Married to a Stranger Who Already Has a Son
"She signed the marriage contract at midnight. By morning, a six-year-old boy called her 'Mom' — and she had no idea he existed."
Nadia Reyes, 28, signs a contract marriage agreement with Callum Wren — a reclusive, scarred billionaire she's met exactly twice. The terms: one year, public appearances only, separate lives.
She arrives at his penthouse the next morning to find a child's drawings on the refrigerator, small shoes by the door, and a six-year-old boy named Leo sitting at the kitchen table.
Leo looks at her with Callum's eyes and says: 'Are you the new mom?' Callum, appearing in the doorway, says nothing.
Nadia learns Leo's mother — Callum's former partner, Serena — is 'unwell' and 'unavailable.' No further details. The contract, she now realizes, didn't mention a child.
That night, she finds a crayon drawing slipped under her bedroom door: a tall man, a small boy, and a woman with long dark hair. All three holding hands.
"Nadia tries the door at the end of the east corridor — the one Callum told her was storage. It's locked. But from inside, she hears breathing. And then, very quietly, a woman's voice says: 'Please. Don't tell him you heard me.'"