Chapter 1

"As long as the baby comes to term, that healthy little heart will save Aurora. That was the deal from the beginning. Marry Amelia. Get her pregnant. All for this."

My world shattered.

He had raced into the flames to save me, not out of love, but because my womb carried the spare parts for his true love.

I wasn't his heart.

I was the incubator for a heart. The disposable vessel. And my purpose was nearly served.

Amelia POV

Alexander loved me.

All of New York knew it. For a blissful, foolish stretch of time, I believed it too.

When my fingers turned to ice after hours with the cello, he'd gather them into his own warm, broad palms, his brow creased with a concern that felt utterly real.

"My Amelia's hands are meant to create beauty, not endure pain."

In the Sterling mansion, I had been a ghost. The light, the warmth, every smile-all flowed to my sister, Aurora.

Then Alexander came. He didn't just notice me. He pulled me forcibly from the toxic swamp of my birth family.

He gave me a wedding they still talk about. He gave me Sycamore Estate, with its cathedral of rustling plane trees. Most of all, he gave me a home.

I was naive enough to believe this was the beginning of happiness.

Until the fire.

It didn't just engulf the yacht. It turned every dream I owned to ash.

It was the anniversary celebration of Pierce Group. The yacht cruised slowly along the Hudson River, packed with Manhattan's elite.

Halfway through the dinner, he presented me with a sapphire necklace in front of all the guests.

"Amelia, you are my heart."

He whispered in my ear, his gaze burning with an intensity that took my breath away.

Leaning into his strong embrace, I closed my eyes in contentment, feeling I had no regrets in this life.

But catastrophe doesn't knock. It explodes.

The fire erupted without warning, thick smoke billowing out, sharp alarms tearing through the facade of luxury.

People screamed and fled; the scene was pure chaos.

I was shoved violently, a tearing pain shooting through my ankle, leaving me unable to move.

In the confusion, I saw my parents-Mr. and Mrs. Sterling.

Their faces were etched with panic. When they saw me on the ground, their steps faltered for only a fleeting moment before they unhesitatingly stepped over me, rushing in the opposite direction.

I heard my mother's heartbroken cry. "Aurora! Where is my Aurora!"

They didn't even spare me a glance.

At that moment, my heart felt like it had been plunged into the frozen Atlantic, even the pain turning numb.

The smoke was suffocating. Flames clawed at the doorframe, and the air itself burned in my lungs.

I curled up in a corner in despair, my consciousness on the verge of being swallowed by darkness.

Just then, a tall figure forcefully burst through the warped door, rushing in against the fiery glow.

It was Alexander.

His usually immaculate golden-brown hair was wild, his bespoke suit scarred by burns and sparks.

He stripped off his jacket, wrapped my slender body tightly, and swept me into his arms.

A burning piece of wood crashed heavily onto his back. I distinctly heard his muffled groan, but the arm holding me tightened even more.

"Don't be scared, I'll get you out." His voice cut through the inferno, anchoring my drifting soul.

Held securely in his embrace, those dozens of feet through the sea of flames became the hottest brand on my memory.

I thought, even if the whole world abandoned me, Alexander Pierce wouldn't.

When I woke again, I smelled the antiseptic of a hospital.

I lay in a VIP room, Alexander by my side. Seeing me awake, his deep eyes filled with joy and relief.

"Amelia, you're awake? Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

I weakly shook my head, wanting to check if he was hurt.

He pressed me gently back onto the pillows. "I'm fine, just superficial burns. What matters is that you and the baby are safe."

Baby? I instinctively stroked my flat stomach.

The doctor had checked me and said I only suffered from smoke inhalation and a twisted ankle, nothing serious. The baby was also safe.

Alexander, however, was still worried and insisted I stay for observation.

My parents and Aurora also came, thanking Alexander profusely.

My mother held Aurora's hand, weeping like a broken doll, as if her most cherished youngest daughter was the one who had just narrowly escaped death.

After Alexander escorted them out, the medication made me drowsy, and I drifted back to sleep.

Time lost all meaning. I was pulled back to awareness by hushed, urgent voices just outside the door.

I didn't open my eyes, but their words pierced my ears, clear as day.

It was my mother's urgent voice. "Alexander...the baby. Amelia's baby. The fire didn't...harm it, did it?"

"It's fine. The doctors have confirmed. The fetus is perfectly healthy."

Alexander's voice was as steady as ever, but devoid of the usual tenderness.

"I was careless. I shouldn't have put her in danger. This child is too important for Aurora."

Aurora? My heart constricted fiercely, a chilling cold spreading through my limbs.

Then I heard my father sigh heavily. "Aurora's heart probably can't wait much longer. Alexander, once the baby is born-"

"I've already made arrangements, Dad."

Alexander cut him off, his voice cold as ancient ice.

"As long as the baby comes to term, that healthy little heart will save Aurora. That was the deal from the beginning. Marry Amelia. Get her pregnant. All for this."

To marry Amelia? To get her pregnant? It was all for this day.

To take the heart of my unborn child to save Aurora?

Boom-my world shattered into a million pieces.

He had raced into the flames to save me, not out of love, but because my womb carried the spare parts for his true love.

I wasn't his heart. I was just a vessel, an incubator for a heart, expendable at any moment.

Cold liquid flowed into my veins through the IV drip, and also into my heart.

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the blood in my body freeze inch by agonizing inch.