Novels by Kehinde Akinade

Luna stared at her phone. The screen had gone black, but the voice still echoed in her ears.“You shouldn’t have come back.”Every instinct told her to run. But she couldn’t, not with Emery under Atlas’s roof, not while her daughter’s life hung in the balance. And not without knowing who had just found her.Atlas stepped forward, his brow furrowed. “What did they say?”Luna’s throat felt tight. “Someone called. No ID. Just one sentence. ‘You shouldn’t have come back.’ And then they hung up.”He didn’t speak. His eyes darkened as he took the phone from her, checking the call log. “Blocked number.”Luna nodded slowly. “Someone’s stalking me.”Atlas's voice was low and controlled, but there was a sharp edge under it. “I’ll have security check all the entry logs and camera feeds. No one threatens someone under my roof.”She let out a bitter laugh. “That’s comforting, coming from the man who once ruined my entire life with a single press release.”He didn’t rise to the bait. “That was thre

The penthouse was nothing like Luna remembered.Three years ago, she had only seen it once, briefly, at night, when Atlas had smuggled her in through a private elevator to avoid the press. Back then, it had felt like stepping into a dream.Now, it felt like a trap. The elevator doors opened with a soft chime. Marble floors stretched out before them, polished to a shine. The ceilings were impossibly high. Cold steel. Every surface looked expensive enough to pay off her daughter's medical bills twice over.Emery’s hand was in hers, small and warm. She looked up, wide-eyed, but said nothing. Her face was still pale, lips chapped from the hospital air.“Welcome home,” Atlas said behind them.Luna turned. “This isn’t our home.”“It is now,” he replied, already walking ahead.She didn’t follow at first.She looked down at Emery and whispered, “It’s just for a little while, okay? Mommy’s with you.”Emery nodded quietly and leaned her head on Luna’s hip.They stepped inside.Everything about

The clinic was silent, except for the soft hum of machines and the occasional shuffle of footsteps down the sterile hallway.Luna sat stiffly in the waiting room, her hands clenched in her lap. The walls were white. Too white. Her fingers trembled as she clutched Emery’s stuffed bunny to her chest, the one thing her daughter hadn’t let go of until the nurse carried her away for another round of tests.She could hear Emery’s voice in her head.Mommy, don’t leave.Will it hurt?Can I be brave if you hold my hand?Atlas sat across from her, legs crossed, his expression unreadable. He hadn’t spoken a word since they arrived. Not even when the nurse swabbed his cheek for the DNA test. He hadn’t looked at her or asked about Emery.Luna broke the silence.“You haven’t asked how she is.”His gaze snapped to hers. “Because I’m waiting to find out if she’s even mine.”She flinched. “I didn’t lie,” she said quietly. “Not this time. You think I’d drag myself all the way here just to fake somethin

New York City hadn’t changed. It was still loud. Still full of people who never gave a damn about others. Luna stood outside the towering glass building that held Thorne Enterprises like her feet had been nailed to the sidewalk. She hadn’t been back in this city since the night everything fell apart. The night he humiliated her.Her fingers clenched the thin folder tucked under her arm. Emery’s medical records, a copy of the lab results and the doctor’s letter.She took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and stepped inside.The lobby was exactly how she remembered, white marble, high ceilings, cold lighting that made everyone look like they belonged in a Vogue shoot. She walked up to the front desk, her heart pounding in her chest.The receptionist looked up, her perfect smile faltering. “Can I help you?”“I need to see Atlas Thorne,” Luna said calmly, though nothing inside her felt calm.The woman blinked. “Do you have an appointment?”“No.”“I’m sorry, Mr. Thorne doesn’t take unschedu

Mommy… my tummy hurts.”Luna looked up from the kitchen sink, hands still wet from washing Emery’s favorite pink lunchbox. Her heart skipped. Emery stood in the hallway, tiny hands on her belly, pale and shaky.Again?Luna dried her hands quickly and knelt down. “Come here, baby. Let me feel.”Emery walked slowly, dragging her feet, and Luna pulled her close. Her daughter’s skin was warm, and she looked so tired. Not the kind of tired that came from playing too much, this was something deeper.“Did you eat your breakfast?” Luna asked softly.“I tried,” Emery mumbled. “But the pancakes made my tummy do a flip.”Luna forced a small smile. “A flip, huh? That doesn’t sound fun.”“I didn’t like the smell today,” she added, curling into her mom’s arms. “Can I lie down?”Luna didn’t hesitate. “Of course, baby. Let’s get you comfy.”She led Emery to the couch and wrapped her in a blanket. Emery closed her eyes immediately, her little hands gripping her worn-out bunny plushie.Luna sat on the