LOGINChapter 105TROYI moved without thinking, putting myself between the men and Lake and the boys. If I could just slow them down, give Lake time to grab the kids and run—"Troy, no!" Lake shouted, but it was too late.Frank Morrison was on me, and I felt the knife before I saw it. White-hot pain exploded in my stomach, stealing my breath and my ability to scream. I looked down and saw red, so much red, spreading across my shirt.I'd been stabbed.Oh God, I'd been stabbed."Troy!" Lake's voice, distant and panicked.I fell to my knees, my hands pressing against my stomach trying to hold everything in. The pain was indescribable, like fire and ice and being torn apart all at once.Through blurring vision, I saw Frank and Samuel grab Lake and Ollie. Lake was fighting, screaming, trying to break free, but Samuel pressed something—a cloth—to Ollie's face and the boy went immediately limp."NO!" Lake screamed, still struggling. "Let him go! Please, please let him go!"But they weren't lettin
Chapter 104TROYLake laughed too. "Fifty? Really?""Ramon's always been the twin who wanted kids," I explained. "Rhodes wanted them too, but Ramon was obsessed. Even when I was married newly and was pregnant, and before then, he was the one volunteering to babysit, playing with his nephews and nieces talking about having a big family someday. I swear, I once caught him googling 'how to kidnap a baby and take home without his brother noticing his child is missing.'"Lake nearly choked on his laughter. "You're joking.""I'm not," I said, grinning. "He tried to pretend he was working on something for the company, but we all knew. Ramon would have a dozen kids by now if he'd found the right person sooner.""That's ironic," Lake said, still smiling. "Considering Ramon's the one in the family with illegal dealings. Rhodes is a doctor, Rafael's a lawyer, Romeo's in business—all legitimate. But Ramon runs the mafia side of things while also being CEO of a major corporation. And he's the one
Chapter 103TROYThe gardens were peaceful in the late afternoon light, the kind of peaceful that made everything from the past few days feel almost surreal. Like maybe I'd imagined the whole nightmare—the clinic, the fear, the desperate belief that I had to handle everything alone.But I hadn't imagined it. It had all been horrifyingly real. And yet, here I was, walking through Elena's beautiful gardens with Lake beside me, watching our sons hold hands as they explored the flower beds ahead of us.Ollie was being so gentle with Julian, his little hand wrapped protectively around my son's smaller one. At five, Ollie was only two years older than Julian's three, but he was taking his role as the "big kid" seriously, pointing out flowers and interesting rocks, making sure Julian didn't trip over the uneven path."He's good with him," I said, nodding toward the boys. "Ollie, I mean. Julian's usually shy around other kids, but he took to Ollie immediately.""Ollie doesn't get much chance
Chapter 102LAKE"He's a sweet boy," Michelle said. "And he clearly adores you. The whole time we were in the bath, he kept telling me about things you do together, ways you take care of him. You're his whole world, Lake.""That's what scares me," I admitted. "What happens if I'm not enough? What happens when he realizes there's a whole world out there beyond just me?""Then he explores it," Michelle said simply. "With you as his safe base to return to. That's how it's supposed to work, Lake. Kids are supposed to venture out into the world, but they need to know they have a safe place to come back to. You've given him that safe place. Now you get to watch him discover everything else."I nodded, not trusting my voice. Everyone kept saying similar things—Elena, Ramon, Michelle—and maybe if enough people said it, I'd eventually start to believe it."Mama, are you okay?" Ollie was suddenly in front of me, looking up with concerned eyes. "You look sad.""I'm not sad, baby," I assured him
Chapter 101LAKEMy throat felt tight. "He was having a panic attack yesterday. He couldn't breathe. He was screaming that he didn't want this family if he couldn't have me back. That's not thriving, Elena.""That's trauma response," she said firmly. "That's his brain protecting him from perceived abandonment based on past experiences. But Lake, this morning? The way he was able to self-soothe enough to let us help him? The way he sought comfort from other people instead of completely shutting down? The way he's over there right now, playing and laughing and being a normal five-year-old? That's because you've given him a foundation of love and security strong enough that he can start to branch out.""I don't know if I believe that," I whispered."Then believe me," Elena said. "Lake, I've raised four boys. I've seen every kind of child, every kind of trauma response, every kind of parenting. And what you're doing with Ollie—it's remarkable. You're letting him be a child while also hon
Chapter 100LAKEI couldn't stop watching him.Ollie was across the room, sitting at the painting table with Sophia and David and Julian, all of them chattering excitedly about their collaborative masterpiece. His small hands were covered in paint—blue and green and yellow—and there was a smudge of red on his cheek that he'd gotten somehow. Mr. Hoppy sat propped against a cup of paintbrushes, dutifully supervising as always.And Ollie was laughing. Actually laughing, his face lit up with genuine joy as David said something that made all the kids crack up.I'd woken up this morning in a complete panic. The bed had been empty beside me except for Ramon, and my first thought—my immediate, visceral thought—had been that Ollie was gone. That yesterday's terror had somehow manifested into reality, that he'd disappeared or been taken or decided he didn't want to be with me anymore.I'd torn through the house in Ramon's shirt, not even thinking about getting dressed, my heart hammering so har







