LOGINNora's POVThe room erupted into confused murmurs the second the words left my mouth.My father was on his feet before I had even finished speaking, pushing past two board members to reach our table. He grabbed my shoulders and turned me toward him, his eyes scanning my face like he was trying to remember it underneath everything that had changed."How is this possible," he breathed. "You're different, you look completely different. Are you certain you're Genevieve?"A bitter laugh escaped me."Isn't it strange," I said, "that a father wouldn't even recognize his own daughter?"Around us, the murmuring grew louder, more guests rising slightly from their seats to get a better view of what was unfolding."I don't blame you, though," I continued, my voice shaking now, tears gathering despite every effort to hold them back. ."How could you recognize me, when you had me locked away for over thirty years because you were ashamed of what the world would say? Ashamed because I wasn't the da
Nora's POVDennis looked like he had been electrocuted.His eyes went wide enough that I half expected them to pop out of their sockets entirely, and he withdrew his hand so fast it was almost comedic."Are you…no, that's…it's not possible, I mean, I…""Is this the welcome I get," Norman said pleasantly, "after fifteen years of being away?" He tilted his head. "Or wait, let me rephrase that. After fifteen years of being shipped off to a distant orphanage so you could frolic around with my parents' wealth and conveniently forget I ever existed."Dennis was too shocked to even respond properly. His eyes raked over Norman from head to toe."How did you…your name, I mean…""I made a decision to be addressed by my middle name. I was curious to see whether you'd recognize your own brother's child without it spelled out for you. What else are you surprised about? The wealth, perhaps?"Dennis's face crumpled."I know I wronged you," he said, his voice breaking, tears welling almost instantly
Nora's POVThe car slowed to a stop outside the venue and even through the tinted windows I could see the wall of paparazzi already lined up along the entrance, cameras flashing.I stared out at it and felt my chest tighten."I don't know how to feel honestly," I said quietly. "This is my first public event where I actually get to feel like myself. Not embarrassed that I'll be mocked, not worried my dress isn't good enough, not standing two steps behind everyone else because that's where I was told I belonged."Norman was quiet, listening."And it's not even just Dennis," I continued, my voice catching. "It's my father too. He's been ashamed of me my entire life, Norman. A sick child, below his expectations, something he hid away from the world for over thirty years. And the first condition he ever gave me to be seen, to actually exist publicly, was to get married and have a child. Like I had to earn the right to be his daughter in front of other people."I hadn't realized I was cryin
Nora's POVIt was finally the day.After weeks of recovery, transformation, and a wedding that had started as a strategy and somehow turned into something I no longer had a clean word for, we were flying back to New York.Tonight was the night I made my comeback.Not as Nora Adams, the woman the world believed had jumped off a balcony in a fit of madness, but as Genevieve Lennox. CEO of Lennox Global and wife of Norman Adams.I sat on the edge of the bed watching Norman fold his shirts and felt the nervousness I'd been pushing down all morning finally crack through."Norman.""Hmm?" He didn't look up from the suitcase."Maybe we're overcomplicating this," I said. "Maybe I should just hand everything we have over to the police right now. Why are we spending an entire year playing this out when we could end it tonight with one phone call?"He stopped folding.He crossed the room and knelt directly in front of me, taking both my hands in his."Because handing him to the police gets him
Nora's POVThe club was nothing like what I had pictured in my head.I had always assumed clubs were strictly for people in their twenties but to my surprise the dance floor was full of couples in their forties and fifties moving easily to the music.At the far end a group of women who had to be near sixty laughing hysterically over drinks at a high table.Close by, an older man spinning his partner under the lights.The world had moved on without me.I had spent five years locked inside Dennis's company and missed out on what genuine friendship and love should feel like."Drinks," Marcus announced. "Norman, with me."The men disappeared toward the bar, and Patricia pulled me toward a booth, leaning close so I could hear her over the music."So," she said, eyes bright with curiosity. "How did you two actually meet?""That's a long story," I said. "How about you and Marcus first?"She laughed. "Funny story, actually. He was my student. I used to lecture at the university before my divo
Nora's POV "Chicken and waffles with extra hot sauce," Norman said, without a single second of hesitation.I felt my face warm as I confirmed it into my own microphone."Correct!" the MC called, and a small cheer went up. "Alright, next question. Mrs. Adams. What is the first thing your husband says every single morning?"I blinked. We hadn't even spent a full night together yet. How was I supposed to know that?"I'm going to guess," I said carefully, "that he says good morning, baby, and then immediately mentions food or sex within the same sentence."The crowd laughed.Norman held up his card, grinning like he'd already won."Good morning baby, and Siri, read out my schedule," I read off his card aloud, and the crowd burst out laughing along with me."I'll take it!" the MC called. "Close enough counts in my book!"The questions kept coming, harder each round, some we nailed effortlessly and others we completely missed, guessing wildly and laughing at how wrong we were.By the time







