Chapter 3

Damian picked up the documents and was about to flip back to the first page when his phone rang.

As a lawyer, he never signed a document without reading it first. That was one of the first rules he taught every new associate at his firm.

But the moment he saw the name on the screen, his attention shifted completely.

He answered.

Sofia's frightened voice came through immediately.

"Damian, someone followed me back to my building. Can you come get me? I'm scared."

His expression changed.

"Stay inside. I'm coming."

After he hung up, he clearly had no interest in the papers anymore. He grabbed a pen and signed exactly where I had marked, without asking why his authorization was needed.

"Anything else?"

"No."

He pushed the documents back to me, took his coat, and left.

I looked down at the final page.

Damian Caruso.

The signature was clean and confident, exactly like the one he placed on legal documents every day.

One of New York's most successful attorneys had just signed papers without reading them because Sofia had called.

He had no idea he had just signed a temporary parenting agreement and given written consent for me to relocate with Ethan out of state.

I closed the folder.

That evening, Damian finally came home.

I was packing Ethan's things when he stopped in the bedroom doorway.

"Sofia's going to stay here for a few days."

"Here?"

"Someone followed her back to her building today. She'll be safer here."

Then he added, "You and Ethan can stay at one of the other apartments for a few days."

I looked at him.

"So Sofia moves in, and we move out?"

"It's temporary."

"Why do we have to leave?"

"Our marriage isn't public. I don't want Sofia noticing anything or asking questions."

I almost laughed.

After eight years as his wife, I was being asked to leave my own home so another woman wouldn't find out I existed.

Damian could defend complete strangers in court. He could argue that they deserved their homes, their children, and their dignity after a marriage ended.

But in his own home, his wife and son were always the easiest people to remove.

"Fine."

Damian seemed surprised by how easily I agreed.

"I'll bring you both back in a few days. I know this is inconvenient. I'll make it up to you."

Once, I would have asked how much longer we were expected to hide.

Once, I would have reminded him that Ethan was getting older and already understood far more than Damian realized.

Now there was no point.

"Okay."

I kept packing. I had already planned to leave New York. Moving out a few days early changed nothing.

An hour later, Ethan and I were heading downstairs when the front door opened.

Sofia came in pulling two suitcases.

Damian immediately crossed the room and took one.

"I told you I'd send a driver. Why did you carry all this yourself?"

"I didn't want to wait."

Then she noticed us.

"Elena? What are you doing at Damian's house?"

Before I could answer, Damian spoke.

"She and her son needed somewhere to stay. I let them use the house for a while."

His wife of eight years and his own child had just become temporary guests.

Not his wife.

Not his son.

Just a woman and her child whom he had temporarily allowed into his home.

Sofia nodded.

"Oh. I see."

I tightened my hand around Ethan's.

"We were just leaving."

Ethan kept his head down until we passed Damian. Then he stopped and looked up.

"Thank you for letting us stay here, Mr. Caruso."

Damian went completely still.

For seven years, Ethan had called him Dad whenever they were alone. Even after every missed birthday, every empty seat, and every broken promise, he had continued to believe that Damian was still his father.

But this time, he called him exactly what Damian had taught him to say in front of other people.

Mr. Caruso.

Ethan took my hand and started toward the door, but Damian turned sharply.

"Wait."

For the first time, his voice sounded unsteady.

"What did Ethan just call me?"