The failed escape attempt changed everything.
Alexander no longer pretended. The next morning, two new security guards appeared on the island — quiet, professional men who stayed at a distance but never let me out of their sight. The boat remained docked and locked. The satellite phone I had used was gone when I checked the hidden spot.
He had found it.
I sat on the edge of the bed that morning, staring at my hands resting on my pregnant belly. The rose-gold collar felt like it was choking me. Alexander stood by the window, watching the ocean, his broad shoulders tense under his white shirt.
“You tried to run,” he said quietly, without turning around. “With my children. After everything I’ve given you.”
His voice was calm, but I heard the hurt underneath. The same man who had killed f
