Chapter 1: The Man Who Refused to Lose Her Twice
Chapter 1: The Man Who Refused to Lose Her Twice
The ballroom fell into absolute silence.
No one dared breathe.
Damien Rowe stood beneath the shattered doorway, his charcoal overcoat brushing against polished marble as his men spread through the room with flawless precision. Within seconds, every exit was secured.
The laughter disappeared.
The phones recording the spectacle slowly lowered.
Then Damien saw her.
"Maren..."
The word barely escaped his lips.
For seven months, he had searched every state, every airport record, every financial trail, convinced she had either been kidnapped or killed after the attack in Chicago.
He had buried empty coffins.
Executed traitors.
Started a war against the syndicate responsible.
Yet nothing had prepared him for this.
The woman who had once laughed beside him overlooking Lake Michigan now lay curled on a ballroom floor wearing a janitor's uniform.
Pregnant.
Terrified.
Bleeding.
His heart stopped.
"Maren!"
He crossed the room before anyone realized he had moved.
Dropping to his knees beside her, he gently touched her face.
She looked up through tears.
"...Damien?"
Her trembling fingers reached toward him as if she were afraid he might disappear again.
"I thought you were dead."
His eyes glistened.
"So did I."
She broke.
Months of loneliness, fear, exhaustion, and heartbreak poured out in uncontrollable sobs.
Damien wrapped both arms around her carefully, terrified of hurting their child.
Then he noticed her stomach.
His hand froze.
"Maren..."
She nodded through tears.
"Our baby."
The room seemed to disappear.
For one breathtaking second, the feared crime lord became nothing more than a man hearing the greatest news—and the greatest loss—of his life at the same time.
A father.
He should have been there for every doctor's appointment.
Every heartbeat.
Every kick.
Instead...
She had suffered alone.
His jaw tightened.
Slowly, he stood.
The warmth vanished from his face.
His eyes turned toward the crowd.
"Who."
One word.
Cold enough to freeze the room.
"Who touched her?"
No one answered.
Until Chloe Ashford forced a nervous laugh.
"It was just an accident."
Damien looked at her once.
Only once.
His bodyguard Marcus stepped forward.
"Bring her."
Before Chloe could scream, two men lifted her effortlessly.
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For the first time in her privileged life...
Someone ignored her father's name.
