His Unwanted Wife's Return With Secret Twins

llion-dollar debt of the Pr

istant, flat and cold, like the closing of any ordinary deal. The thin, neatly dressed man sat across the

re off the white paper burned her amber eyes. Three years ago, her family had used her as collateral for a thirt

together, forced down the bitterness in her throat, and quickly signed h

hampagne, a triumphant smile curving her lips. As Astrid's stepsister and the p

reedom back, Astrid," Cristen said

nails deliberately scratched the back of Astrid's ski

ew was alw

to choke on. She tilted her head back and drained the champagne

the coffee table with a sharp c

my left

ward the foyer, and pulled open the

ave of heat surged up from her lower abdomen. Her knees bu

ping for air as her vision blurred. That cha

wake. She stumbled toward the elevator, her trembling fingers hitting the wro

oung housekeeper had wheeled her cart inside, propped the door open with the doorstop so she could haul out the old linens, and then been called away to another floo

glow filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

stal by the entryway. A porcelain vase crashed to th

, clamping around her wrist like an iron vise

ped above her head, heavy

e you do

the hotel's conference rooms and come up to the

he failed to recognize his voice, driven only by instinct t

her hair brushed his neck, releasing the faint scent of orange blossom, the harsh tensio

ttons of his dress shirt, her fingertips brushi

control snapped. He lowered his head and crushed hi

ked for

nt of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, they tangled together wi

ng tore across the night sky, briefly illuminating the overlappi

ouds, Astrid woke to a fierce, tearing ache throug

gathered her torn clothes from the

o the street, hailed a yellow cab, and only dared t

nt in Brooklyn, a rusty faucet dripped stead

et, her hands shaking as she picked up a

red lines stood out clearly, announcing

he pregnancy test into the trash bin, ran to

pper East Side socialite who had cut ties with her own biased family t

a one-way tick

ceiver, sharp with alarm. "A ticke

her flat stomach, her eyes

line. "If he finds out," Astrid went o

yers are still hunting for you to finalize the divorc

er the better,

to a duffel bag and took one last l

inst the apartment door, followed by

n up! Mr. Watson

mself, following the trail all the

ng to let her