Ex-husband, Get out!

Chapter 1

Pregnant and clutching my test results, I was on my way to find Logan Brooks when a landslide hit.

My car was buried under rubble, and for two days, I sat in silence, trapped and helpless, until my phone finally caught a signal. With the last of my strength, I dialed Logan's number.

A woman answered.

"Logan's busy. Who is this?"

It was his ex, Rebecca Amore.

When I didn't respond, I heard her turn to him.

"Do you know this number?"

Then came Logan's cold voice.

"No."

I stared at my phone in disbelief.

Before I could process it, a thunderous crash roared overhead, rocks came tumbling down, and everything went black.

Just before I lost consciousness, I heard sirens in the distance.

Good thing I didn't only call Logan.

When I woke up in the hospital, I was weak, but relieved, the baby was still safe.

On the day I was discharged, I passed by the room next door and froze.

Logan was inside, gently feeding Rebecca soup, his eyes soft and careful.

We'd been together for five years. Not once had he ever looked at me like that.

It hit me like a punch to the gut, he wasn't incapable of tenderness. He just never wanted to waste it on me.

A dull ache spread through my chest. I slipped the folded pregnancy report into my pocket.

Logan doesn't need to know about the baby.

I'd raise this child on my own. I didn't want anything more to do with him.

But just as I turned to leave, Logan spotted me.

He stepped out of the ward, carefully closing the door behind him as if shielding Rebecca from my view.

"What are you doing here?"

His tone was sharp, suspicious.

He didn't ask if I was okay. Didn't notice how pale and frail I looked, how I could barely stand.

"None of your business," I said, my voice steady.

Logan blinked, taken aback. I'd never spoken to him like that before.

He stared at me for a moment, then said, "You're just in time. Rebecca's condition is getting worse. The doctor developed a new drug, it hasn't been tested yet. Since you and Rebecca are about the same height and weight, you can try it first."

I froze.

"So that's what I am to you?"

My voice cracked, but I didn't look away.

I thought back to how we met, college track and field day. He'd won a race, full of energy and charm, and came straight up to me to ask for my number. He glowed in the sunlight, and I, like a fool, fell for it.

Later, I found out, Rebecca had also been a dance major. Just like me.

I'd been her stand-in all along.

"Rebecca's just a friend now. Can you stop being so paranoid?" he snapped, pulling out his phone.

"George, bring the medicine."

I was still pregnant. I knew what a drug like that could do to the baby.

Even if I wasn't, I'd never agree to be his lab rat.

"If you want someone to test your miracle drug," I said through clenched teeth, "do it yourself."

Pain shot through my stomach. I turned to leave.

He grabbed my arm hard. I stumbled, instinctively wrapping my hands around my belly.

"You've always wanted a child, haven't you?" Logan said.

"If you test the drug for Rebecca, I'll marry you. We'll have that child."

As he spoke, he fired off a few more texts.

"The wedding's already being arranged."

I looked up at him, Logan, still as dazzling as that boy I once met on the track field.

But now, even looking at him felt exhausting.

It took everything I had just to stand tall.