Too Late, Mr. Cooper: Your Bride Ran with Your Baby novel Chapter 1

“Linton… gentler…”

The soft, tearful plea did nothing to earn the man’s mercy. Instead, he grew rougher.

His black shirt was torn open, revealing a broad, well-muscled chest. The crisp, clean scent of cedar that usually clung to him had been replaced by a scorching heat, fueled by the drug in his system.

Liliana Hart felt as though her waist might snap in two.

Just as her consciousness began to fray, the scene shifted abruptly.

Liliana saw herself lying alone on a cold operating table.

Someone was shouting urgently in her ear. “We’re losing her! We need a blood transfusion, now!”

The delivering doctor barked at a nurse, “Where’s Mr. Linton Cooper? The patient is in critical condition, and we need his signature on the consent form. Get the father in here!”

“We can’t. Mr. Cooper’s assistant said his sister is sick. He’s at the hospital next door with her…”

A deafening crash of thunder split the sky, illuminating the room in a flash of white.

In the large, floor-to-ceiling mirror, a beautiful, delicate face stared back at her—pale and utterly broken.

“Ah!”

Liliana screamed, her eyes flying open. She shot upright in bed, clutching her chest as she gasped for breath, her heart hammering against her ribs.

It was that dream again.

Ever since that reckless night with Linton a month ago, the nightmare had plagued her, always the same, always terrifyingly real.

The scenes were so vivid, so horrifying. If they were true…

Liliana’s fists clenched. She had to find a way to verify it. She had to know if the terrible nightmare that had tormented her for a month was a prophecy or just a dream.

…

St. Augustine Private Hospital.

A raw, physical pain lanced through Liliana’s chest. A violent shiver wracked her body, and she stumbled back, her shoulders hitting the cold wall behind her.

The truth she had been running from for the past month was now laid bare, and it made her feel like a complete fool.

“Liliana? What are you doing here?”

The sudden voice was a shock. Liliana's head snapped up, the familiar, coolly sensual voice coming from right above her.

Her eyes locked with Linton's—sharp and almond-shaped, they seemed to pierce right through her.

He stood before her in a crisp, tailored white shirt that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets, his posture exuding an effortless confidence.

His features were chiseled and classically handsome—deep-set eyes, a straight nose. Just below the corner of one eye was a small, coffee-colored beauty mark, a striking contrast to his otherwise cool and aloof demeanor, hinting at a seductive charm beneath the surface.

Linton raised a brow, his gaze dropping to meet hers. The slight tilt of his head was enough to create an intimidating, frosty aura that needed no anger to be felt.

Liliana's lips trembled as she stared up at the devastatingly handsome, impossibly cold man she had loved for a decade.