but she barely felt it. She sat slumped against the bathtub, he
ars ago. Long Island. A sprawling estate decorat
e, her hands shaking so hard the bouquet trembled. The church was packed wi
, except
arm, the older woman's voice smooth as venom. "He's closing
sistant Alex-that Dante had chartered a private jet to St. Moritz. Beca
of a Swiss clinic. He had stood across from her, the priest droning on about holy matrimony, and when it came time
landline jolted Helen
ng with pins and needles, and rus
her voice tight with panic. "It's Master Julian. T
lf-brother. The sickly, forgotten son of the Velasquez family. The only person in thi
n," Helena said
think about the fact that she had just told her husband she was leaving. All she could t
faintly of antiseptic and sweat. Julian was curled into a tight ball under his du
bed, pressing her hand to his cheek. His
fluttering open. They were gl
n. It rang and rang before going to voicemail. She called the emergency line. The nurs
ldn't wait. A fever this high, with his
ing the duvet back. "We'r
to stay..." Julian groane
s, heaving him upright. He was tall but painfully thin, and she ma
nderground garage and into the backseat of the Bentley. She buckled him in, his
idn't even bother with the GPS, relying on a frantic, two
city lights blurred past the windshield, a stream of gold and
ian's breathing was shallow, his face g
ing the steering wheel so hard her knuckles
e with Dante. But Julian was different. Julian was innocent. As
ake sure he was safe. And then, she wo
s the Bentley sped down the FDR Drive,
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