"You're pregnant? Slamming her against the wall,Get rid of it."
The words didn't just hurt.
They shattered.
Lila Monroe stood frozen, her fingers tightening around the edge of the desk as if it was the only thing keeping her from collapsing. The office was too cold, too quiet—too cruel for the moment that had just unfolded.
Across from her, Ethan Blackwell didn't look surprised.
Didn't look conflicted.
Didn't look anything at all.
He simply leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable, as though she had just told him something insignificant. Like she hadn't just handed him a piece of her soul.
"Say something…" her voice came out softer than she intended, trembling at the edges.
Ethan's gaze finally lifted to meet hers.
Cold. Sharp. Distant.
"I already did."
Lila felt her chest tighten painfully.
"You think I would trap you with a child?" she asked, her voice breaking now, unable to hold together the dignity she had walked in with.
A flicker passed through his eyes—too quick to read.
"I think," he said slowly, "you should know your place."
The words landed harder than a slap.
Lila let out a shaky breath, her hand instinctively moving to her stomach. It was still flat. There was no visible proof yet of the life growing inside her.
But to her… it already meant everything.
"I wasn't even going to tell you," she whispered. "I just thought you deserved to know."
Ethan stood up then, buttoning his suit jacket with a calmness that made her feel even smaller.
"Now I do," he said. "And now I'm telling you to handle it."
Handle it.
Like it was nothing.
Like they were nothing.
Lila swallowed hard, blinking back the tears threatening to spill.
"Was it all a lie?" she asked. "Everything you said that night?"
For a moment—just a moment—silence stretched between them.
Then Ethan picked up his phone.
"I don't repeat myself, Lila."
That was her answer.
She didn't remember how she left the building.
Didn't remember how her legs carried her through the crowded streets, past strangers and noise and life that continued as if hers hadn't just fallen apart.
The only thing she remembered… was the rain.
Cold drops hitting her skin, soaking into her clothes, masking the tears she could no longer hold back.
Her hand rested protectively over her stomach.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, her voice lost in the storm. "I'm so sorry…"
A car sped past, splashing water at her feet.
Lila didn't move.
Didn't care.
Until—
"Miss! Watch out!"
Headlights.
Too bright.
Too fast.
Her body froze.
For a split second, everything went silent.
Then—
A sharp screech.
A hand grabbed her arm, yanking her backward just as the car missed her by inches.
Lila gasped, her heart slamming violently against her ribs.
"What's wrong with you? Do you want to die?" the stranger snapped, steadying her.
She couldn't answer.
Couldn't think.
Because just across the street…
A black car had stopped.
And inside it—
A pair of cold, familiar eyes were watching her.
Ethan.
Even from a distance, she could feel it.
That same unreadable gaze.
That same distance.
As if she was nothing more than a passing inconvenience.
Their eyes met for one brief, unbearable second.
Then—
The car drove off.
Just like that.
Five Years Later.
"Mommy, hurry!"
A small hand tugged at Lila's sleeve, pulling her back to the present.
Lila blinked, forcing a smile as she looked down at the little boy beside her.
"I'm coming, Leo," she said gently.
Leo beamed up at her, his bright eyes full of life—so much like…
No.
She pushed the thought away.
They stood in front of a tall glass building, its surface reflecting the city's skyline.
Blackwell Group.
Lila's fingers tightened slightly around Leo's hand.
Five years.
Five years since she left with nothing.
Five years since she swore she would never come back.
But life had other plans.
"Mommy," Leo said again, pointing excitedly toward the entrance. "Is this where you work now?"
Lila hesitated.
"…Yes."
Not a lie.
Not the full truth either.
As they stepped inside, the air shifted.
Cold.
Familiar.
Dangerous.
And then—
"Make way!"
A sudden commotion broke through the lobby.
Security moved quickly.
Staff straightened.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Lila's heart skipped.
She didn't need to turn around to know why.
But she did anyway.
And there he was.
Ethan Blackwell.
Still the same.
Still untouchable.
Still the man who once told her to erase her own child.
Leo's grip tightened around her hand.
"Mommy…" he whispered.
Lila's breath caught.
Because her son wasn't looking at her.
He was staring straight at Ethan.
Confusion flickering in his innocent eyes.
"…why does that man look like me?"why does that man look like me?"
The question hit like a gunshot in Lila's chest.
For a second, she forgot how to breathe.
Her fingers tightened instinctively around Leo's small hand, almost as if she could shield him from the truth just by holding on harder.
"Leo…" her voice came out strained, barely steady. "Don't say things like that."
But it was too late.
Because across the lobby—
Ethan Blackwell had stopped walking.
He wasn't supposed to notice.
Men like him didn't stop for anything Didn't care about anything.
Yet here he was… standing still.
Watching.
Lila's heart began to pound violently, each beat louder than the last.
No.
No, no, no…
Not now.
Not like this.
"Mommy, I didn't mean anything," Leo said softly, sensing the sudden change in her. "He just looks—"
"Leo."
This time, her voice was firmer.
Warning.
The boy fell quiet immediately, though his curious eyes still lingered on the man across the room.
Ethan's gaze had shifted.
Not on her.
But on the child.
Sharp. Focused. Searching.
Something unreadable flickered in his expression—something dangerous.
Lila felt it instantly.
That instinct.
That fear she had buried for five years clawing its way back to the surface.
He noticed.
Miss Monroe?"
A voice broke through the tension.
Lila flinched slightly, turning to see a woman approaching her with a polite smile.
"I'm from HR. You're here for the executive assistant position, right?"
Lila forced herself to nod.
"Yes."
"Please, come with me."
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
Her eyes flickered back to Ethan—
—and collided directly with his.Time stopped.
Five years disappeared in an instant.
She saw it all again.
The office.
The coldness.
The words that destroyed her.
Get rid of it.
Lila's breath hitched.
But this time…
She didn't look away first.
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Recognition.It was there.
Slow.
Dangerous.
Unavoidable.
"Mommy…" Leo whispered again, shifting closer to her leg.
Lila blinked, breaking the eye contact.
"Let's go," she said quickly, her voice low.
She turned before Ethan could take a single step toward them.
Before he could ask questions.
Before everything she had built came crashing down.But behind her—
Ethan didn't move.
Didn't speak.
He simply watched as the woman and the child disappeared down the corridor.
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Who was that?" one of his executives asked cautiously.
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on the empty space where they had just been.
Then, slowly—
"That woman…" he said, his voice low and cold, "find out everything about her."
A pause.And the child."
Upstairs, inside the elevator—
Lila finally let out the breath she had been holding.
Her hands were shaking.
She quickly knelt in front of Leo, cupping his face gently.
"Listen to me," she said softly, her eyes searching his. "No matter what happens… you must stay close to me, okay?"
Leo blinked, confused but obedient.
"Okay, Mommy… did I do something wrong?"
Her heart twisted painfully.
"No," she whispered, pulling him into into a tight hug. "You did nothing wrong."
It was never his fault.
It was never supposed to be like this.
As the elevator doors opened—
Lila stood up, her expression changing.
The softness vanished.
Replaced by something stronger.
Colder.
Determined.
If fate wanted to bring her back here…
Then she wouldn't run this time Downstairs—
Ethan finally turned away.
But something was off.
Something he couldn't ignore.
That child.
Those eyes.
That face.
Too familiar.
Too impossible.
And for the first time in years—
Ethan Blackwell felt something he couldn't control.