When Adrian Vale walked into the mansion that afternoon, he was thinking about flowers.

Not because he cared about flowers.

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But because his mother had cared about them, and the woman waiting for him in white had insisted that the wedding arrangements had to be perfect.

White roses.

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Gold details.

Champagne-colored tablecloths.

Everything polished, controlled, expensive.

This was the kind of life Adrian had spent years learning to survive in.

Then the doors opened.

And he forgot all the thoughts he’d had.

A pregnant maid was kneeling in the middle of the cream-colored carpet, orange juice dripping from her hair, her face, and her uniform.

One hand was pressed against the floor.

The other was wrapped protectively over her belly, as if she believed the entire room was out to harm what she carried inside.

On the sofa behind her sat Victoria.

Elegant in her white suit.

Furious.

Holding an empty glass, still trembling in her hand.

For a full second, Adrian didn’t understand what he was seeing.

Then the maid looked up.

And Adrian’s heart nearly stopped.

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“Elena?”

Her eyes instantly filled with tears.

She had disappeared seven months ago.

She had vanished from the estate in the middle of the night, according to Victoria.

She hadn’t left a letter, according to Victoria.

She had stolen money, according to Victoria.

She had lost the baby before leaving, according to Victoria.

Adrian had believed that last lie because it had devastated him so much that thinking about any other possibility had become impossible.

Now Elena was kneeling on the floor in front of him, heavily pregnant, trembling, humiliated, and trying not to fall apart.

Victoria paled.

“It’s not what it looks like…”

Adrian didn’t even hear her properly.

He went straight to Elena and fell to his knees in front of her.

“You told me she was gone,” he said, but he was looking at Elena, not Victoria. “You told me she lost the baby.”

Elena’s mouth trembled.

The juice continued to drip onto the carpet in small, glistening drops.

She looked at him as if she wanted to trust what she was seeing, but still didn’t know if she had permission to do so.

“Adrian…” she whispered.

It was the first time he had heard his name in her voice after so many months.

Behind them, Victoria placed the empty glass on the table with excessive care.

“She came here to cause a scene,” she said quickly. “You have no idea what she’s been saying to the staff.”

“Stop it.”

Adrian’s voice was low.

It wasn’t loud.

It wasn’t theatrical.

It was just broken in a way that made the room feel colder.

Elena’s breathing became ragged.

She was still protecting her stomach with one hand.

Adrian noticed that first.

Then he noticed the bruise near her wrist.

Then he noticed that when he moved just a little closer, she startled.

Not because of him.

But because of the sudden movement itself.

Something dark opened up inside him.

“Why didn’t you come to me?” he asked gently.

Elena let out a short laugh, but it came out broken.

“Come to you?”

Victoria took a step forward.

“Adrian, he’s manipulating you.”

This time, he did look at Victoria.

Just for a second.

But what she saw on his face made her stop walking.

Elena wiped her cheek with trembling fingers, but only managed to spread the juice further.

“I tried,” she said. “Twice.”

Adrian froze.

“What?”

She swallowed hard.

“The first time, the guard at the entrance told me you didn’t want to see me.” Her voice trembled. “The second time, I brought a letter.”

Adrian turned sharply toward Victoria.

Victoria’s lips parted slightly.

“He’s lying.”

But Elena was already crying.

It was the kind of crying she had held back for too long, finally finding a crack through which to escape.

“She came to the servants’ quarters the night you left for Milan,” Elena said, no longer looking at Victoria, only at Adrian. “She told me you already knew about the baby. She told me you were ashamed. She told me that if I stayed, I would ruin your life.”

Adrian’s face slowly drained of color.

Victoria stepped back.

“Elena…”

“No,” Elena said.

It was a quiet word, but