Bruc

e of evidence he needed to confirm my betrayal. But his eyes, dark and intense, were fix

g, temporary reli

around me. He buried his face in my hair, his voice thick with wha

I had to play along. For Dad. "I just found out," I managed to say, the words

was a gesture he' d made a thousand times, one that had always made me feel cheri

e leaned in and kissed me, a slow, deep kiss that I forced myself not to recoil from. "We need to g

just see my regular doctor." The last thing I needed was to

n't have you or our child getting anything less tha

ran cold.

t be pregnant before you did." The confession was delivered with the casual air of a man discussing the weather,

by a private medical team he flew in from Switzerland. At the time, I' d been touched by his concer

. that's too muc

room for argument. "I've asked a specialist to come and stay with

my life. I needed space to think, to plan my next move. But arguing would only raise

y absolute. "She'll b

. Elias Odonnell ne

gned and installed, having our chef consult with a nutritionist, and canceling his trip to Tokyo. He was playing

ng, the do

cipation I hadn't seen in years. I stood in the archway of

n-black hair and a face that was both beautiful and haunted. She looked frail,

ngs. He reached out and gently took her hand, his thumb stroking the back of it in a g

er and more vulnerable than I h

u

her. The woman from the video call. The brilliant scientist.

ging her in

father's first successful surgery. The gesture had been a silent promise, a symbol of his devotion. And it had never been mine to begin with. It was a s

is voice bright and false. "I'd like you to meet Dr. Juli Duran. She's a leading speci

octor. He looked me stra

le. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gemma

yes widening in theatrical panic. "The paint," she rasped, pointing a trembling finger toward my

. "What? Gemma, what did you do?" he snarle

ed, confused. "The windows are open. The

"Get her to the panic room! Now! The air filtration system is independent. It' s the only safe

abbing his arm. "She's fakin

Are you an expert in anaphylactic shock? She could die! Is that what you want?" he hissed, his voice

severe case of claustrophobia. Small, enclosed spaces made my chest tighten, my vision tunnel. Elias knew this. He was the one who held me through the

sing my deepest

Mr. Odonnell's orders, Mrs. Odonnell. He said... he said you are to go to

er in disbelief. "Tha

ortant for the baby," Clara wh

alculated punishment for daring

bookshelf, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm of fear. As I stepped over the threshold into the small, windowless room, I saw Elias through the

e heavy steel door began to hi