Jeffrey Michaelson stirred, groaning softly at the dull ache in his muscles. His arm reached out, instinctively searching for the warm body he had fallen asleep next to.
Nothing.
His eyes snapped open.
The sheets beside him were cool, the space untouched as if she had never been there at all. He sat up, raking a hand through his tousled hair, his jaw tightening.
"Unbelievable." His voice was hoarse with sleep, edged with irritation.
Jeffrey wasn't used to waking up alone. Women lingered. They always lingered.
Throwing the sheets aside, he stood, grabbing his phone from the nightstand as he strode toward the bathroom. No new messages. No missed calls.
He dialed his assistant.
"Mr. Michaelson?" Evelyn's voice was crisp, professional, despite the early hour.
"I need you to find someone for me," he said flatly.
"Name?"
Silence.
Jeffrey frowned, running his tongue over his teeth. He had never asked.
"Check the guest list from last night's gala," he said instead. "She was a brunette. Emerald dress. Around twenty-five, maybe twenty-six. She—" He exhaled sharply. "Forget it."
Even as he ended the call, an unfamiliar frustration simmered beneath his skin. He barely knew her. One night. That was all. But something about the way she left,so effortlessly, without a trace,unnerved him.
Jeffrey Michaelson stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his penthouse, his jaw tight as he stared out at the New York skyline. His phone buzzed in his hand.
Evelyn.
He answered on the first ring.
"Tell me you found something," he said, his voice clipped.
A pause. Then, "Sir… it's strange."
His fingers curled around the glass of whiskey in his other hand. "Strange how?"
"The hotel's security footage for that night—" She hesitated. "It's been erased."
Jeffrey turned from the window, his brows knitting together. "Erased?"
"Yes. There's no record of her entering or leaving your suite. It's like she never existed."
His grip tightened around the glass.
How the hell did that happen? The hotel was one of the most secure in the city, with state-of-the-art surveillance. No one could just erase footage without high-level clearance.
For a second, a flicker of intrigue stirred in his chest. Who the hell are you, little escape artist?
"Sir?" Evelyn prompted.
Jeffrey exhaled, rolling his shoulders back. "It doesn't matter."
"But—"
"I said, let it go," he cut in smoothly. "She was just another fling."
Another meaningless night. Another woman who, for some reason, had chosen to slip away before he woke up.
Evelyn hesitated, but then she gave her usual crisp reply. "Understood, Mr. Michaelson."
He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the couch.
Liar.
His own words echoed in his head, but he pushed them aside, downing the rest of his whiskey.
She was nothing.
So why the hell couldn't he stop thinking about her?
His gaze drifted back to the bed, to the faint scent of vanilla still lingering on the pillows.
He clenched his jaw.
She wouldn't be easy to forget.
---
Nina sat on the edge of her twin-sized bed, staring at the chipped paint on the wall. Her hands were curled into the blanket, knuckles white.
She hadn't been able to sleep. Not since that night.
Three weeks had passed, yet every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. Felt the weight of his touch, the heat of his gaze. The way her name had sounded on his lips.
She exhaled sharply, shaking her head.
It was one night. A mistake.
She had walked away before it could mean anything, and that was that.
Her stomach twisted.
She barely made it to the bathroom before she dropped to her knees, emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet.
The nausea had started days ago. She had ignored it, convinced it was stress.
Now, she wasn't so sure.
Heart pounding, she forced herself up, gripping the counter for support. Her reflection stared back at her, pale and shaken, eyes rimmed with exhaustion.
Her fingers trembled as she reached for the small paper bag beside the sink.
The pregnancy test felt heavy in her palm.
Breathe, Nina.
She ripped the packaging open, her pulse drumming in her ears as she followed the instructions. Then, she waited.
One minute.
Two.
Three.
A tiny pink plus sign appeared on the screen.
Her breath hitched.
No.
She grabbed the test, shaking it as if that would change the result. But the lines didn't waver. They were bold. Certain.
Her vision blurred.
Pregnant.
She was pregnant.
Her hands flew to her stomach. Beneath her fingertips, life was already forming. A life that belonged to him.
She stumbled back, sinking to the floor. A sob built in her throat, but she swallowed it down.
This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.
Yet, deep down, she knew.
She had felt different since that night. She just hadn't wanted to admit it.
Tears burned her eyes.
Jeffrey Michaelson was the last person she wanted to be tied to. He was powerful, untouchable. If he found out…
Her breath came faster.
No.
She wouldn't let that happen.
---
"You're what?"
Sienna's voice was sharp with disbelief.
Nina gripped her coffee cup, staring at the untouched liquid inside. Across from her, her best friend sat frozen, mouth slightly open.
"I'm leaving," Nina said quietly.
Sienna blinked. "Because you're pregnant?"
"Because I have no choice."
"Nina—"
"I'm not telling him," she cut in, meeting Sienna's gaze. "Jeffrey can never know."
Her friend's lips parted in protest, but Nina continued.
"I know what kind of man he is, Sienna. He's ruthless. Controlling. If he found out, he wouldn't ask to be involved. He'd demand it. He'd take my baby away, or worse, force me into a life I don't want."
Sienna's expression softened. "You don't know that."
Nina let out a hollow laugh. "I don't have to. Men like him,billionaires,they don't play fair. They take what they want, and they don't let go."
Sienna was quiet for a long moment. "Where will you go?"
"I don't know yet," Nina admitted. "Somewhere far. Maybe Chicago, or even overseas."
A lump formed in her throat. She had worked so hard to build her career here, her life. But that life had changed the moment that little plus sign appeared.
She had to protect her child.
Even if it meant disappearing.
Even if it meant leaving everything behind.
Sienna reached across the table, squeezing her hand. "If this is what you need to do, I'll help you."
A shaky breath escaped Nina's lips. "Thank you."
She had made her choice.
She would vanish.
"This is what I need to do." She whispered.