Chapter 16

The screams echoing through the alley weren't Vivian's. They belonged to Julian Blackthorn.

"What the hell just happened?" His goons exchanged nervous glances.

Five minutes later, Vivian emerged unscathed. She rolled her shoulders, her face an unreadable mask. Not a single hair out of place.

"Done?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah. Been a while since I had to do that." Vivian cracked her knuckles. "Took me two extra seconds. Getting rusty."

Sophia snorted. "Rusty? That bastard screamed like you were skinning him alive! Is he even breathing?"

"Probably." Vivian turned icy eyes toward the trembling men. "Get your boss to a hospital if you want him to keep doing that."

The goons didn't need telling twice. They scrambled away, dragging their whimpering leader between them.

Sophia wasn't surprised. When she and Oliver had been kidnapped years ago, Vivian had taken down ten armed men single-handedly. That was when they'd first seen the lethal skills hidden beneath her polished society demeanor.

Now? They were numb to it.

Their boss was Arthur Lockhart's granddaughter, after all. Anyone expecting a helpless damsel was a fool.

The Hunts had clearly been blind.

"Viv, I spent years worrying marriage would soften you." Sophia clinked their glasses. "Turns out you're still the apex predator."

Vivian's laugh was light. "To freedom."

No more pretending to be Nathaniel Blackwood's perfect wife. No more wondering what kind of woman he preferred.

She was free.

The next morning found Vivian at an exclusive clinic early.

This place guaranteed absolute discretion. No one would ever know about the pregnancy. Or the termination.

It would be like this child never existed.

As the appointment time neared, Vivian's pulse raced. Her knuckles whitened around the chair arms.

'Just one small procedure,' she told herself. 'Then everything goes back to normal.'

"Isabella Lockhart?" A nurse called.

Vivian stood on unsteady legs.

The doctor scanned her chart with clinical detachment. "No contraindications. We can proceed immediately if you're certain."

"I am."

"Change into this, then we'll begin." The doctor hesitated. "Have you reviewed your file? Do you understand how unusual this pregnancy is?"