Hostage to Love
Description
While secretly grappling with an unplanned pregnancy that violates her boyfriend's strict "five-year plan," marketing director Addison Blackhawk struggles with her suffocating two-year relationship with CEO Jaxon Wellington-a man she turned to for stability after being abandoned by her first love's heartbreak. Just as she finally works up the courage to leave him, the bank is robbed and she becomes a hostage in a days-long siege. The mysterious leader of the robbers seems oddly protective of her, and she is forced to face an impossible choice between the secure future Jaxon offers and the passionate but uncertain path with the man who abandoned her. All while protecting the secret of the life growing inside her, knowing Jaxon would either force her to terminate or use the baby to trap her forever.
Chapter 1
Sep 11, 2025
Two pink lines blazed back at Addison from the pregnancy test. Her hands shook as she nearly dropped the stick onto Jaxon's pristine marble floor.
"No." The word scraped out of her throat. "This can't be happening."
She turned toward the mirror, confronting her pale reflection. The birth control pills mocked her from their elegant dispenser. One percent failure rate. One percent.
Her phone was in her hand before thought kicked in.
"Addison? Honey, what's wrong?"
Her mother's voice cut through the chaos instantly.
"Mom." Addison's voice cracked. "I need— I'm—"
"Take a breath, sweetheart, and then tell me whatever this is."
The tears came without warning. "I'm pregnant…"
Silence stretched between them. Then: "Oh, honey."
"Mom, what am I going to do?" Addison sank onto the bathtub's edge, cold marble biting through her dress. "Jaxon is going to lose his mind. You know what he said about children…"
"What exactly did he say?" Her mother's voice sharpened.
"That children are a five-year plan, minimum. Career suicide before forty." The words tasted bitter. "He made me promise, Mom. He said starting a family before we hit our targets would destroy everything we've built."
"Targets?" The disgust was palpable. "Addison, listen to me. You're talking about a human life, not a business merger."
"I know… God, I know that." Addison pressed her free hand to her stomach. "But you don't understand what he's like when his plans get disrupted. Remember when I got that promotion at Morrison & Associates? The one that would have meant relocating?"
"The one he made you turn down."
"Exactly. We talked it through for weeks. He said it was for us, for our future together. But really it was because it didn't fit his timeline."
Anger cut through her voice, replacing fear.
"And what do you want, Addison? With this pregnancy?"
The question struck her.
"I want this baby…" The words came fierce, certain. "I've wanted to be a mother since I was six years old. But I also want Jaxon to want it too, and I'm scared he'll see this as..."
She choked on the admission.
"As what?"
"As a derailment. As something that messes up all his careful planning." Her chest tightened. "He loves me, I know he does. But he loves order more sometimes. He loves knowing what comes next."
"And what comes next if you tell him?"
"He'll want to discuss 'options', probably." Bitter laughter escaped her throat. "You should see this place, Mom. The penthouse, the cars, the lifestyle. He can destroy me financially if I cross him and If he'd want to. He has connections everywhere—the bank, the city, even some of my clients."
"Addison Marie, are you listening to yourself?"
Her full name stopped her cold.
"You're talking about a man who would use his power to hurt you for getting pregnant with his child. Does that sound like love to you?"
Addison's chest tightened. "It wasn't always like this. After Wyatt—"
"Don't you dare compare this to Wyatt."
"But Wyatt left me shattered, Mom. Completely destroyed. When Jaxon came along, he promised me everything Wyatt took away. Security, stability, a future I could count on."
She stood, moving toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"I love him, Mom. But I feel like I'm suffocating in his certainty sometimes."
"And what kind of future is it if you're not allowed to want children when you want them?"
Addison closed her eyes, seeing her parents' faces—thirty years of partnership carved into every shared glance.
"Not the kind you and Dad built."
"Exactly. Your father never told me when I was allowed to want things. We talked, we planned together, we supported each other's dreams."
The penthouse suddenly felt cavernous around her, all perfect surfaces reflecting success rather than warmth.
"Mom, what if I can't convince him? What if he can't adjust his plans?"
"Then you'll need to decide what matters more—your relationship or your right to make your own choices about your body and your future."
"It's not that simple."
"Isn't it?" Her mother's voice gentled. "Sweetheart, I'm not saying he's a bad man. But love shouldn't require you to sacrifice your fundamental wants and needs for someone else's timeline."
Addison walked to the bedroom, staring at the jewelry box where expensive gifts glittered like calculated promises. The diamond earrings Jaxon gave her—each stone chosen to reflect his vision of who she should become.
"Jaxon's in Tokyo until Thursday. I guess I have time to figure out how to tell him."
"You have time to figure out a lot of things. Including whether you want to tell him at all right now."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean your room at home is still exactly the same as you left it. If you need space to think, to figure out what you really want without his influence, you have options."
The words hung between them like a lifeline.
"Mom—"
"I'm not saying you should leave him. I'm saying you should give yourself permission to think clearly about what you want your life to look like."
"I don't know if I'm brave enough for that."
"You're braver than you think, sweetheart. But you don't have to decide anything right now. Just... don't let fear of disappointing him stop you from protecting what matters to you."
Addison pressed her forehead against the glass, city lights stretching endlessly below.
"I need to think about all of this."
"That's all I'm asking. Just think. Really think about what you want, not what fits best with someone else's plan."
"Thank you, Mom. For listening. For not judging."
"That's what I'm here for. Call me anytime, okay? Day or night."
"Ok, love you, Mom.”
The line went dead. Addison set the phone down and walked to the center of Jaxon's perfect living room, her hand pressed to her stomach.
"You're going to be wanted," she whispered to her unborn child. "And you're going to be celebrated."
Hostage to Love
30 Chapters
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