When Eva returned to her car, hell broke loose.
The moment the door slammed shut behind her, the tears she'd been holding in burst free like a dam breaking. Her sobs echoed in the confined space, loud and raw, the kind that came from deep within a broken heart. Her shoulders trembled as she wept uncontrollably, her vision blurring with each blink.
Out of anger and devastation, she yanked the pregnancy scan from her lap and hurled it into her handbag.
"I was such a fool," she cried. "A very big fool!"
She slammed her fists onto the steering wheel again and again until the pain began to sting her knuckles. Her long, glossy hair tousled over her face, some strands sticking to the tears on her cheeks as she gasped for air between sobs.
She and Nathan had dated for two years before he finally proposed. And now, on what was supposed to be their first wedding anniversary—a day she had planned to surprise him with news that would change their lives forever—she discovered his infidelity. His betrayal.
Somehow, she was glad she hadn't told him about the pregnancy. That news would never be his to claim.
Eva's heart ached, like it was being crushed under a boot. Exhausted, she leaned back against the seat, placing a hand on her belly. She was only two months pregnant—no bump yet, but the feeling of life growing inside her grounded her.
"I'll try my best to be a good mother to you," she whispered, voice still shaking. "No matter what happens, no one will harm you. I'll protect you with everything I have."
Her hand moved gently over her flat stomach, as if to shield it already from the pain of the world.
After a few long moments, Eva wiped the tears from her cheeks, dug into her handbag, and pulled out a lip gloss. She retouched her makeup in the rearview mirror, dabbing away the emotional mess and reapplying the mask of composure she'd worn so many times before.
Eva was wealthy. If she had to be a single mother, so be it. She had money. She'd leave the city and raise her baby on her own terms. There was no future with a man who couldn't keep his pants zipped.
Once she was satisfied with her reflection, she started the car and drove home—back to the mansion she had once walked into with joy but now wanted to leave as soon as possible.
When she stepped into the bedroom she shared with Nathan, a wave of cold silence hit her. The place that once held laughter, love, and warmth now felt cold, like a graveyard of broken promises.
She stared at their bed.
How many times had they used that same bed to betray her while she wasn't around?
Disgust clawed at her throat.
Tearing her gaze away, she opened their shared closet and began packing quickly. She couldn't take everything, but she made sure to grab the essentials.
Before leaving the room, she paused, slipped off her wedding ring, and placed it silently on the vanity table. A symbol of their love reduced to a cold circle of metal.
Tears threatened again, but she blinked them back.
This was the end.
Dragging her suitcase behind her, Eva walked past the silent servants, who watched with wide, curious eyes but said nothing. Her footsteps echoed in the hall as she disappeared.
She got into her car and headed toward her parents' home. The Montclair mansion was located on the outskirts of the city—nearly an hour's drive—but that was fine. The distance was perfect. She needed to be far away from Nathan and the betrayal that had shattered her heart.
The road was quiet since it was already getting late. The streets were nearly empty. Her tires hummed against the asphalt, the silence broken only by the soft music playing through her speakers.
And then—it happened.
Her car jolted forward violently, the result of an impact from behind.
Eva's brows furrowed. She glanced into her rearview mirror and saw a black SUV following closely behind. Too close.
She switched lanes. The SUV followed.
She did it again—same result.
Her heart pounded. This wasn't just reckless driving. This was deliberate.
The SUV sped up, overtaking her, then stopped ahead—blocking the road completely.
Eva's stomach dropped.
A man stepped out of the vehicle. He wore a black leather jacket and a cowboy hat. His shirt, once white, was now brown-stained and wrinkled. Something about him screamed danger.
Eva locked her doors immediately. Thankfully, her windows were tinted, giving her the smallest advantage. He couldn't see her clearly.
He walked up to the driver's side and motioned for her to roll down the window.
She didn't move.
His face twisted with irritation. He reached for the door handle and yanked hard.
Eva threw the car in reverse, intending to flee—but the moment she did, her rear bumper slammed into something else. Another vehicle.
She was trapped.
Another man exited the rear car and handed the first one a crowbar.
Eva's breath hitched. Her hand trembled as it reached for her phone, but it was too late.
The crowbar crashed against the driver's window. Shards of glass exploded inward.
Screaming, Eva tried to fight them off, but two of the men had already reached in, unbuckled her, and began dragging her out of the car.
"Let me go! HELP!" she shouted, her voice raw with panic.
"If you'd just come out like I told you to," the cowboy-hat man growled, "We would've been nice."
Eva bit one of the men holding her. He yelped and dropped her.
Pain shot through her abdomen as she hit the ground, hard. She clutched her belly instinctively, gasping through the ache.
"Why'd you drop her, idiot?!"
"She bit me!"
"Useless."
The five men swarmed her. Eva, adrenaline rushing through her, fought them with every ounce of strength she had left.
She punched one square in the jaw—his teeth clattered to the ground like dice.
She landed a brutal kick to another's groin. He folded instantly.
But she was tired.
She searched for the man in a black leather jacket when—
CRACK.
Something hard hit the back of her head.
The world tilted. Her vision blurred.
Her knees buckled.
The last thing she saw before the darkness swallowed her was the glint of the crowbar and the man in the leather jacket barking an order.
"What are you waiting for?! Take her to the car!"