Chapter 1

Liam's POV

The crematorium workers cut the thick rope from around the neck of my mother, Margaret Locke. Her stiff body hit the ground in front of me with a heavy thud. I, Liam Locke, followed them in a daze, watching as they pushed her into the furnace and reduced her to a handful of ash.

"How could she do something like that? Hanging herself is such a painful way to go," a nurse murmured beside me while we filled out the death certificate.

I forced a smile, but couldn't stop the tears.

It was nearly midnight by the time I'd taken care of everything. I carried her urn home, and when I reached the door, I heard a commotion inside.

Camille Sinclair and Logan Lane were tangled together on the couch, her lace underwear lying discarded on the floor. Logan lifted his head and looked right at me when I walked in.

Without missing a beat, he pulled her closer and grinned. "Don't take it personally, Liam. Camille's just needed a little help because she's ovulating today. You and I are basically brothers. I'd never get between you two."

Camille didn't spare me even a glance. She kept her arms wrapped tight around Logan's neck.

I stood there staring at the ridiculous scene in front of me, my hands shaking at my sides. Someone slammed the bedroom door shut, and suddenly I felt cold all over.

Seven years.

Seven years of bending to Camille's every demand just to keep my mother's medication coming. And in the end, I had nothing to show for it. I held the urn tighter against my chest, so I could feel like my mother was still right here with me.

When my phone suddenly rang, it took me a moment to come back to myself.

"Mr. Locke, we just need to confirm the details for the assisted death procedure you scheduled. Can you confirm the patient's name? Margaret Locke, your mother?"

I'd set that up because I was terrified she'd die in agony if I couldn't get the medication in time. Instead, she'd died in agony anyway.

I gripped the phone so hard my knuckles went white. It took me a long moment to speak.

"Everything stays the same. Just change the name on file."

The second I said it, Camille appeared behind me, her whole body still marked with fresh red patches.

"Change it to whose name?" she asked, her voice rough and worn out from what she'd just been doing.

I hung up without answering her.

She pouted and reached for my neck, trying to pull me into a kiss. My skin crawled at her touch, and I choked down the urge to gag as I pushed her off.

"Don't touch me."

Camille blinked, caught off guard. "Are you mad at me? Didn't you say your mother wanted a grandchild before she died? You can't get me pregnant, so I had to ask Logan for help."