While I was bleeding out in a hospital bed, my best friend—Ariel—stepped into my place and married him instead, keeping the Caldwin name clean and their empire stable.
When I finally woke up, I learned the truth: Magnus was already married.
The guilt in his eyes was real when he realized I hadn’t run away from him. I hadn’t abandoned him. I hadn’t betrayed him.
So I told him, straight to his face, to divorce Ariel and marry me like he was supposed to.
He refused.
“Don’t do this, Lyra,” Magnus said, his voice tight. “Ariel did what she had to. She protected the family. Do you know what it would look like if I threw her out immediately?”
“And what about me?” I demanded.
His gaze softened. “One year,” he promised. “Give me one year. Then I’ll divorce her and make you mine.”
I believed him.
I shouldn’t have, but I did.
Before that year was even over, he came to me with a request that made my stomach drop.
“Lyra… Ariel wants a baby before she leaves,” Magnus said.
I stared at him. “Before she leaves? What are you talking about?”
He rubbed a hand over his jaw like he hated himself. “Her grandparents. They’re dying. They want to see a grandchild. It’s their last wish.”