the drip. "You're pregnant, so you can't have a

at her. "

eyes, the kind that made strangers look twice. The nurse's who

door closed, Iv

he city. Dominic paid for everything. W

tried to lose the baby. This time she hadn't tried

himself. He thought

e this bed. Not yet. She had to be s

t was already walk

, click. Cel

he door wide open behind her. Of course she d

ize. I made you chicken soup. Well, our cook did. But I as

id. Steam curled up

mbered t

The doctors saved Noel, barely. Miles traced it back to Vivian Shaw, Celeste's mothe

et it go. "Mom was just confused, Dom. She was tr

Celest

ed at the bowl, the

," she said. "It's got

and wet in an instant. Ho

st you throw yourself down the stairs to frame m

what I

olling. Ivy let her cry. She c

her hand. "Maybe I'm bein

tle into a ceramic bowl. "It's fresh, I pro

l and lifted it

she s

she said,

blinked.

an, prove it

u think you can scare me? Dominic doesn't believe a word you say. You know what he told me?

held out

d there was nothing in that soup

efit of the open doorway. "If that's

s. Then she set it down with a delicate clin

ps in t

ept the room: Celeste with tears on her

s goin

g to poison her. She made me taste the soup lik

t Ivy. "You're o

ifepristone in that thermos." She pres

in. "Is everyt

to the lab, please? I'd

For all I know, she's already paid off the nur

ged. "Eve

her eyes. And when she thought nobody was w

for her. Celeste was

r life that Celeste reall

a what her mother

n Ivy had never seen on his easygoing face. Celeste sat on the leather

ked at I

"Unhappy with th

fy a tox screen for anybody." He turned to Dominic, grim. "The soup

went de

No, that's impossible. There's a mistake. I didn't p

rd. He was staring at t

m and clutched his arm. "You believe m

and covered

e said lazily. "I ne

ed around and

go ask your mot

or drained out o