Chapter 3 - The Ambush
I woke up to the steady beeping of a fetal heart monitor.
The room was massive, bathed in warm light, and smelled of expensive lilies. I wasn't in a standard hospital ward; it was a luxury private medical suite.
The billionaire from the rain was sitting in a leather chair beside my bed, watching me with a fiercely protective gaze.
"My name is Julian Cross," he said softly, seeing the confusion in my eyes. "Twenty years ago, before I had a dime to my name, your mother saved my life. She hid me when the men hunting me came to collect. She asked for only one thing in return: that if you were ever in danger, I would protect you. I arrived in Minneapolis today, only to find out the man who swore to love you had thrown you onto the street."
Before I could process the magnitude of his words, the heavy oak doors of the private suite burst open.
Cole strode in, looking as polished and arrogant as ever, shaking the rain from his umbrella. Behind him walked his attorney, clutching a thick leather briefcase.
Cole didn't even notice Julian sitting in the shadowed corner of the massive room. He looked straight at me, a sickeningly smug smile twisting his lips.
"Well, Brooke," Cole said smoothly, walking toward the foot of my bed. "I told you not to make me look like the bad guy. But clearly, you can't even keep a roof over your head or care for yourself. The nurses downstairs said you were picked up off the side of the road like a stray."
I instinctively covered my stomach. "Get out, Cole."
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"Not without my heirs," he sneered. His attorney stepped forward, pulling a stack of legal documents from his briefcase. "These are emergency custody papers. Since you are currently unemployed, homeless, and a demonstrated risk to my unborn children, the court will grant me full custody the second they are born. Sign the surrender documents now, Brooke, and I'll make sure you get a nice little apartment somewhere."
Cole leaned closer, his voice dropping to a cruel whisper. "Brielle always wanted to be a mother anyway."
