Chapter 1 - The Sound on the Marble
The first sound Nathan heard was not a scream.
It was crystal breaking.
By the time he pushed through the tall wooden doors of the Hartwell mansion, the foyer had gone deathly quiet. Warm wall sconces glowed against cream-paneled walls. The black-and-white marble floor reflected pieces of shattered crystal scattered near the glass console table.
And on that floor, curled on her side in a beige dress, was his pregnant wife.
Olivia’s blonde hair had come loose from its elegant bun. One hand covered her belly. The other pressed against the cold marble as she tried to breathe through tears.
Standing over her was Scarlett Hartwell.
Red hair. Burgundy dress. Black heels.
One heel was planted inches beside Olivia’s belly, pressing down on the edge of her beige dress fabric.
Nathan froze.
Behind him, Eleanor Hartwell stopped in the doorway and covered her mouth.
Scarlett turned sharply, her face still burning with rage.
For one second, nobody spoke.
Then Olivia whispered, “Please… don’t come closer.”
Nathan’s eyes dropped to Scarlett’s heel.
Then to Olivia’s trembling hands.
Then back to Scarlett.
His voice came out low and cold.
“Move your foot.”
Scarlett blinked, as if offended that he had chosen Olivia’s fear over her explanation.
“Nathan, you don’t understand—”
“Move,” he said.
Slowly, Scarlett pulled her foot back.
Olivia flinched anyway.
That flinch changed Nathan’s face.
It stripped away confusion, fear, and denial, leaving only something harder.
Scarlett lifted her hands like she was innocent. “She fell. She’s dramatic. She always does this when she wants attention.”
Olivia swallowed, eyes wet and terrified.
“She locked the doors,” she whispered.
Eleanor made a broken sound behind Nathan.
Scarlett’s face went pale.
Nathan stepped between Scarlett and Olivia, blocking his wife completely.
May you like
He looked at the shattered crystal, the locked foyer, the heel mark on Olivia’s dress, and the woman he had married into.
Then he said, “Step away from my wife.”
