the picture frame besid

ing room, she her arms around herself, thinking it might keep her from fallin

felt like

she didn't

f she did, she wouldn't

had finally vomited itself across her life. Her mother's letters. Th

know if Elliot Blackwell was truly her father. All s

d it. Sat down. Pressed the heels of her palms to h

ian had loo

'd ruined something neither o

buzzed b

t look ri

th a second buzz, she reached fo

sn't

too close. Stay away from the

ood ra

sage came s

ve you when he finds out everything? He won

ibrating as she stared at the screen, her

diate. But underneath it

a

older. Quieter. A fury that came from knowing

ai

o

this

a st

't going

thought she was

asn't done wi

the

r than the one before. Anger surged inside her, and she was breathing quickly, her chest tight with

other had told, all the s

ved with a shadow v

rotected her from the tru

ng into her past and Adrian's, trying to pit them against each

andom. This was orchestrated. De

nted this

't want Adrian t

she pulled up Eden's number. Her best frie

it call, another thou

en was in

e phone back o

t involve h

into her purse. She wasn't quite sure why she was doing this, but sitting still just didn't feel righ

he'd read the message. The way he'd looked

ed to call him. Still wanted to believe the conn

ftness now. Not when her enti

night air hit her and shook off any sleepiness. The concrete was all aro

uldn't belie

e it to he

ning. No mo

find out who

ad spent twenty years pr