ALEXI was looking at Sarah, hearing nothing aside from the wild pounding of my heart. Her words spun inside my head. She had mentioned a brief relationship, parting ways, and that he—the father of the child—hadn't known about the pregnancy. Well, HE had just learned about it right at that moment because I was ninety-nine percent sure that I was the one.The reason poking at my hectic mind told me to take a deep breath and analyze different possibilities. She might have had different partners. She might have been sleeping around with other guys. I could have been fooled by the innocence surrounding her that night. My gut told me otherwise. I glanced at Liam and his round hazel eyes; they were just like mine. His hair looked like mine. It couldn't be just a coincidence.I saw her eyes widen in reaction to whatever she read from my expression, as if she were afraid that I had found out. Why? As far as I knew, she had no other man in her life. Didn't she want a father for her son? Would

ALEXI was supposed to focus on our newest project, but after staring blankly at the documents for an hour, I decided to call Grayson. We met for lunch outside the office. I never willingly ate outside the office, but this time I felt like I had to leave.I owned a restaurant not so far from the Ravenford Corporation Building. As the owner, I had a private room prepared whenever I decided to eat there. I rarely used that privilege, which made the staff almost surprised when I showed up for lunch."Why do I feel like a piece of shit?" I looked at Grayson as I took a sip of my espresso.I told him everything that happened during the Sunday dinner and afterward, hoping that he would help me process it. He leaned forward, his mouth twisting into a wry smile. "Are you sure that you can trust Elmer?"I inhaled sharply. "Throughout the years, he has never been disloyal.""To whom?" He locked his eyes on mine."To our family," I replied, and he raised one brow."Being loyal to the Ravenfords

ALEX"What the hell was that?" Jeanette hissed, crossing her hands over her chest.My jaw clenched. "What was what?""Sarah Hill and you." She pointed at the door, seething. "What is going on between you two?"I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. The least she deserved was honesty. "The truth is... I met Sarah five years ago. We had a brief encounter that ended with a misunderstanding. I wanted to clear out this misunderstanding."Her eyes widened as she studied me in silence for a few seconds. "Are you trying to tell me that you fucked her?"I breathed out a curse. "I'm trying to tell you that there was something between us. I also wanted to remind you that our arrangement doesn't require me to confess all my past deeds, but I decided that it would be better if you knew.""I don't give a fuck about your past!" she spat, placing her hands on her hips. "I want to know if you are screwing her behind my back!"Irritation burst within me. "You are forgetting yourself, Jeanette."Sh

I stopped breathing and blankly stared at the face that used to be so familiar. A few strands of dirty-blond hair slipped out from under the black cap. His gray eyes—the only thing that once made us look alike—seemed almost lifeless, coated by a thick filter of dark void. The deep shades under his eyes were the proof of more than a few sleepless nights, and a few days' stubble made him look a decade older than he was. One of his cheeks was covered with several round scars that seemed burned. He released my hands and stepped back. "Sarah, you have to help me," he said, his voice hoarse and ragged. I looked around; we were in the side alley with no living soul in sight. My lady bag lay on the ground, a foot or so away from me. Drawing a shaky breath, I faced him. "What happened to you?" I asked, even though there were a thousand other things I wanted to say, beginning with asking how he could kill someone. His eyes feverishly scanned my features. "Sarah," he muttered, locking his eyes

SARAHIt was early morning. I sat on the sofa, staring blankly at whatever was in front of me. After everything that had happened last night, I fell asleep as soon as I came back home. When I woke up, I saw a few missed calls from Detective West. I called him back…Bram was dead. I had acknowledged the news, but, at the same time, I hadn't. It felt as if my brain shut down and then froze during rebooting. Deep down inside, I knew what caused that state. I just didn't want to let myself think about it."Do you want some coffee? Tea? A double shot of vodka?" Joy tried to force any kind of reaction from me. I knew I had to get myself together, but I was afraid that If I moved I would break the fragile construction I had built to protect myself. And I was right. I looked at Joy, and every piece of it crashed."I was the one who killed him," I said breathlessly.Joy blinked. "What the hell are you talking about? Did you hit your head or something?"I shook my head and looked at her. "Bram