I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 1

Natalie Watson lay covered in blood in the back of a speeding ambulance.

Dazed, she stared at the ceiling, the paramedics’ voices buzzing in her ears.

“Ma’am, can you hear me? I need to contact your next of kin.”

“Please… save… my baby…” Natalie’s voice was a weak, broken whisper.

“We’ll do everything we can, but we need to call your family first.”

Natalie fumbled for her phone and, with the last of her strength, dialed Alexander Ramirez’s number.

It rang a few times before connecting. She took a pained breath, about to speak, when a soft, feminine voice answered.

“Hello? Who is this?”

Natalie recognized the voice. Her lips trembled, but the words caught in her throat.

When no one spoke, the woman on the other end sounded puzzled. “Hello? Are you looking for Alexander? He’s in the shower. You can try calling back later.”

The line went dead, and a sharp pain, like a needle, pierced Natalie’s heart.

It was Camila White. They were together.

And Alexander hadn’t even saved her number.

Had he deleted it, or was he just afraid his first love would see it and get angry?

An agony that felt bone-deep spread through her, seeping into every limb. Natalie couldn't hold on any longer and finally slipped into darkness.

When she woke up, she was in a hospital bed. A nurse was changing her IV drip.

After a moment of disorientation, Natalie’s hand flew to her stomach. “Is my baby okay?”

Natalie’s hand froze on the door. Through the gap, she saw Alexander lounging on the sofa, his bespoke suit accentuating his deep-set eyes and aristocratic air. He was tapping his fingers idly on the table.

When he didn’t answer, Bruce seemed to have another thought. “You didn’t marry Natalie just to get back at Camila for marrying that disabled guy, did you?”

Camila and Alexander had grown up together. But Camila’s family had arranged for her to marry someone overseas. Earlier this year, Natalie had overheard Alexander on the phone, learning that Camila’s husband had passed away.

Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the doorknob, her eyes fixed on the man inside.

Alexander’s gaze flickered for a moment before a lazy, disdainful smile spread across his face. “How’d you guess?”

“No way, I was right!” Bruce shook his head in admiration.

The lunch container nearly slipped from Natalie’s grasp. She clutched it tightly and, terrified of being discovered, spun around and fled.

She didn’t remember how she got out of the building. Rain began to fall, a fine mist carried on the cold wind. She felt nothing, her face just a pale, frozen mask.