Home

The Blackwoods lived in an aging apartment complex on the edge of a neighborhood scheduled for redevelopment.

The buildings didn't have elevators, the stairwells were cluttered with old bicycles and storage boxes, and years of neglect had left the entire complex looking tired. Paint peeled from the walls in long strips, and the faint smell of mildew lingered in the humid air.

Its biggest selling point was probably the rent.

After stepping out of the van, Rue found herself drawing more than a few curious glances. Even dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, she looked oddly out of place against the backdrop of weathered concrete and rusted railings.

Cody parked nearby and killed the engine.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Remembering the sprawling Sterling estate he'd just picked her up from, Cody stared at the apartment building and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It looks rough from the outside," he said. "But the apartment's actually pretty decent."

He hesitated.

"If you have trouble adjusting..."

The rest of the sentence never came out.

He'd been about to offer to help her find another place to live. It would strain his budget, and he'd probably have to pick up even more shifts, but he'd make it work somehow.

Before he could finish, Rue smiled.

"I think it's great."

And she meant it.

The Sterling mansion had been beautiful, but it had never felt like home. This place was cramped, worn down, and clearly short on money, yet somehow she felt more comfortable standing in front of it than she ever had behind the gates of the Sterling estate.

Cody lowered his gaze, assuming she was trying to spare his feelings.

The thought warmed him anyway.

After a brief silence, he cleared his throat.

"Did you see Ariana?"

Rue glanced at him.

"I did."

Cody nodded slowly.

The expression on his face was difficult to read.

He still remembered how excited Ariana had been the day the Sterlings came for her. She'd practically glowed the entire drive over, like someone who had finally escaped a life she couldn't wait to leave behind.

She hadn't taken a single keepsake with her.

Not a photograph.

Not a stuffed animal.

Nothing.

Even so, after raising her for all those years, it was impossible not to worry.

Especially after what he'd witnessed earlier.

Hans Galloway wasn't exactly known for his character.

After a moment, Cody asked quietly, "Is she doing okay?"

Rue considered the question.

"She seems happy."

That was probably the most honest answer she could give.

Cody nodded once and didn't press further.

A few moments later, he stopped outside one of the apartment doors.

"We're home."

The lock clicked.

As soon as the door opened, warm light spilled into the hallway along with the smell of home-cooked food.

A woman hurried out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

She stopped short the moment she saw Rue.

For several seconds, she simply stared.

Nervousness.

Every emotion seemed to pass through her eyes at once.

"Rue?" Her voice came out softer than expected.

At first glance, she already knew.

There was no need for a DNA test.

The young woman standing in front of her looked so much like she had at that age that it almost stole her breath.

While Rita studied her daughter, Rue quietly studied her in return.

This was her biological mother.

Despite having two grown children, Rita looked surprisingly young. There was a natural elegance about her that time hadn't managed to erase.

Only her swollen eyes gave away the sleepless nights.

She'd been crying.

Probably a lot.

Losing the daughter she'd raised for years couldn't have been easy.

Rue gave a small nod.

"Hi."

The simple greeting seemed to snap Rita out of her daze.

"Oh! Of course. Come in."

She immediately stepped aside and hurried to find a pair of slippers.

"Come in, sweetheart."

Then, more softly, almost as if she was afraid saying it too loudly would scare Rue away, she added, "This is your home too."

The words hung in the air.

Before anyone could dwell on them, Rita turned toward the kitchen.

"Gyle! Stop hiding in there and bring the food out. Rue's here."

A man emerged carrying a large serving platter.

This was Gyle Blackwood.

Rue's father.

Life had clearly taken its toll on him. He'd once built a successful business from the ground up before losing everything and being forced to start over.

Yet none of that seemed to matter at the moment.

The second he saw her, his eyes turned red.

"Rue?"

Embarrassed, he immediately looked away and rubbed at the corner of one eye.

"Come sit down," he said gruffly. "Dinner's ready."

Rue followed them to the dining table.

The meal spread before her was unexpectedly elaborate.

There was fish, shrimp, several meat dishes, vegetables, soup—the kind of dinner that clearly required hours of preparation.

For a family struggling financially, it was obvious they'd gone all out.

As they ate, Rita cautiously asked about her life with the Sterlings.

Rue answered politely enough, but her responses remained brief.

The distance was obvious. She wasn't interested in talking about them.

Eventually, Rita noticed and changed the subject without making a fuss.

Instead, she focused on filling Rue's plate every few minutes.

By the end of dinner, Rue was fairly certain she'd been fed enough for three people.

Afterward, Rita led her down the hallway.

"This was Ariana's room."

She pushed open the door.

"She left everything behind."

There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"If there's anything you don't like, we'll replace it."

Rita quickly added, "Whatever you want."

The offer clearly worried her.

Money was tight.

Replacing an entire room would be expensive.

But she was even more worried about making her newly returned daughter feel unwelcome.

Rue stepped inside and looked around.

The apartment wasn't particularly large, but this was easily the biggest bedroom in the unit.

The walls were covered in decorative wallpaper.

The furniture matched.

A vanity sat near the window, lined with luxury skincare products and cosmetics. The closet was packed with fashionable clothes, many of them still looking brand new.

Plush toys occupied nearly every available shelf.

Even the bedding was silk.

Compared to this room, the master bedroom looked surprisingly modest.

Cody's room was even simpler; a bed, a desk, a wardrobe.

That was about it.

Yet when Ariana had left for the Sterling estate, she'd been wearing an old dress with faded fabric and fraying sleeves.

Looking back, Rue was fairly certain it had belonged to Rita.

As Rita busied herself replacing the sheets with fresh ones, Rue set down her bag and moved to help.

At that moment, her phone vibrated.

The caller ID made her eyebrow lift.

Mrs. Sterling.

Rue answered.

The explosion came immediately.

"So you've finally grown a backbone, have you?"

Mrs. Sterling's voice blasted through the speaker loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"You actually had Hans beaten? Do you really think anyone can protect you now that you've left the Sterling family?"

The room went still.

Rita froze.

Gyle's expression darkened.

Mrs. Sterling continued without pause.

"Get to the hospital right now and apologize to Hans. If you don't, I'll have the hospital stop covering Zach's treatment. And as for that useless brother of yours, he can start preparing for a lawsuit."