Under One Roof The STEMinist Novellas 1 epub vk download

While I Was Bleeding Out, He Lit Lanterns For Her

Katie Oettgen

As I lay on the floor of our manor, bleeding out from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, I used my last ounce of strength to call my husband, Cole. I begged him for help, my vision blurring. But the only thing I heard was the clinking of champagne glasses and his mistress's giggle in the background. "Stop the drama, June," Cole snapped, his voice cold. "We're about to go on stage. Don't call again." He hung up, leaving me to die alone on the Persian rug while he accepted an award with another woman on his arm. I woke up in the hospital days later. My baby was gone. They had removed my fallopian tube. Cole finally arrived, smelling of expensive scotch and his mistress's perfume. He didn't hug me. He didn't cry. Instead, he leaned over my hospital bed, pressing his knee into the mattress until my fresh stitches tore open and bled. "You embarrassed me by calling an ambulance," he hissed. "My mistress, Alycia, says you're faking it. Clean yourself up." He left me bleeding again to go announce a $10 million donation to Alycia's "groundbreaking" medical research. I stared at the TV screen, numb. The research Alycia was taking credit for? It was mine. I wrote that patent years ago under a pseudonym. They thought I was just a poor, orphan housewife who needed Cole's money to survive. They had no idea I was actually a billionaire scientist hiding my identity. I pulled the IV needle out of my arm. A drop of blood fell onto the divorce papers I had been hiding. I didn't wipe it off. I signed my name right over it. Then I walked into the bank, reactivated my dormant account with $128 million, and bought the penthouse directly overlooking Cole's house. The mourning widow is dead. The avenger is born.

Romance Crime Revenge Pregnancy Enemies to Lovers Pregnancy Personal Growth

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The mansion towered above her like a silent warning.

Elena Blake tightened her grip on her small travel bag, her palms damp with sweat as she stared at the sprawling black-glass structure. It was the kind of mansion built for kings, not for twenty-two-year-old girls who had never left the outskirts of Benford their entire life.

A cold wind swept through the driveway, carrying the scent of rain and something else-

danger.

Elena swallowed.

"This is just a job," she whispered to herself.

"A housemaid job. You need this. You have to do this."

Her mother's hospital bill flashed in her mind. The number was so high it made her stomach twist. She needed work-any work-and this was the first offer that didn't turn her away after seeing her CV.

But still... why did a billionaire need a live-in housemaid urgently? And why did the online advert disappear minutes after she applied?

Before she could think too long, the huge iron gate buzzed, slowly sliding open.

A tall man in a fitted black suit stepped out. Sharp jawline. Slick hair. Emotionless eyes.

He looked like a walking security system.

"You're the applicant?" he asked.

"Yes. Elena. Elena Blake." She stuttered.

He gave a stiff nod.

"I'm Mr. Adrian Harrington's personal aide. Follow me."

Her heart jumped.

Adrian Cole Harrington.

Tech billionaire. Cold. Reclusive. The man whose scandals and heartbreaks were whispered across tabloids like forbidden secrets.

Elena inhaled shakily and followed the aide through a manicured stone path leading toward two giant black doors.

The mansion swallowed her in silence.

Inside was even more intimidating-white marble floors, tall chandeliers dripping with crystals, and walls echoing with emptiness.

"Wait here," the aide said before disappearing behind a large oak door.

Elena stood alone.

Her shoes squeaked softly. Her breath trembled. She didn't belong here-anyone could see it. The gold and silver everywhere made her feel like a misplaced stain in someone else's world.

Maybe I shouldn't be here.

Before she could turn to leave, the air shifted-cold and sharp.

Someone was watching her.

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