husband is

ene Ward, her fingers twisting

She looked tired, with dark circles beneath h

nes

swallowed. "Just t

red the med

. His office confirmed that

parted, but no

eiv

st. Not delayed by

receive

rst tears slipped down her cheeks. The room was quiet ex

rstand how serious it

led the ch

n't have to make

m n

r came to

e could still remember Lorenzo's voic

more difficult th

many times that they seemed to

d heard her be

wn she was

chosen to

rough her, but this time ther

e me alone for a lit

tudied h

utside. Press the call but

sa no

ed beneath the blanket and rest

very night before sleeping. The place where she had wh

," she w

oice

tried to ke

side, clutching the

understanding Lorenzo's long hours, forgiving his sharp words

loved him enough, he would ev

life she had wasted waiting for a

small handbag resting

paper with the names she ha

spital because she wanted Lo

ld nev

r eyes, but the t

ng, Lorenzo Castellano fina

e arm and his expression set in the hard, controlled

aiting near the

s she?"

m tw

he aw

es

the room, but Sele

I need you to und

s drew t

d. You don't need to expl

ehave l

es nar

idn't lo

ood, and she kept asking for you. When we

oved in Lo

business

did

ggesting I

t happened. You can

r for a moment befor

oyees, or anyone else. Yet he couldn't deny that the woma

ned th

r was loose across the pillow, and her

ent, he s

usations. Vanessa had never been g

't turn when

nes

osed h

oached

here

atulat

was barel

zo fr

oes tha

u finally fo

and dragged a han

ined that I had an

is dead,

m fell

yes were swollen, but there was somet

an

hing

w," he

yo

ession h

to do, Vanessa? I can't

even be here while

's un

ared a

r her to take it back, to soften her voic

di

you to go to the hospital. You did, and the doct

rs tightened ar

om

sn't mean I don'

se the m

esponsib

your child

aw cl

oug

ed between th

a went

st, annoyed by the tear

can discuss this when

nothing t

be dr

flin

ent, almost invisibl

time, he see

is pho

me appeared o

d the call, and slipped t

a watc

she

w wh

r baby i

id no

mile touch

rse she

don't st

n you spend your nights with knows t

ce dar

nothing to d

se to stay with her in

had work

choed throu

red at him,

ud he had been. He lowered his v

me back to Blackthorn when

s if she no longer

re le

onsibilities

your responsib

dn't

o her forehead, a gesture so familiar tha

some

e walk

his footsteps fade

r click

the sound of it

conds

thi

ll m

er ret

and pulled out the folded paper. The na

it against

me anymore," she whispe

g Lorenzo, she didn't wonder wha

he had spent so lo

ad spread through Blac

ife had lost

the night away f

sunrise, carrying a folder of documents and wearing the same

upright while Selene review

aid. "And you need people aro

folding the pa

derst

omeone coming

d I could retur

xpression

ou wa

down at the d

y they had never finished, and the man who h

quietly. "I don

one vi

unknown number app

is. If you want the truth about the money he used to bui

read i

rowe

d that name men

gers we

message was

been waiting for

stopped

was suppose