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“Claire?” Camilla called again. I simply stared at her. For several seconds, I didn’t know what to say. Pregnancy. The word had barely entered my mind, yet somehow it had managed to echo repeatedly. I looked away. “That’s impossible.” Camilla raised an eyebrow. “Is it?” “Yes.” The answer came too quickly. And Camilla noticed— of course she did. I wiped my mouth and slowly got to my feet. “I’ve just been stressed.” I said, in an attempt to dismiss the thought. “You’ve been nauseous.” “Just a few times.” “Your breasts are tender.” “That happens.” “You’ve been tired.” “Because I work too much.” Camilla folded her arms across her chest. I heaved a sigh. “Camilla, please.” “I didn’t say anything.” Camilla said, giving me a knowing look. “But you’re thinking it very loudly.” She laughed softly. “I only suggested you take a test.” “And I’m telling you I don’t need one.” She studied me for another moment before finally nodding. “All right.”
The gates opened slowly. I watched them from the back seat, my fingers still intertwined with Lucian’s. For a moment, I wondered if I should ask him to turn around. It wasn’t too late— we could still go back to my apartment. I could make some excuse about needing to prepare for court or having work to finish. But then the car rolled through the gates, and I realized I didn’t actually want to leave. I just didn’t know what it would feel like to come back. The mansion came into view a few seconds later. It looked exactly as I remembered: The wide driveway, the perfectly trimmed hedges, the enormous windows reflecting the afternoon sunlight, the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Everything was familiar. And yet, somehow, it wasn’t. The car came to a stop. Before I could reach for the door, Lucian’s hand squeezed mine. “You okay?” I nodded. “I think so.” Lucian studied my face for a moment longer. “If you want to leave—” “I don’t.” I answered quickly.
Two days later, Lucian was finally discharged. I had never seen anyone look so pleased about leaving a hospital. “You’re smiling,” I pointed out as I watched him sign the final discharge papers. “I’ve been trapped in here for almost two weeks.” He replied. “You’ve been recovering from a gunshot wound and a stab wound.” I stated. “Exactly.” “That doesn’t make you sound any less dramatic.” Lucian gave me a look. And despite myself, I still smiled. He looked better— so much better than he had when I’d first seen him lying unconscious in that hospital bed. There was still a sling supporting his injured shoulder, and the stitches along his side remained, hidden beneath his clothes, but the color had returned to his face. He was standing on his own now, walking without assistance. And, most importantly, he was going home. Camilla stood beside me, holding a small bag containing some of his belongings. The moment the doctor finished speaking, she began repeating
For several seconds, I couldn’t speak. I stared through the windshield, but I wasn’t really seeing the street in front of me anymore. I was seeing Hart. The Hart I’d known for a decade. The man who had always been there. The man who had taken my calls at three in the morning. The man who had never asked me whether something was right or wrong. The man who had simply asked me what needed to be done. And now he was talking about changing. Because of them. Because of Claire. Because of Margot Sinclair. Because of a trial. I clenched my jaw. “Did you give them something?” Silence. My heart began pounding. “Hart.” Nothing. “Did you give Claire something?” Still nothing. I sat up straighter. “Did you give her evidence?” He finally spoke. “Why does it matter?” My stomach twisted. It mattered because I needed to know how much he had told them. It mattered because every piece of evidence could destroy me. It mattered because if Hart had turned, I needed to know bef
I barely made it to my car before I slammed the door hard enough to make the windows tremble. For several seconds, I simply sat there in silent fury, my hands gripping the steering wheel. I didn’t realize how hard I had been clenching my jaw until it started hurting. Claire. That worm had somehow managed to get under my skin without even raising her voice. She hadn’t threatened or mocked me. She hadn’t even looked particularly triumphant. That was what made it worse. She had looked at me like I was already finished. Like she knew something I didn’t. I hated that look. I hated her. But more than anything, I hated the uncertainty. Hart was supposed to be the one thing I didn’t have to question. For ten years, I had never had reason to question his loyalty. Not once. He had always been there. Whenever I needed something done, I knew Hart would do it for me. Whenever someone became a problem, Hart made the problem disappear. Whenever I was afraid, he remind
I closed the door behind me as quietly as I could. For a moment, I just stood in the hallway. I could still hear the faint hum of the hotel at night. Voices drifted from somewhere downstairs, followed by the occasional sound of footsteps. Eva was waiting for me. Downstairs. At midnight. After everything that had happened between us, I should have woken Lucian. I knew that. But something inside me told me I needed to hear what she wanted first. I tightened the belt of my robe around my waist before walking toward the elevator. Every step I took made my stomach twist a little tighter. I had spent months preparing to take for Eva Sterling to court. I had studied her lies, her schemes, her relationships. The people she’d manipulated, the money she’d stolen, and the evidence she’d tried to destroy. I thought I understood her by now. But standing in an elevator at midnight because she had asked to speak to me privately made me realize something. I didn’t know what Eva







