Chapter 1 - The Betrayal Unveiled
Claire was thirty-eight weeks pregnant when Margaret grabbed her by the hair.
“Sign here quickly!”
The blue property-transfer folder was already open on the dining table.
Claire held one hand over her stomach.
She tried to breathe through the sudden spike of fear.
“No.”
Harold shoved her.
He didn't even hesitate.
She fell beside an overturned chair.
Pain shot through her abdomen like a hot blade.
Her husband, Evan, stood three steps away.
He did nothing to catch her.
He did nothing to stop his brother, Harold, or his mother, Margaret.
“Don’t make things more complicated, Claire,” Evan said.
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
Claire looked at him.
She wasn't angry yet.
She was destroyed.
The man who had kissed her belly this morning was watching her bleed.
Then, survival instinct kicked in.
She forced herself up.
Her fingers closed around the heavy cast-iron skillet on the kitchen counter.
Margaret pointed a sharp, bony finger at her.
“Hit her again, Harold! She needs to learn!”
Harold lunged forward.
Claire threw the skillet with everything she had left.
It connected.
Margaret went down with a sharp cry.
Harold paused, shocked by the sudden retaliation.
Then Claire froze.
Both hands moved frantically to her belly.
Nothing.
No kick.
No roll.
No flutter of life.
“The baby isn’t moving,” Claire whispered, her voice cracking.
For the first time, Evan looked afraid.
But not for her.
Not for the child.
He looked afraid of the consequences.
As Claire slid down the cabinets, her eyes caught something on the floor.
The blue folder had fallen open.
Under the primary property-transfer page was another document.
A document she had never seen before in her life.
It was a relinquishment of parental rights and a massive life insurance policy.
And beside her signature line were four terrifying words.
Effective Before Child’s Birth.
They didn't just want the house.
They wanted her dead before the baby was born.
And Evan was in on it.
The world spun into darkness.
May you like
But before she passed out, Claire made a silent promise.
If my baby survives, I will destroy you all.
