Miscarried His Baby, Liquidated His Assets - Chapter 1: Chapter 1

For seven years, I carried on a secret affair with Finn Brooks. Just as I dared to hope we might finally step into the light, his "one true love" sent him a medical report: kidney failure.
Without so much as a goodbye, Finn packed his bags and flew halfway across the world to bring her home.
That Best Actress nomination with my name practically engraved on it? Gone. Reassigned to her by Finn's command before the ink was dry.
My hands shook as I dialed his number. He cut me off before I could form a complete sentence.
"Darcie's dying, for Christ's sake! Must you be this selfish? It's just a stupid award - you'll get others!" His voice turned ragged with emotion. "She lost a kidney saving me from kidnappers. I owe her my life. Every second counts now. We'll make our announcement after she recovers, okay?"
The line went dead. I sat there staring at my phone, the absurdity of it all pressing down on me like a physical weight.
He didn't know about my family's ultimatum: Win Best Actress by 28 or return home to marry their chosen groom.
Then Finn made his big announcement official - his longtime girlfriend was pregnant. Under his gushing post tagging Darcie Bennett, I tapped 'like' and typed with numb fingers: [Wishing you a long and happy life together.]
My phone rang before I could set it down.
"Faith!" Finn's voice exploded through the café, sharp enough to cut glass. "What the hell was that supposed to mean?"
"Darcie's fighting for her life and just wants to keep this baby! Is it a crime to show support?" His breathing came in angry bursts. "Going public with her changes nothing between us! Why would you post that and upset her?"
I looked down at the IV taped to my hand. Yesterday's high-wire stunt had gone wrong. I'd lost the baby - our baby - before ever telling him. Then I saw his announcement.
A white-hot pain lanced through my chest. My fingers curled into fists.
"Finn, we're done."
His laugh was ice-cold. "What's your move besides empty threats? Every role, every endorsement - you think those fell in your lap by magic?" The cruelty in his voice grew sharper. "You're 28 now, Faith Harper. Not that bright-eyed 21-year-old I plucked from nowhere. Who else would even look at you?"
He wasn't finished. "I never said I didn't want you. Just be patient. After Darcie has the baby, we'll marry. You're not losing anything here. Tell me - how exactly have I wronged you?"
Seven years. Seven years of standing in his shadow, never claimed, never acknowledged. I'd given him my youth from twenty-one to now. He wanted a docile pet - I gave him wildfire. At first he'd called it enchanting, said I burned brighter than anyone. Now...
My silence made him snap. "You want to break up? Fine. But mark my words - by tonight you'll be crawling back, begging me to take you."
A whimper came through the line - Darcie crying in her sleep - then dead air.
I ripped out the IV, grabbed my jacket, and walked out of that hospital without a backward glance.
My fingers trembled as I dialed a number I hadn't touched in years. "Archie... want to go get a marriage license?"
Tires screeched through the phone like he'd just fishtailed off a racetrack. There was a chaotic clatter, then his breathless voice: "Get it? I'll get it right fucking now! I don't care if my plane crashes - I'll marry you today. Faith Harper, I've waited eight goddamn years. Try to back out now and see what happens!"
I drew a shuddering breath, tears burning behind my eyes but refusing to fall. "If you don't show, you're a dog."
Finn's influence among Dallas's elite moved like a guillotine. Within minutes, I was stripped bare - every endorsement reassigned to Darcie. Tabloids exploded with stories painting me as the homewrecking mistress who'd destroyed their "epic seven-year love story."
Seven years ago, I'd fled to the city alone, running from an arranged marriage. Nearly got trafficked as a club girl. Finn had been the one to pull me from that hell. Now...