LOGINDamian's POVBrother.The word didn't make sense at first. I just stood there staring at Victoria like she'd said something in a language I didn't speak.Then Michael smiled at her.And it clicked.Victoria and Michael were siblings.But how?"What do you mean brother?" Scarlet's voice came out barely above a whisper. She was still pressed against Michael, the gun gone from her forehead now but he hadn't let go of her yet.Victoria looked almost pleased that we were confused. She liked having information we didn't. "Tell her," she said to Michael with a cruel smile "Tell her how you found me."Michael's grip on Scarlet loosened slightly before he nodded and looked at me. "A few months ago I hired someone to help me find my biological family," he said. His voice was quieter now, more human than it had been all night. "I was adopted when I was three. I never knew anything about where I came from."Victoria tilted her head. "And he found me." She said it the way you'd describe a mild
Scarlet's Pov Michael's hands were on my throat, squeezing so hard my vision at the edges began to turn dark and hazy. "I trusted you," he said, his voice breaking. Desperate. "I thought you'd understand. I thought we'd have a chance.""Michael, please—" his grip tightened again and I couldn't breathe properly. Not at all The wire taped to my chest felt useless now. The police could hear everything but they weren't here. They weren't close enough.I was alone with a man who was breaking apart in front of me."You're just like all the others!" he shouted, his face twisted with pain and rage. "Using me! Lying to me! Pretending to care when really you just wanted to trap me.""That's not—" I started to say, but his mouth suddenly crashed against mine.It was violent, desperate. Nothing like the gentle kisses I remembered from eleven years ago.I tried to pull away but his hand moved to the back of my head, holding me in place.This wasn't love. This was possession. Ownership.I shoved
Scarlet's Pov"I’ve missed you so much,” he said. His voice was quiet now. Intense. “Every day for eleven years I’ve thought about you. Dreamed about you.”I could feel the wire under my sweater. The small device taped to my chest.The police were hearing this. They had to be getting ready to move.But Jace was still in the bathroom. Still inside the house so I needed to keep Michael talking. Keep him calm and then get Jace out.“I know you must have thought about me too,” Michael continued. “Late at night when Lucas was ignoring you. When Damian was lying to you. You must have remembered what we had. How good it was.”“Michael—”“Tell me you remember. Tell me you thought about me sometimes.”I chose my words carefully. “I did think about you. I felt terrible about how things ended between us.”His face brightened like I’d just confirmed everything he believed.“But I’ve moved on,” I continued. “I have a life now. A son. A husband.”His expression darkened again.“A husband you don’t
Scarlet's Pov "What condition, Scarlet. Tell me, I'll do anything," Michael grabbed my hand as he looked into my eyes with desperation. I sighed before looking back at him. "Let my son go. Jace has nothing to do with this, please. Let me baby ho and I promise I'll come back to you," I told him with calmest and kindest voice I could muster. I wasn't entirely lying. I would do anything to keep have safe, even if it involved sacrificing my happiness to stay with Michael. But Michael just furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?""I just need to bring Jace to safety. I'll take him to his Damian and come back to you, and— and then we can stay together. You can even take me anywhere, far or close. I don't mind."I watched as Michaels expression slowly changed from confusion to anger. "You're trying to trick me aren't you? You think I'm a fool, uhn?" he growled. I pulled away from him immediately, shaking my head. "No. No. I swear I'm telling the truth. I'll come back to you, I promise.""
Scarlet's PovI felt Jace tense in my lap. He'd picked up on the change in my tone. The tension in my body.I forced myself to relax. To keep breathing normally."And kidnapping my son," I said slowly. "How is that protecting me?""I didn't kidnap him. I only rescued him from a man who probably didn't give two fucks about him. " Michael's voice got more animated. More passionate. "He was running away from Lucas. Alone in the dark. Scared. I found him and kept him safe until you could come get him.""Language, Michael. My son is here," I snapped at him as I could already feel the anger bubbling in my chest. " And you could have brought him to me. To the hospital.""No. Because they would have still kept us apart. Damian and the police and everyone else. They would have stopped me from talking to you.""So you used my son as bait to get me here.""I used your son to give us a chance. A chance to talk. To reconnect. To remember what we had.Stop acting like you don't feel anything for me
Scarlet's Pov"Mommy!"The word hit me like a physical force.I barely had time to register Jace's small form before he was running across the room. His little feet pounding on the wooden floor. His dinosaur backpack still on his shoulders.My heart burst into tony flames as I dropped to my knees despite the sharp pain that shot through my ribs. I giggled with tears in my eyes as I caught him as he crashed into me. His arms went around my neck so tight I could barely breathe.But I didn't care.He was here. He was real. He was alive.I ran my hands over him frantically, checking for injuries. For bruises or anything that might tell me he'd been hurt.His face was dirty, and I noticed how his clothes wrinkled. His hair a mess.But he was whole. My baby was finally with me. "Did he hurt you?" I whispered into his hair. Quiet enough that maybe Michael wouldn't hear.Jace shook his head against my shoulder. "He was nice. He gave me crackers and d he has so many pictures of you."My stoma
Scarlet"BP is dropping. 90 over 60."I looked up sharply from the exposed brain tissue in front of me. "What?"The anesthesiologist, Dr. Morrison, frowned at his monitors. "I'm showing a significant drop in blood pressure. Patient's becoming unstable."That didn't make sense. This was a routine tu
ScarletI was shouting now. The fury was too big to contain, too hot to channel into anything controlled."You don't get to decide what's safe for me!" I continued, grabbing another file from the desk and waving it in the air. "You don't get to monitor my every move, read my deepest secrets, catalo
ScarletSaturday morning arrived too quickly.I'd barely slept, my mind churning through everything—Victoria's campaign against me at the hospital, the upcoming custody hearing, and now this: Jace's first supervised visit with Lucas."Mommy, I don't want to go."Jace stood in the doorway of my bedr
Scarlet"Dr Scarlet!" Dr Harrison greeted me first as I walked into the conference room. I pursed my lips, looking at everyone of their faces. They were clearly not smiling at me.This was bad.The administrative conference room was set up like it designed to intimidate—long table, leather chairs,







