vid spoke again, his voice dropping even

mportant that Sarah neve

ecret life inside me. The joy that had filled

ve been switching out her birth control pills with placebos for years. Low-dose ones. Just enough to mess with her system, to make her

test results, the quiet tears I shed thinking I was broken, that I couldn' t give him the one thing he said he wanted mos

ck palpable even through the door. "You

word about this to anyone, do you understand me? What Rebecca and I have is a busin

on swim. It was our second anniversary. We were in Paris, standing on a balcony overlooking the

voice thick with emotion. "A little boy with your eyes and a little gir

a precious jewel. Now, it was just a shard of glass, cutting me from the insi

a gallery event my family' s foundation was hosting. She was shy, dressed in worn-out clothes, her portfolio clutched i

grant her a full scholarship. I had given her a chance. David had been there that

ons while pretending to despise her. He let me pave the way for the woman who w

couldn' t move. I was rooted to the spot, trapped

shadows of the hallway as Liam walked out, his face pale and grim.

s Reb

wearing a designer dress, her hair perfectly styled. She radiated a confidence

he asked, her voice cool and smo

ind her ear. It was a gesture he did for me a thousand

e needed to understand the

t," Rebecca said, her eyes hard. "And

iss that was nothing like the gentle ones he gave me. I

sed he

ng buzz in the suffocating silence. I pulled it

hing up some work. Will be home

hable. He was standing right there, with his wife, after conf

shock, it all burned away, leaving behind a col

charm me, lie to me again. He thought I was sweet and trusting.

r be a problem. He w

would di

acing, no longer with happy dreams, but with cold, clear plans. I got

k, but to dial a number I hadn' t used in years. It was a contact from a past life, a life befor

ked up on th

id, my voice low and even.