LOGIN~Evangeline~Bella handed me a dish towel and leaned against the counter like she was settling in for a long conversation.I scrubbed the pan and said nothing for a few seconds. "The people Grandmother Caine had killed," I started. "They weren't my biological parents."
~Nicholas~Anybody else at that table might have thought Eva had taken the news well. I knew better. I could feel the sadness she kept trying to bury under manners, quiet replies, and a smile that never reached far enough.The DNA confirmed Margaret. Which meant whatever Eva had quietly, carefully hoped about Eleanor and that family was now sealed off. She'd never let herself say
~Evangeline~"Don't tell me you're still on that research paper since the time you left my office." Nicholas said as he returned. "I'm almost done," I told him, eyes on my screen.He leaned over my shoulder, read two lines, and took the laptop out of my hands."Nicholas, give it back."He sat down and pulled me into him in one motion. My arms went around his shoulders before my brain clocked it. "For a pregnant woman, you really shouldn’t be overworking yourself," "But if I don’t do this, who will?”"You heard me when I ordered Brandon to handle it.""I know but I still want to help.""You can help out with something else like taking a break.""I'm fine."The raised eyebrow from him clearly screamed, ‘not buying it.’“People really think I’m a con artist over a mistake I didn’t even make.” I smiled, trying not to break down. Not even one person tried to defend me on social media. “People will always think about what they want. You should care more about the people who know you.”
~Margaret~I almost hated how my hands shook.Not because I felt guilty. Please. Guilt was for people who had better options. I just didn’t like looking nervous in front of people who were already waiting for me to fail.My body still felt damaged from yesterday. I had nearly died awakening that wolf. Nobody could tell me I got this easily. I paid for it with blood and agony
~Serena~I wanted to shake every single person in that room.Years. That was how long they had cried, searched, prayed, and turned one lost child into the softest wound in the whole family. Mother always staring at old photographs like she could pull a girl out of the paper if she looked hard enough. And now the girl had been found, the DNA was on its way, the answer was practica
~Evangeline~By the time I unlocked my phone again, my name had already gotten worse online.Somebody had put my picture beside a hospital bed and written a whole paragraph about innocent patients suffering because of greedy women in lab coats. Another account was reposting old clips from interviews and slowing my voice down so I sounded cold. A different one had gone with the classic angle and called me a man-stea
NICHOLASI hadn’t expected to see Evangeline at the airport.I knew she’d be here though… in Germany. I saw her name on the list of nurses for the fellowship we sponsored and knew immediately I was attending the program.I usually delegated it to my Beta, but I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity
MARGARETChristmas rolled around quickly, and despite not being at the villa so often in the past few days, my son and I attended the annual Christmas dinner.The staff was in full swing, setting up the table and the decorations. It was the biggest event in this family every year. Everyone dressed
EVANGELINEAlex never returned home that night.The next morning, I didn’t even wait to have breakfast, I just grabbed my box that I’d packed last night and texted William to pick me up.“Are you sure about this?” William asked as he drove to the airport. “You can always opt out of the trip. No one
EVANGELINEI woke up to a pounding in my skull and an incessant beeping that I just couldn’t get to stop.It wasn’t until I managed to open my eyes that I realized the beeping wasn’t coming from me, it was coming from the machine right next to me. Someone had hooked me up to an IV and a monitor for







