Maya's POV
I don't sleep all night.
I lie in bed staring at the ceiling, replaying Ethan's words over and over. "She's the perfect weapon to do it." "She has no idea that the real plan goes beyond simple revenge."
The mysterious text glows on my phone screen. "Meet me tomorrow at noon. Corner of 5th and Main. Come alone."
Should I go? Should I trust a stranger who somehow knows I overheard Ethan's conversation?
But can I trust Ethan anymore?
At six in the morning, I give up trying to sleep. I shower, dress in casual clothes, and sneak into the kitchen. Maybe food will settle my churning stomach. Maybe it will help me think clearly.
I find Ethan already there, making coffee. He's wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, his hair messy. He looks almost normal. Almost human.
Not like a man who called me a weapon last night.
"You're up early," he says, pouring a second cup of coffee. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine." I take the coffee even though I know I shouldn't drink it while pregnant. I just need something to do with my hands.
"You were sick last night. I heard you in the bathroom."
My stomach drops. "Just stress. Yesterday was intense."
Ethan studies my face. "Maya, if something is wrong, you can tell me. We're partners in this."
Partners. The word tastes bitter in my mouth. Partners don't use each other as weapons. Partners don't hide their real plans.
"I'm fine," I repeat. "Just tired."
My phone buzzes on the counter. A text from an unknown number—different from last night's mysterious texter.
"Your doctor's appointment is confirmed for 10 AM today. Dr. Sarah Mitchell at Women's Health Center. Address attached."
I stare at the text, confused. I didn't make a doctor's appointment.
"Everything okay?" Ethan asks.
"Yeah. Just Sophie checking in." I pocket my phone quickly. "I should probably call her back. She was worried about me at the gala."
"Good idea. I need to head to the hospital to check on my sister anyway." He grabs his keys. "Will you be okay here alone?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because James Walsh now knows exactly where you live. Because Derek knows. Because everyone at that gala saw you with me." Ethan's expression darkens. "You're a target now, Maya. Same as me."
"I can handle myself."
"Can you?" He steps closer, his eyes intense. "These people are dangerous. They've killed before. They'll kill again."
"Is that concern I hear in your voice?" I ask coldly. "Or are you just worried about losing your weapon before your plan is complete?"
Ethan goes very still. "What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just making an observation."
He studies me for a long moment, like he's trying to read my mind. "Maya, has something changed? You seem different this morning."
"Yesterday was exhausting. That's all."
"If you're having doubts about our arrangement—"
"I'm not." I force a smile. "Go check on your sister. I'll be fine here."
Ethan doesn't look convinced, but he leaves anyway. I watch through the window as his car pulls out of the parking garage.
The moment he's gone, I grab my phone and reread both mysterious texts. The meeting at noon. The doctor's appointment at ten.
Someone is watching me. Someone knows about my pregnancy. Someone is arranging my life without asking.
But who?
I make a decision. I'll go to both—the doctor's appointment first, then the mysterious meeting. I need answers, and I'm not going to get them hiding in this penthouse.
At nine-thirty, I take a taxi to the Women's Health Center. The building is clean and modern, filled with pregnant women in various stages. Some look happy. Some look scared.
I wonder which category I fall into.
I check in at the front desk, using my real name. The receptionist smiles warmly. "Ms. Chen, Dr. Mitchell is expecting you. Please have a seat."
"How did you know I'd be here?" I ask. "I didn't make this appointment."
"A family member called on your behalf. They were very concerned about you."
Family member. That could be anyone—my father, Patricia, Derek, even Ethan pretending to be family.
I sit in the waiting room, my mind racing. Who set up this appointment? Why?
"Maya?"
The voice makes me freeze. I look up and see Patricia standing in the doorway, her face a mask of fake concern.
Behind her is Vanessa, holding a medical folder.
"What are you doing here?" I demand, standing quickly.
"We could ask you the same question," Patricia says sweetly. "This is Dr. Mitchell's practice. She's been Vanessa's doctor for years."
"Her heart specialist?" I ask sarcastically.
Vanessa's face flushes. "I'm here for a routine checkup. Not that it's your business."
"Routine checkup for a dying girl?" I cross my arms. "That's interesting."
"Some days I feel better than others," Vanessa snaps. "The medication helps."
"What medication? The fake pills you pretend to take?"
Patricia steps between us. "Maya, dear, we need to talk. Privately. About your situation."
"I have no situation."
"Don't you?" Patricia's eyes drop to my stomach. "I know why you're really here. I know about the baby."
My blood turns to ice. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Please. I saw the pharmacy charge on Richard's credit card. The one he gave you years ago for emergencies. You bought three pregnancy tests two days ago." Patricia smiles cruelly. "Did you really think we wouldn't monitor your spending?"
I'd forgotten about that emergency card. I used it without thinking.
"Does Derek know?" Vanessa asks, her voice sharp. "Does he know you're pregnant with his baby?"
"It's none of your business."
"It's absolutely our business," Patricia says. "That baby connects you to our family forever. Do you really think we'll just let you raise Derek's child with that billionaire?"
"You can't stop me."
"Can't we?" Patricia pulls out her phone. "One call to Derek, and he'll file for custody. He'll claim you're unfit—living with a stranger, no stable income, emotionally unstable. A judge will give him the baby."
"Derek wouldn't do that."
"Derek will do whatever his father tells him to," Vanessa says smugly. "He always does. That's why he married me."
"And why he'll divorce you the moment the annulment goes through," I shoot back.
Vanessa's smile falters. "He won't leave me. I'm sick, remember? He's too noble to abandon a dying wife."
"You're not dying. Everyone knows the truth now."
"Do they?" Vanessa leans closer. "James Walsh controls this city's media. By tomorrow, there will be articles about how Ethan Stone fabricated evidence to destroy our family. Your little truth bomb at the gala? It'll be forgotten. We'll be the victims. You'll be the villain."
A nurse calls my name. "Maya Chen? Dr. Mitchell is ready for you."
I start to walk toward the examination rooms, but Patricia grabs my arm.
"Think carefully about your next move," she hisses. "That baby is leverage. We can use it to destroy you, or you can cooperate and we'll make sure you're taken care of."
"What do you want?"
"Leave Ethan Stone. Come back to the family. Let us help you raise the baby properly." Patricia's grip tightens. "In exchange, we'll make sure you never have to work again. You'll have everything you need."
"Except freedom," I say. "Except dignity. Except the right to make my own choices."
"Those are luxuries you can't afford anymore," Patricia says coldly. "You're pregnant and broke. You need us."
I pull my arm free. "I'd rather die than let you control my life."
"That can be arranged," Vanessa whispers.
The nurse calls my name again, more urgently. I walk away from Patricia and Vanessa, my heart pounding.
Dr. Mitchell is kind and professional. She confirms what I already know—I'm eight weeks pregnant. The baby is healthy. Everything looks normal.
"Do you have support at home?" she asks gently. "A partner? Family?"
"I have someone," I lie.
"Good. Pregnancy can be difficult without support. Make sure you're taking prenatal vitamins and avoiding stress."
Stress. That's all my life is now.
As I leave the examination room, I don't see Patricia or Vanessa. They must have left. But their threats still echo in my mind.
I check my phone. Eleven-thirty. The mysterious meeting is in thirty minutes.
I grab another taxi and give the driver the address. Corner of 5th and Main.
My hands shake as we drive. This could be a trap. Patricia or Vanessa could have sent those texts to lure me somewhere dangerous.
But I need answers. I need to know what Ethan's real plan is. I need to know who else is involved in this mess.
The taxi stops at a busy intersection. Coffee shops, restaurants, people everywhere. Public and relatively safe.
I step out and look around. No one suspicious. No one watching me.
Then I see him.
A man in his fifties sits at an outdoor café table. He waves me over.
I approach cautiously. He looks familiar, but I can't place where I've seen him before.
"Maya Chen," he says. "Thank you for coming. I'm Detective Marcus Webb. I've been investigating James Walsh for ten years."
A detective. This mysterious texter is a cop.
"Why contact me?" I ask, sitting across from him.
"Because you're in danger. From James Walsh, yes. But also from Ethan Stone." Marcus slides a folder across the table. "Everything you need to know is in here. About Ethan's real plan. About why he chose you specifically. About what he's willing to do to get his revenge."
I open the folder with shaking hands. Inside are documents, photos, investigation reports.
The first photo makes my blood run cold.
It's my mother. Standing next to a younger Ethan Stone. They're both smiling.
"Your mother and Ethan knew each other," Marcus says quietly. "She wasn't just investigating James Walsh with Ethan's father. She was engaged to Ethan's father."
The world tilts. "What?"
"Your mother was going to marry Robert Stone. They were in love. Then she discovered she was pregnant with you—Richard Chen's baby from their affair. She broke off the engagement to do the right thing and raise you with your biological father."
"That's why Ethan's father killed himself," I realize. "Not just because James destroyed his business. Because my mother broke his heart."
"Robert Stone shot himself in front of Ethan on what should have been his wedding day to your mother," Marcus confirms. "Ethan was eighteen. He watched his father die because of your family."
My hands shake so badly I drop the folder. Papers scatter across the table.
"Ethan blames me," I whisper. "He blames me for his father's death."
"He blames your entire family. That's why his revenge plan doesn't end with James Walsh. It ends with everyone connected to what happened twenty years ago." Marcus leans forward urgently. "Maya, Ethan Stone doesn't want to help you. He wants to use you to destroy both the Walsh and Chen families. And when he's done, he'll destroy you too."
"Why tell me this now?"
"Because you're pregnant. Because that baby is innocent. Because I've watched too many people die in this war between powerful families." Marcus's eyes are sad. "And because Ethan is planning something terrible. Something that will happen very soon. If you don't get away from him now, you won't survive it."
My phone buzzes. A text from Ethan.
"Where are you? Security says you left the building. Call me immediately."
Another text comes in right after, from an unknown number.
"Run. Now. Ethan just found out about your meeting with the detective. He's coming for you. He knows you know the truth."
I look up at Marcus. "How does he know I'm here?"
"He's been tracking your phone since the day you moved into his penthouse." Marcus stands quickly. "We need to go. Now. Before he—"
A car screeches to a stop beside our table.
Ethan steps out, his face dark with rage.
He's found me.