Hazel Rogers never imagined her mother’s failing heart would force her into the arms of a stranger. With hospital bills piling up and no time left, she signs a desperate contract— as a surrogate for a billionaire who she doesn’t know. Ace Milan is cold, calculated, and devastatingly powerful, a man who built his empire on control and keeps  his heart locked behind a fortress. Hazel is just a transaction to him. But when a scary accident forces her to move into his home, the lines blur. He becomes cruel, unpredictable—testing her limits with sharp words and colder actions. Yet beneath his ice is something else, something broken, watching her with eyes that never quite soften. As her pregnancy progresses, Hazel stumbles upon whispers of the woman who came before her—the first surrogate. The one who vanished. No one speaks of her, and Ace refuses to explain. But the house holds secrets. Locked rooms. Late-night phone calls. Half-truths wrapped in charm. And suddenly, the child inside Hazel becomes more than a contract—it becomes a target. Torn between protecting the life growing inside her and uncovering the truth about the man she’s starting to feel dangerously drawn to, Hazel is forced to make a choice. Walk away before she ends up like the last surrogate… or risk everything to unravel the darkness Ace has spent his life hiding. One thing is clear—nothing in this arrangement is what it seems. And some secrets are buried deep for a reason.

 I nearly broke the door off its hinges. She had slammed the door against her as she entered. She was looking at me like I'd murdered her peace—and maybe I did. But she wasn't innocent either.


 "You need to calm down," I said, breathing tight. "You're not thinking straight."


 "Oh, I'm calm," she snapped. "This is me being calm."


 Her voice cracked, just a little. Not enough to break her front. But I caught it.


 I ran my hands through my hair, pacing. "Just hear me out for once. I'm not your enemy, Hazel."


 She laughed. Dry. Bitter. "That's rich coming from the man who keeps me locked in like a prisoner."


 I stopped pacing. "I'm trying to protect you."


 I stepped closer. "From anything that puts my child at risk."


 She froze at that. Her eyes narrowed. "Your child."


 "You mean the baby growing inside me. In my body. While I'm stuck here, away from everything I know, because you said so."


Chapter 34 - Chapter 34