nds were perfectly steady. The storm inside her had passed, leaving a cold, h

ang

house you call a home," Chloe's voice, sharp wi

nt," Anabel said, her voice devoid of an

her sleek Manhattan office, pushing designer gl

rty minutes," Chloe said. "And don't be an

, Clark was pushing five-year-old Leo on a swing. Kathryn sat on a nearby bench, a so

e was the empty space around

ng about being tired. It wasn't time he needed. It was a different woman. The polite rejecti

ecting her; he had

f temptation to be resisted

ecklace. She'd treasured it. Now she was certain it had been ordered by his

than anything. She had poured everything into building

zed with a sickening lurch. She h

up the grand staircase. She needed a copy of their pre-nupt

offering no comfort. She went straight to the built-in filing cabinet. As she searched, her knuckles

n compa

code. His birthday. Her fingers trembled slightly as she keyed i

secret business deals. Just a sing

ifted it out. It felt hea

open

eenage girl with bright, hopeful

hryn reading in a library, a sliver of sun on her profile. Kathryn at her engagement party to Aidan,

ed every stage

t a single photograph of her. Not one. In the officia

the doorbell echoe

ed from the hallway. "A Mis

n space and sealed it shut. She smoothed her dress, took a deep br

on in the garden. It was a meticulous, dec

and saw Chloe standing in the foye

t a time. When she reached the bottom,

," she said, her v