INICIAR SESIÓNCarter's POVI answered the call."Carter. I wanted you to hear this from me. I'm so, so sorry," Harrison said."I just saw it on the news. Please tell me it's not true, Harrison. You're the only one who can tell me that… please," I begged.My voice sounded like it belonged to someone else."I know. I'm so sorry, Carter. The police asked me to wait for them to speak to you first, but they couldn't reach you, and neither could we.""My phone… the meetings… I…" I trailed off.Harrison hesitated. "Leo died last night at the house, Carter. I'm…""No… no… no. God, please no!""I'm so sorry.""How? How on earth did this happen? Where was Brooke? Where was the nanny?""They're only saying he fell. They wouldn't tell me more. Brooke is in the hospital. They say she took something. She's stable, but she's under a psychiatric hold, and nobody can see her."I sank into the nearest chair, hardly aware of the room as I stared into space.Leo fell? He was the most careful boy in the universe.We ha
Carter's POV"I'm so sorry, sir. I don't know how this happened," my assistant apologized for the umpteenth time, her cheeks flushing.I sighed. I was annoyed, but what could I do?She was new and quite young, and she clearly hadn't gotten the hang of her job yet.The firm hosting us had a strict rule. No phones in the meeting rooms, for anyone, no matter who they were. Even my bodyguard's phone had been locked in a box at the lobby desk. So, of course, I had handed mine to my assistant, like everyone else.For two days I had gone without it, and I'd hardly noticed. But this morning, when I finally asked Rebecca for it, she went pale. She had left it in a drawer in the conference room we used the day before, in the other city.Because of this, I was phoneless, and I hadn't been able to call Leo since last night. I could have borrowed someone's phone, but Brooke never answered calls from numbers she didn't know. If I wanted Leo to hear my voice, I needed my own number."Where ex
Brooke's POVIt all happened as though in slow motion.For several minutes afterward, I simply stood there, at the top of the stairs, still as a statue.The house was so quiet and still that I could hear the refrigerator humming very loudly in the kitchen.I hadn't meant to do this. I swear I hadn’t.It just happened, and now I had to find a solution to it.I remembered thinking my life had come to an end.I was going to join my parents in jail, never to see the light of day again.After what felt like a thousand years, I summoned the courage to look down.There he was, lying very still at the bottom of the stairs, looking way smaller than I remembered.I didn't go to him right away or call his name.I already knew he wouldn't respond. He would never respond to anything again. And there was a social worker coming to check on him tomorrow, courtesy of Maya. God! This was such an inconvenient mess.I gripped the railing and forced myself to breathe, trying to calm my racing heart.Th
Brooke's POVQuick on the heels of shock came anger.Three hours was all it had taken.Three hours of getting my phone back, and that bitch had popped out of whatever hole she'd crawled into."What do you want?" I barked into the phone."You had better be dead and buried! That's the only explanation I'll take for you going AWOL on me. You think you can throw your phone away and hide from me, you stupid, ungrateful bitch? You think I won't find you? It's because of me you even have that boy in the first place!" Tanya barked back just as loudly.So much for not losing my temper.Only the sound of that woman's voice could make my blood boil, let alone her yelling at me over the phone."Lower your fucking voice," I hissed."Why? Is little Brookie afraid someone will hear her dirty little secret? Well, it doesn't matter, because you've pushed me to the wall now. I was trying to be nice to you before, but now I've decided being nice doesn't pay.""What the fuck are you talking about? I've f
Brooke's POVIf not for the fact that fingers would most likely point at me, I would have gladly found a way to off that meddling bitch called Maya.It wasn't enough for her that she had stolen Carter from me; she had to go after my son too.What was her business if I hit Leo or not?He was my fucking son, not hers.I avoided her throughout that day at work and left early to get a new phone and retrieve my number.I couldn't put off getting one any longer on account of Tanya, although I had to admit that I had enjoyed relative peace recently.The girl at the phone store took her sweet time moving my number to the new device, as if I didn't have better things to do.I stood at the counter, tapping my nails impatiently against the glass the whole time."All done, ma'am. You'll start receiving your missed calls and voicemails now," she finally said, handing it back with a bright, stupid smile.It was a little after three when the number came back to life.I hadn't even left the store bef
Maya's POVHarrison answered on the second ring."Ms. Thompson. Is something wrong?"His voice was calm as always, but surprised.I could understand his surprise.I never called him outside work hours.I stepped into the bedroom and shut the door, so Ethan wouldn't hear the conversation.Then I told him everything Ethan had told me.He sighed heavily.I wondered if he already knew about Brooke's history of abusing her son.It seemed like he did."Thank you for telling me, Ms. Thompson. I'll let Mr. Davis know immediately," he said."His phone is off. I've tried three times. You know how to reach him. Can you do that?""I can try. There are people who can get a message to him, but it may take a day or two, depending on where he is. Ms. Thompson, I'll be honest with you. I take this seriously, but I have to be careful. The custody order gives Mr. Davis and Ms. Miller equal rights, and that was only because he had to compromise and agree to her terms.""Yes, I know. He told me so.""If I







