---- Chapter 10 Derek Gomez POV: Cory grabbed my arm as | headed for the door, her nails digging into my sleeve. "Don't you dare walk out on me, Derek! Not today!" Her voice, usually a seductive purr, was now a shrill, grating whine. It was the last thing | could handle right now. My entire world was tilting on its axis, and all she could think about was herself. "Let go of me, Cory," | said, my voice dangerously low. "No!" she insisted, her eyes flashing. "She's probably just being dramatic, trying to punish you. She doesn't care about this wedding as much as you think. Stay with me. I'll make you forget all about her." She pressed herself against me, her hands starting to unbutton my shirt. The scent of her perfume, once intoxicating, now just made me feel sick. | completely lost my temper. | slapped her hand away, the sound echoing in the silent room. "Get this through your head," | snarled, my face inches from hers. "You are nothing. You were a distraction, a toy. You are not, and will never be, in the same league as Elaina." ---- She stared at me, her mouth agape, her eyes wide with disbelief and hurt. "But... you said you loved me. You said she was boring." | laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. "You actually believed the things a man says in bed? How naive are you? Elaina Higgins is going to be my wife. She is the mother of my future children. You? You were a temporary amusement. That's all." Tears welled in her eyes, and for a moment, | almost felt a flicker of pity. Then | remembered the call she had made to Elaina, the malicious taunts, and the pity vanished, replaced by cold fury. "Now, if you'll excuse me," | said, turning to leave. "Wait!" she cried, her voice cracking. She fumbled in her purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "You can't leave me. You can't." She thrust the paper at me. It was a lab report. A pregnancy test. Positive. "I'm pregnant, Derek," she whispered, her eyes pleading. "It's yours. You told me you wanted a family, that Elaina was taking too long. Well, here it is. Our family." The floor seemed to drop out from under me. Pregnant. The word slammed into my brain, stunning me into silence. This couldn't be happening. Not now. "It's not mine," | said automatically, the denial tasting like ash ---- in my mouth. "| was careful." "Accidents happen," she said, a glimmer of hope returning to her eyes. "This is a sign, Derek. We're meant to be together." She reached out and placed my hand on her flat stomach. The contact made my skin crawl. "Our baby, Derek. You can't just walk away from our baby." My mind was reeling. A baby. A child with Cory would be a complication, a mess. But a child with Elaina... that was my dream. But Elaina wasn't pregnant. Cory was. A cold, calculating part of my brain took over. If Elaina found out about this, she would leave me for good. | couldn't let that happen. | had to contain this. | had to fix this. "Who else knows about this?" | asked, my voice calm, belying the storm raging inside me. Her face lit up. She thought | was considering it. "No one. Just you and me. | wanted it to be our secret." | let out a breath | didn't realize I'd been holding. "Good." | pulled my hand away from her stomach. "Get rid of it," | said, my voice flat and devoid of emotion. The hope in her eyes died, replaced by utter shock. "What?" "I'll give you a million dollars," | said, the words cold and clinical. "Take the money, have an abortion, and disappear. You will never contact me or my family again." ---- Her face crumpled. "No... Derek, you can't mean that. This is your child!" "| don't want a child with you," | said, the words as cruel as a blade. "The only woman | want to have a child with is Elaina. You are not fit to be the mother of my heir." The word "heir" hung in the air between us, ugly and transactional. She understood then. It was never about love. It was about status, lineage, perfection. And she would never fit into that perfect picture. She started to laugh, a hysterical, broken sound that grated on my nerves. "You think she's so perfect? You are a fool, Derek Gomez. An absolute fool." "Shut up," | warned, my patience wearing thin. "You don't deserve her!" she shrieked, her face twisted with rage and despair. "And I'm going to make sure she knows exactly what kind of monster you are! I'll tell her everything! About us, about the baby, about every single thing you said about her!" A red mist descended over my vision. | saw my future-my perfect life with Elaina-slipping through my fingers, all because of this hysterical woman. | lunged for her. | grabbed her by the throat, shoving her against the wall. "You will say nothing," | growled, my fingers tightening around her ---- neck. "If you so much as breathe a word of this to anyone, | will destroy you. Do you understand me?" She clawed at my hands, her eyes wide with terror, her face turning a dusky purple. She finally understood. For Elaina, | was capable of anything. | held her there for a moment longer, making sure my message was received. Then, | released her. She slumped to the floor, gasping for air, sobs racking her body. | turned and walked out the door without a backward glance, leaving the wreckage of my own making behind me. | had a bride to find.