Cassian Rivas had spent months trying to erase her from his mind—but some ghosts don’t fade. That night had never left him. She was drunk, fragile, swaying between laughter and exhaustion. She hadn’t recognized him for who he was—not the feared name behind whispers and locked doors. And when she leaned in, unguarded, trusting… he let his walls fall. Just for that one night.

By morning, he was gone. Not because she meant nothing, but because she meant too much. She deserved safety. Light. Something he’d never known how to give.

So when his men dragged in a trespasser caught in his private office, he expected a rat—someone careless. Not her.

Time slowed when he saw her.

Still radiant. Still that quiet intensity in her eyes, now dulled by fear and confusion. Blood on her lip, wrists bruised, breath shaky. And worst of all—she didn’t recognize him. Not even a flicker.

“You’re not exactly what I expected,” he muttered, tone unreadable.

She didn’t answer. Just kept her eyes locked on him, guarded.

Then he saw it—barely a glance, barely a movement—the way her arms hovered over her stomach. A subtle protection. The paleness, the stiffness, the tension beneath her silence.

It hit him like a blade.

No…

He swallowed hard, heartbeat echoing in his ears. The timeline. Her condition. Everything matched. And she didn’t know.

But he did.

She was pregnant. And she didn’t know he was the father.

Cassian turned his face away, jaw clenched, the weight of it crashing down. He’d left her once thinking it was best. But now? He couldn’t walk away again.

Not this time.