CASSANDRA
I’d been avoiding Derek for days, ever since that damn sonogram machine showed up at Silverclaw. But now, I was ready.
The next move in my plan was already in motion, and if I’d learned anything about Derek King over the years, it was that he couldn’t help but rush toward someone who looked like they needed saving. Especially if it was me.
I pulled up to the Silverclaw estate midmorning, dressed carefully in soft cream and a wrap sweater that made me look as delicate as porcelain. Understated makeup. Flushed cheeks. I even dusted lavender beneath my eyes for that perfect “I haven’t been sleeping, but I’m soldiering on” effect.
Because the fake pregnancy? It had an expiration date.
But a loss? That would bind him to me in a way nothing else could. If he wouldn’t marry me for
