Hazel Rogers never imagined her mother’s failing heart would force her into the arms of a stranger. With hospital bills piling up and no time left, she signs a desperate contract— as a surrogate for a billionaire who she doesn’t know. Ace Milan is cold, calculated, and devastatingly powerful, a man who built his empire on control and keeps  his heart locked behind a fortress. Hazel is just a transaction to him. But when a scary accident forces her to move into his home, the lines blur. He becomes cruel, unpredictable—testing her limits with sharp words and colder actions. Yet beneath his ice is something else, something broken, watching her with eyes that never quite soften. As her pregnancy progresses, Hazel stumbles upon whispers of the woman who came before her—the first surrogate. The one who vanished. No one speaks of her, and Ace refuses to explain. But the house holds secrets. Locked rooms. Late-night phone calls. Half-truths wrapped in charm. And suddenly, the child inside Hazel becomes more than a contract—it becomes a target. Torn between protecting the life growing inside her and uncovering the truth about the man she’s starting to feel dangerously drawn to, Hazel is forced to make a choice. Walk away before she ends up like the last surrogate… or risk everything to unravel the darkness Ace has spent his life hiding. One thing is clear—nothing in this arrangement is what it seems. And some secrets are buried deep for a reason.

  The words come out before I even mean to say them. I feel like someone is hitting my head with a hammer, and every throb sends a sharp pain around the back of my head.


  What even happened to me? I rub my eyes trying to remember and then I look at my surroundings. The bed is king-sized. I'm in a highly furnished room. 


  The walls stretch high, pale, almost pink with light spilling from sleek sconces. There's no clock, no familiar clutter—just luxury in every corner had beautifully draped curtains. The colors of the walls were peach with a mix of pink. This practically looks like a princess's room.


  I don't remember coming here. Didn't remember anything past… the hospital. 


  I was ambushed by the paparazzi at the hospital and I must have passed out. I can remember what happened last the cameras and pushing. But this doesn't still make any sense. This bed isn't mine.


Chapter 15 - Chapter 15