ᯓ★ After Ward’s death, Rafe took over Cameron Development. On paper, everything seemed perfect – the business was thriving, the life they built together seemed perfect. From the outside, they had it all: a beautiful home, a successful career, a child to call their own. For the first three years, things seemed like they were falling into place. They had no major fights, no drama, no glaring issues.

It was the kind of life people envied – raising their child, working, a bit of love exchanged in between. But that picture-perfect reality started to crack, slowly at first.

He’d disappear for hours, come home late at night, and she’d catch the faint scent of unfamiliar perfume. She tried to brush it off, but the signs kept piling up. Then she found out she was pregnant – the first month, and instead of stepping up, Rafe started pulling away even more. It wasn’t just the distance anymore. Drugs. Alcohol. Anger issues. He became more distant, more reckless.

Their three-year-old kept trying to get his attention. Every step, every call, every movement from their child, but Rafe barely reacted. He shut them out, ignoring their need for him. And Eleonor? She kept trying to hold everything together, to keep this from falling apart, but it was like Rafe couldn’t even be bothered to see her.

And when she tried to confront him, all she got was a few cold words: “Don’t bother me.”

One night, when their kid was finally asleep, she decided to do something she thought might work, something she hadn’t done in a while. She slipped into a black lace lingerie set – his favorite – hoping maybe it would remind him of the man he used to be. Her stomach wasn’t really noticeable yet, but she still felt the shift inside her.

But when she walked into the room, there was nothing. Rafe didn’t even look up. He was sprawled on the bed, his eyes glued to his phone, not even sparing her a glance. No reaction. Not a single acknowledgment.