of him, replaced by fear.

"Give her the inhaler!" Julian barked at the guards, who had taken a step toward Serena.

Serena found the blue plastic canister. She shook it, put it to Leo's lips. "Breathe, baby. Big breath. One. Two."

She pressed the canister. The hiss of the medicine filled the silence.

Leo gasped, sucking in the mist. He coughed, his body convulsing, then sucked in another breath.

Serena rubbed his back in slow, rhythmic circles, humming the lullaby she used to sing to him when he was a baby. Slowly, the wheezing subsided. The color began to return to his cheeks. He clung to Serena's lapels, his knuckles white.

Serena slumped forward, resting her forehead against Leo's shoulder. Relief washed over her, followed immediately by a sharp, stabbing pain in her lower abdomen.

It felt like a needle being driven into her uterus.

She gasped, clutching her stomach. The world tilted. Black spots danced in her vision.

"Serena?" Julian's voice was closer now. He sounded concerned.

He reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Don't touch me," Serena whispered. She slapped his hand away. The movement sent another jolt of pain through her body.

Katherine sniffed. "Look at her. She is hysterical. She is not fit to drive, let alone care for a child. Take Leo inside."

One of the guards stepped forward.

Leo screamed again, a raw sound of terror. "No!"

"Unless you want to kill him, you won't touch him," Serena hissed through her teeth. She wrapped her arms around Leo, curling her body around his to protect him. "I will die before I let you take him right now."

Julian looked at Serena. He saw the sweat beading on her forehead, the way she was clutching her stomach. He saw the absolute, feral desperation in her eyes.

"Enough," Julian said. He held up a hand to stop the guard.

"Julian," Katherine warned.

"He just had an attack," Julian said, his voice flat. "He cannot be moved into a car. And he is terrified."

He looked down at Serena. "Take him to the guest wing. Stay the night. Do not let him leave the estate."

Serena looked up at him. She hated him. She hated that she had to accept his charity. But she couldn't drive. She was in too much pain, and Leo was too fragile.

"Fine," she whispered.

She stood up. It took every ounce of her willpower not to double over. Her legs felt like lead.

She picked up Leo, who refused to walk. The weight of him pulled on her abdominal muscles, increasing the pain, but she didn't let go.

She walked past Julian, past Victoria who was watching with narrowed, jealous eyes.

She carried him into the house, through the silent hallways, to the guest room on the first floor. She laid him on the bed and took off his shoes.

She went into the bathroom and locked the door. She lifted her skirt.

There was no blood. Not yet.

She sank to the floor, leaning her head against the cool tile.

"I'm sorry, baby," she whispered to her flat stomach. "Mommy has to protect your brother first. Please hold on."

The house was quiet, settled into the uneasy silence of 2 AM. Serena couldn't sleep. Her abdomen was still cramping, a dull, rhythmic reminder of the danger she was in. She needed water.

She cracked open the guest room door. The hallway was empty.

She walked softly toward the kitchen. As she passed the grand staircase, she saw a figure standing at the top.

Victoria.

She was wearing a silk dressing gown that cost more than Serena's car. She was looking down at Serena, her face twisted in a sneer.

"Does your stomach still hurt?" Victoria asked, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous space. "Or are you just looking for attention?"

Serena didn't stop. "I'm getting water."

Victoria laughed. It was a cold sound. "You know why Julian chose me, don't you? Because you are boring, Serena. You are a robot. You have no fire."

Serena stopped at the bottom of the stairs. She looked up. "At least I don't use a child as a prop for my Instagram."

Victoria's eyes narrowed.

A door opened down the hall. It was the library. Julian stepped out, still wearing his dress shirt, sleeves rolled up.

Victoria saw him. Her expression changed instantly.

She let out a sharp gasp. "Oh!"

She threw herself backward.

It was clumsy, but effective. She tumbled down the last two steps of the staircase, landing on the plush runner with a thud and a loud, piercing scream.

"Julian! Help!"

Julian was there in seconds. He rounded the corner just in time to see Victoria sprawled on the floor and Serena standing frozen at the base of the stairs. He dropped to his knees beside her. "Victoria!"

Victoria was sobbing, clutching her ankle. "She pushed me! She pushed me, Julian!"

Serena stood frozen, three feet away from the bottom of the stairs. Her hands were empty. Her mouth hung open in shock.

Julian looked up at Serena. His eyes were black with rage. "Are you insane?"

"I didn't touch her!" Serena cried, her voice rising. "I was standing here! She threw herself down!"

"Liar!" Victoria wailed, burying her face in Julian's chest. "She said she hated me! She said she wanted me dead!"

"My ankle... I can't feel my ankle..." Victoria sobbed.

Julian didn't look at Serena again. He scooped Victoria up into his arms.

As he stood, he turned sharply. His shoulder slammed into Serena's.

It wasn't an attack, but it was forceful. Serena, already weak and dizzy from the pain and stress, stumbled back. She hit the wall hard.

The impact sent a shockwave through her body. A sharp, tearing pain ripped through her lower belly.

She slid down the wall, gasping. "Julian... I..."

He didn't stop. He was already walking away, carrying Victoria toward the master suite.

"Call the family doctor!" he shouted to the butler who had appeared in the hallway.

He didn't look back.

Serena sat on the floor. She watched them disappear.

The butler looked at her with disdain. He turned and went to the phone.

Serena was alone.

She felt a warmth between her legs. Wet. sticky.

She reached down with a trembling hand. She pulled her fingers back.

Blood.

Bright red blood against her pale skin.

Panic, cold and absolute, seized her throat.

She wasn't just cramping. She was bleeding.

She grabbed the wall and forced herself to stand. Every movement was agony. She couldn't stay here. If she stayed here, she would lose the baby. They wouldn't help her. They would probably be glad if she miscarried.

She limped back to the guest room. She locked the door.

She went to her purse and dug out the bottle of progesterone pills she had bought online from an overseas pharmacy when she first suspected the pregnancy. She hadn't wanted to create a medical record on Julian's insurance.

She swallowed two pills dry. They scratched her throat going down.

She lay on the bed next to sleeping Leo. She curled into a ball, clutching her stomach. She knew she needed a hospital, but going there meant Julian finding out. And right now, Julian was the enemy.

"Please stay," she begged the life inside her. "Please don't leave me."