13.

After two days

Liam's POV

I hadn’t slept in days. Not because I cared, but because I couldn’t afford to let things spiral out of control. Vera disappearing was an inconvenience, a disruption I didn’t need in the middle of an already chaotic mess. The business was on the brink of a crucial deal, and Evelyn’s pregnancy had been the final nail in the coffin.

Vera. I tried to push her out of my mind, but it was impossible. She haunted me in ways I hated to admit. She was supposed to be a solution—a replacement after Evelyn’s betrayal. I had convinced myself I could fall out of love with her, bury whatever pathetic feelings I’d had. But no matter how much I tried, she was everywhere.

Not now, though. Now, she’d gone M.I.A., leaving me to deal with the wreckage of this damn mess alone.

I strode into the hospital, the sterile smell grating on my nerves. People scurried out of my way as I made my way to the VIP wing. They always did. My presence had that effect—commanding, intimidating. I thrived on it. It reminded me that control was still mine, even when everything else felt like it was falling apart.

When I entered Evelyn’s room, I didn’t bother with pleasantries. She looked up from the bed, her face pale and tear-streaked. The sight of her disgusted me.

"You didn’t tell me," I said, my voice sharp and cold. "Why?"

She flinched, her hands twisting in the blanket. "Daniel, I—"

"Spare me the excuses," I cut her off, stepping closer. "You’re pregnant, Evelyn. You hid it from me. You don’t get to play the victim here."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and for a brief moment, I felt a flicker of satisfaction. Let her cry. She deserved it.

"I didn’t know how to tell you," she said, her voice breaking.

"Try harder," I snapped. "What the hell does that even mean? You’re pregnant, Evelyn. That’s not something you just hide."

Her lip trembled, and she looked away, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Because I wasn’t sure if it was yours."

The words hit me like a slap, but I refused to show it. I clenched my jaw, my fists curling at my sides as I forced myself to stay calm.

"Say that again," I said, my tone deadly quiet.

She looked back at me, tears streaming down her face. "I wasn’t sure," she repeated, barely able to get the words out. "I was already seeing someone else, Daniel. A model. It was stupid, I know. But I didn’t know if the baby was yours or his."

My laughter was bitter, hollow. "So, while I was busy trying to clean up your messes, you were screwing someone else behind my back?"

"It wasn’t like that!" she cried, her voice desperate. "I didn’t mean for it to happen. It was a mistake, Daniel. A stupid mistake. But I had the tests done. The baby is yours. I swear it."

I stared at her, my chest burning with a rage I hadn’t felt in years. "And you expect me to just believe you? After everything you’ve done?"

"I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness," she sobbed, reaching out to me, but I stepped back, out of her reach.

"Forgiveness?" I sneered. "You think I’m here to forgive you? Don’t be ridiculous, Evelyn. I don’t care about you, and I sure as hell don’t care about your tears."

She broke down completely, her sobs echoing in the sterile room. I watched her, unmoved. This was the woman I had once planned to marry, the woman who had destroyed everything with her lies and betrayal.

"You listen to me," I said, my voice cold and controlled. "I’ll take care of this child because it’s mine. But you? You’re nothing to me now. Don’t think for a second that this changes anything between us."

She nodded, her body shaking with sobs. "I’m sorry," she whispered.

"Sorry doesn’t fix this," I snapped.

Without another word, I turned and left the room. Her cries followed me down the hallway, but I didn’t look back.

This was just another problem to deal with, another mess to clean up. But Vera—she was different. She wasn’t supposed to matter, but she did.

And now, she was gone.

I gritted my teeth as I stepped outside, the cold air biting against my skin. She was the one thing I couldn’t control, the one person I couldn’t predict. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t find her.

Because Vera was mine. And I wasn’t about to lose her too.

I stood outside the hospital, the cold air biting at my skin. My mind raced, but my expression remained composed, detached. I couldn’t afford to crumble—not here, not now. Emotions were for fools, and I’d learned long ago that they only made you weak.

Evelyn’s tears, her apologies, her pathetic pleas for forgiveness—they meant nothing to me. She had played her games and lost. The only reason I didn’t cut her out completely was because of the child. My child. If she had lied about that, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

But Vera...

She wasn’t supposed to matter. She was supposed to be a placeholder, a solution to a problem I didn’t create but had to fix. And yet, she’d wormed her way into my thoughts, into my life, in ways I hated to admit.

I lit a cigarette, the familiar burn calming me as I stared out at the city. Where the hell had she gone? Vera wasn’t impulsive, not like Evelyn. She didn’t storm off without reason. But she’d disappeared, and no one—not Cecily, not her family—seemed to know where she was. Or maybe they were just too scared to tell me.

Good. They should be scared.

I exhaled a cloud of smoke, the bitterness in my chest refusing to ease. Vera had been crying when she left. Her words replayed in my head like a broken record. You’re only making it harder for me. I need time.

Time for what? To run away? To wallow in her feelings like a child? I had given her everything—my name, my protection, my damn patience. And yet, it was never enough.

But I couldn’t let this go on. She didn’t get to leave. Not when I still needed her.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. The line rang twice before a familiar voice answered.

"Mr. Hart?"

"Find her," I ordered, my tone leaving no room for argument. "I don’t care how long it takes or how much it costs. Just find her."

"Understood."

I hung up without another word, shoving the phone back into my pocket.

Vera thought she could just walk away from this, from me. But she’d underestimated how far I was willing to go to keep what was mine. She didn’t get to make decisions—not about this marriage, not about anything.

I’d built my entire life on control, on power. And I wasn’t about to let her take that away from me.

The cigarette burned down to the filter, and I dropped it onto the pavement, crushing it under my shoe. My thoughts were sharper now, my resolve solidified.

Vera could run, but she couldn’t hide. Not from me.

And when I found her, she’d see exactly what it meant to defy me.