Serena Down in the valley, thirty miles away, my brain was still pondering on how to not complicate things and get me in the ruins. Inside the cab of the truck, the heater casted a warm air current over the dashboard. In the back seat, Eli was curled tightly beneath his heavy coat, his small body rising and falling as he slept. His little hands were tucked against his chest, clutching the frayed ear of his favorite bear. I turned in my seat, my eyes lingering on his face in the shadows. Almost 4 years. For these years, every decision I had made, every false identity I had assumed, every forged lease I had signed, and every midnight escape through back roads had been calculated for one single purpose: to keep this boy safe from the toxic black hole of his father's family. I had given up my name, my career, and my peace of mind so he could grow up without the shadow of the Holt enterprise looming over his shoulders. And now, as we accelerated down the winding pass toward the
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