Secret Baby: The Billionaire CEO's Unwanted Love

Just half an hour ago, Cynthia had handed her a folder with a sweet smile. "Father said this is a birthday surprise for you." Now, that surprise had become a death sentence. The crumpled DNA report in Haylee's hand snapped violently in the ocean wind.

She stood at the edge of the yacht's deck, the harsh salt air stinging her eyes. The paper felt like broken glass against her palm. Not a Bowen. The words on the page were a physical blow to her chest, stealing the air from her lungs.

The sharp, rhythmic click of stiletto heels against the wooden deck cut through the sound of the crashing waves.

Cynthia stepped out of the party's neon glow, a half-empty champagne flute in her hand. She blocked the only narrow walkway back to the cabin.

"Did you know?" Haylee's voice shook. The cold was seeping into her bones. "Did you plan this tonight?"

Cynthia let out a high-pitched laugh. It grated against the roar of the ocean. "Of course I did, Haylee. You really thought you belonged with us?"

Cynthia took a step closer. The smell of expensive perfume and alcohol hit Haylee's face.

"I'm taking the trust fund," Cynthia whispered, her voice dropping to a venomous hiss. "And I'm taking Dallin. He's already mine."

A surge of heat rushed to Haylee's head. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot. She raised her hand, a pure instinct to wipe the smug smile off Cynthia's face.

Before her palm could connect, Cynthia's hand shot out. Her grip on Haylee's wrist was like a steel vise.

Cynthia's eyes darkened. A terrifying shift in her expression happened in a fraction of a second.

With a sudden, violent shove, Cynthia pushed her backward.

Haylee's spine slammed against the low, rusted railing. A sickening crack echoed over the water. The metal gave way.

Gravity ripped her downward. Haylee reached out, her fingers desperately catching the fabric of Cynthia's dress.

The silk tore. Haylee plunged into the black Atlantic.

The freezing water swallowed her whole. The shock of the cold felt like a thousand needles piercing her skin. She opened her mouth to scream, but thick, salty water rushed down her throat, choking her.

Above her, the lights of the yacht sped away, shrinking into a distant blur.

Her lungs burned. The faces of her cold adoptive parents and her cheating fiancé flashed behind her eyelids. A raw, animalistic will to live exploded in her chest.

Her hands thrashed in the dark until her fingers scraped against rough wood. A broken life preserver board. She clung to it, her knuckles turning white, as the violent waves tossed her into the endless night.

Hours bled into a numb, freezing blur.

A heavy wave picked her up and slammed her face-first into coarse, wet sand. The friction scraped her cheek raw. The sharp pain forced her eyes open.

Haylee dragged her heavy, trembling body out of the surf. She was on an unfamiliar beach. A massive, unlit beachfront