DAYS slowly stretched into weeks. Vivian had settled so deeply into The Cole's mansion that she already moved like she had always belonged there. The white walls, the polished marble floors, the endless expanse of luxury, it all wrapped around her like a crown she wore with pride. Her belly was slowly rounding into a small bump, visible now when she wore her tighter dresses.

That afternoon, she walked out from the kitchen into the living room, her phone pressed against her ear. She was laughing as her free hand caressed the soft swell of her abdomen.

"Well, I told you, didn't I?" Vivian's voice rang with glee. "That God...