There was no way out.
For weeks, I buried the truth deep inside me, forcing myself to continue the charade. Every morning, I smiled at Duke over breakfast, ignoring the way his eyes studied me a little too closely. Every night, I tucked Lukas into bed, pretending I was his mother, pretending that my own life hadn’t spiraled into something unrecognizable.
But in the silence of my room, when the world was still and I was left alone with my thoughts, the panic crept in.
I was carrying the child of a man I barely knew.
A man who might be a murderer.
And if I wasn’t careful, he would find out that I wasn’t Britney.
I needed a plan.
The only person I could trust was Fay.
One evening, as the mansion lay in eerie silence, I locked myself in the bathroom and dialed her number.
"Mia?" Fay’s voice was hushed, cautious.
"I need you to dig deeper," I whispered, my fingers clutching the edge of the sink. "Find out everything you can about Duke Trayson. Every deal, every enemy, every secret. I need to know what I married into."
Fay hesitated. "Mia, are you sure? You’re already playing with fire."
"I don’t have a choice," I murmured. "I need to know the truth."
A heavy sigh. Then, "I’ll do it."