CHAPTER 3

SIENNA BLAKE

Five years can change everything, or it can just make you a master at packing three lunchboxes in under four minutes.

"Asher, stop using your sister's hair tie as a slingshot! Aiden, put the tablet down, your eggs are getting cold. And Ava, sweetie, please don't smile like that at me. I already said no to the chocolate chips in your oatmeal."

My morning was a chaotic blur, just like every other day for the past half-decade. I stood in our tiny, sunlit kitchen, frantically tying my hair back while trying to keep an eye on the three identical faces staring back at me. Five years ago, I thought my life was over when I boarded that bus with nothing but a suitcase and a broken heart. Now, looking at my five-year-old triplets, I knew my life had actually just begun.

They were my absolute world, but raising them alone in a quiet coastal town hadn’t been a walk in the park. My bank account was always hovering precariously close to two digits, and my back constantly ached from working double shifts as a medical receptionist. Still, they made every single tear worth it.

The kids were terrifyingly smart, and each had a personality loud enough to fill a stadium.

Asher was the self-appointed leader of the pack. He was only older by two minutes, but he acted like a miniature bodyguard, always keeping his eye on the door and standing right in front of me whenever a stranger got too close. Then there was Aiden. He was the quiet one, but don't let the silence fool you. The boy was a certified tech prodigy. At three, he figured out how to bypass the password on my old phone. At five, he was doing things on his second-hand laptop that I didn't even understand.

And finally, Ava. My beautiful, dramatic little girl. She was the sweet manipulator. With one quiver of her lower lip and a blink of her big, doughy eyes, she could get anyone to do exactly what she wanted. She was dangerous.

"Mommy," Asher said, his little brow furrowing as he chewed his toast. "Your eyes look puffy today. Did you sleep at all last night, or were you doing the extra papers again?"

I softened, walking over to press a kiss onto his messy brown hair. "Mommy is just fine, Ash. Just a little tired. Don't worry your little head about it."

"If you had a husband, you wouldn't be tired," Ava chimed in, propping her chin on her tiny hands, giving me a pointed look. "Emily from preschool has a Daddy, and her Mommy gets to go to the spa on weekends. We need to find you a rich man so you can take a nap."

I choked on my sip of lukewarm coffee. "Ava, we've talked about this. We don't need a man. We have each other."

Aiden didn't look up from his screen, typing away with his small fingers. "The statistics show that single mothers with three children experience a sixty percent higher fatigue rate. Ava is logically correct, Mommy."

I stared at my son, half-amused and half-terrified by his vocabulary. Where did he even learn these things? Before I could argue, my phone on the counter began to buzz loudly. Seeing the caller ID, my chest instantly tightened. It was the regional hospital.

"Miss Blake?" the nurse's voice came through as soon as I answered. "We received the latest lab results for Aiden's chronic asthma panels. The local clinic doesn't have the specialized pediatric equipment required for his advanced therapy. We are transferring his case to St. Jude’s Central Hospital. You need to bring him in for an evaluation by next Monday."

My heart dropped into my stomach. St. Jude’s Central.

It was the largest, most prestigious medical facility in the country. And it was located right in the heart of the city I had spent the last five years running from. The city where Adrian Cole lived.

Panic, sharp and familiar, flared up inside me. Returning to the city was the absolute last thing I wanted. What if I crossed paths with my old family? What if someone recognized the children? They looked so much like the photos of the billionaire doctor I had looked up five years ago—the same piercing gaze, the same stubborn set of the jaw. If anyone from the Cole family saw them, my quiet, safe life would be shattered.

But as I looked over at Aiden, who was breathing with a slight, raspy wheeze despite using his inhaler earlier, the fear in my chest hardened into determination. My child’s health came before my trauma. I couldn't let my own cowardice get in the way of his treatment. Besides, it had been five years. The city was massive, housing millions of people. What were the chances of actually running into a billionaire who moved in elite high-society circles while I was just trying to survive in the suburbs?

"Miss Blake? Are you still there?" the nurse prompted.

"Yes," I breathed, squeezing my eyes shut for a brief second to steady my voice. "Yes, I'm here. Please transfer the files. We'll be there."

I hung up the phone and looked back at my three children, who were all watching me with wide, curious eyes. They knew that tone of voice. They knew a big change was coming.

"Pack your bags, babies," I said, forcing a brave smile onto my face as I walked over to hug them tight. "We're moving back to the city."

The journey back was a whirlwind of cheap moving trucks and boxes. Within days, we were settled into a cramped, two-bedroom apartment on the outer edges of the metropolitan area. The air was heavier here, the sounds of traffic constant, a stark contrast to the quiet beach town we left behind. To make ends meet and pay for the upcoming hospital bills, I had desperately applied for any open position I could find, eventually landing a job as a billing clerk.

On our first night in the new apartment, after the kids finally fell asleep, I stood by the small window looking out at the glittering skyline of the distant downtown district. The towering glass skyscrapers looked beautiful but cold, a playground for the rich and powerful. I wrapped my arms around myself against the chill, the memory of a dark room and a scorching, feverish touch flashing behind my eyes before I ruthlessly pushed it away.

The next morning, I rushed out the door to drop the kids off at their new daycare before heading to my first day of work, praying that this city would be big enough to keep us hidden in the shadows.