Part 3I Aborted The Billionaires Only Heir

The assistant’s words were a poison that seeped into my bones.

I stared at the breakfast Gary had made, then swept the plate off the counter. It shattered, egg yolk smearing across the marble. I slumped to the floor, dry-heaving into the trash can.

I didn't know where to go. I didn't have friends anymore—Gary had slowly replaced my social circle with "corporate couples" who only talked about stocks and skiing.

Should I catch him in the act? No. That would only feed his sick need for "excitement."

Finally, I decided to drive two hours to the university town where my younger sister, Rebecca, was finishing her senior year. She was the only person I truly had left.

When I arrived at her apartment, she looked startled. Despite the sweltering summer heat, she was draped in a heavy oversized cardigan.

“Lydia? What are you doing here? You didn't call,” she said, her voice tight.

“I didn't want to disturb your classes. I used the spare key,” I said, my voice cracking. I reached out to hug her, the dam finally breaking. “Gary is cheating. I tried to leave, but he’s threatening me. I don’t know what to do, Becca.”

Rebecca stood there, stiff as a board. She didn't hug me back. Her hands were buried deep in her sleeves.

“Aren't you hot?” I asked, a strange intuition prickling at the back of my neck. I reached out and pulled the cardigan off her shoulders.

I froze.

Her neck and collarbone were a map of purple bruises and bite marks.

“Who did this to you?” I demanded, my protective instincts flaring. “Which bastard did this? Tell me, I’ll call the police.”

Rebecca’s face went white, then a deep, shameful red. She wouldn't look at me.

Then, the bedroom door creaked open.

A man stepped out, shirtless, rubbing a towel over his damp hair.

My heart didn't just break; it disintegrated. The world stopped turning. The air left the room.

It was Gary.

“It is what it is, Lydia,” Gary said calmly. He walked over and pulled Rebecca into his side, draped his arm over her bruised shoulder. “Becca and I are together now.”

“You couldn't give me a child,” he continued, his voice as casual as if he were discussing the weather. “But I need an heir. Becca is family. She’s the perfect choice.”

“When?” I whispered. My vision was blurring at the edges.

Gary chuckled. “Last summer. When she came to stay with us. Remember that day at the lake? You were in the shallows because you can’t swim. Becca and I were out by the buoy. She screamed, remember? You asked if she was okay. She told you she had a cramp. In reality, I was taking her for the first time. She couldn't help the noise.”

“And the next night, when she had a ‘fever’ and you went to the hospital to get her meds? We were in the guest room before you even pulled out of the driveway…”

“Gary, stop…” Rebecca whispered, her head hanging low.

“You monster!” I screamed. I grabbed a paring knife from the fruit bowl on the counter and lunged at him.

I had raised her. I had protected her. I thought she was an innocent victim, groomed by a predator.

Gary didn't move. He didn't even flinch as the tip of the blade pierced his skin through his shoulder.

“Are you done, Lydia? Feel better now?”

He grabbed my wrist, his grip like a vise, forcing me to hold the knife in place. He had that same loathsome, arrogant smile.

But it was Rebecca who broke me.

“Lydia, stop! Don’t hurt him!” she cried out, her eyes red.

“He’s forcing you,” I sobbed. “Becca, come with me, he’s manipulating you!”

“He’s not!” she snapped, her face twisting with a sudden, ugly resentment. “I wanted this! I want to give him the baby you can’t have!”

She looked at me with pure venom. “Why do you get everything? Why did you get the rich husband and the big house while Mom and Dad always made me follow in your shadow? I love him, too. And I’m going to be the one who actually gives him a family.”

The world exploded into white noise.

I don't remember leaving. I don't remember Gary driving me back to the city. I only remember the feel of his hand—the same hand that had touched my sister—holding mine as he whispered:

“Don't be scared, honey. When Becca has the baby, I’ll let you raise it. It’ll be like it’s yours.”

“And don't bother calling your parents. They already know. They’ve agreed to the arrangement. Just be a good girl.”