Chapter 1Fetal Static

We’d been married for five years. My husband, Julian, had always been militant about protection, so I was stunned when he suddenly wanted a child.

Two months into the pregnancy, I was hospitalized for complications. That’s when I first heard the voice. It was malicious, infantile, and coming from inside my own stomach.

Owww, I’m gonna make it hurt! I’m going to toss and turn until you scream. Daddy said you’re not my real mommy. You’re just the delivery van.

I stared at my abdomen, convinced I was having an auditory hallucination.

I stumbled out of my room to find Julian, but I stopped when I heard him talking to my doctor in the hallway.

"Mr. Thorne, your wife’s uterine lining is dangerously thin. If you insist on her carrying this pregnancy for Ms. Vane, she will likely be rendered infertile. Are you sure this is fair to her?"

Julian's voice was casual, dismissive.

"Serena is A-list. Her reputation can't take a hint of scandal, let alone a baby bump. Chloe has always wanted a child. She should be honored to carry this one for Serena."

* * *

I stood in the doorway, shaking so hard my teeth chattered.

The baby I had prayed for, the baby I’d gone through three agonizing rounds of IVF to get... was for Serena Vane.

"Just do your job," Julian continued, his voice hardening. "I don't want Chloe to know. You have no idea how much Serena is looking forward to this. I want this baby delivered, perfectly, with no complications."

The cold, clinical devotion in his voice was terrifying.

I walked back to my room in a daze. A nurse smiled at me as I passed.

"You're so lucky," she whispered. "Your husband booked the entire floor so you could rest. And he hired a private nurse and stays here 24/7. He must love you so much."

"I heard he cried when he saw the first ultrasound. A man like that? Total unicorn."

If I’d heard this yesterday, I would have glowed. Now, it felt like swallowing flies.

The fetus didn't like the praise, either. It started to kick, hard.

Idiots! He loves Mommy! He loves SERENA! This bitch is just the help!

She’s lucky I’m even here. God, I’m going to make her pay for this.

A sharp, blinding pain shot from my pelvis. I gasped, cold sweat beading on my forehead.

Almost simultaneously, I heard Julian roaring from down the hall.

"You're all useless! I can't leave her for one minute? If anything happens to Chloe, I'll have all your jobs!"

He rarely raised his voice. He really, really cared about this baby.

I clutched my stomach, a grotesque smile pulling at my lips.

A moment later, he burst into the room and saw me crumpled on the floor. He rushed over, scooping me up.

"Chloe, what are you doing? You’re pregnant! You have to be responsible! You can’t just wander off. What if something happened?"

His voice was trembling with what I once would have called "fear."

I just felt numb. "It was stuffy. I needed some air."

He visibly relaxed and carried me back to bed. He took the prenatal vitamins from the nurse and held one out to me with a glass of water.

"Time for your folate, baby."

I stared at the pill. I'm severely allergic to folic acid. It covers my entire body in agonizing, itchy hives. Julian knew this. For the last two months, I’d been living in a Benadryl-fueled haze, scratching myself raw in my sleep.

"I don't want to."

His brow furrowed. "Chloe, be good. It’s for the baby. You know it’s essential for neural tube development. A healthy baby."

He knew I wanted a child more than anything. He knew I’d swallow poison if he told me it was for the baby.

I took the pill.

Within a minute, the familiar, maddening itch began. Red welts rose on my arms. I gagged, trying to spit the pill back out.

Julian’s hand clamped over my mouth.

"No, Chloe. Don't spit it out. You have to keep it down."

He held my mouth shut with one hand and gripped my arms with the other, watching me with those cold, determined eyes as my body convulsed.

The voice in my head cooed.

Yesss, I love this stuff. It makes this bitch itch, but it makes me strong. I wish she had to take it ten times a day. Who cares if she suffers, as long as I get to meet my real mommy.