lone in the cavernous bedroom, her knuckles wh

er dripping from his dark hair onto his collarbones. He walked pa

ore cutting than any insult. She was n

led a document from his desk drawer and tosse

title read: Strict Pre

ded that, from this day forward, she must submit to his absolute control over her diet

onitored prenatal checkups with Dr. Conner -the only doctor Julian

my entire existence? Treat me like a prisoner in my own body?" The irony tasted like

grandmother's health is fragile. She is looking forward to t

s not Julian's true motive. It was just an excuse, an unassailable reason to keep her under his thumb,

ft level. "Or your father, back in Ohio, can spend the res

carpenter, had faced an audit years ago over some messy bookkeeping. Julian

und it chilled her to the bone. She had no choice. She had to p

and signed her name. Each letter felt

gave it a satisfied glance, an

arrived with an armful of designer maternity w

ou. You'd better 'play' your part as the perfect, glowing mother-to-be well. We wouldn't want to disappoint Grandma, wo

door in her face. She stared at her pale reflection

from Hamza. Everything ok

ling some family matters. It'll be over s

age play, and she was th

silent, Carly would lock her bedr

unicated with Hamza, receiving preli

es of complex data and equations, her mind absorbing the information with breatht

then scrubbed the comput

pregnancy drama for a husband who didn't know the truth. By night, she was A

den, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, bu