The Billionaire's Cruel Secret

y Who

ara whispered. "Sa

hammering the glass and her mother's nails digging into her wrist

arsely. "Because my n

ade a small,

e way a person reaches for something they don't want to be m

lowed photocopy and held it

a to

wenty-two years ago. At the bottom, on t

n R.

g, uneven scrawl of a child. The A was enormous. The R trailed off the line. And beside i

ght," Adr

om wen

d wrapped his hand around mine." His mouth twisted. "I remember because it hurt. He he

look

error in her face was cracking, and someth

or. He was crying, and a man was holding his hand on the pen." She pressed her fingers to her lips. "I've re

n said quietly.

ere a

esn't

said, and her voice sh

slowly, he looked away, and Amara saw his jaw wo

I never went in to see her. I only watched through the glass. I couldn't walk through that door as the boy who signed he

clean a minute ago, had n

d the room. She stood in front of him, close

eight months," she s

N

l furious

kno

d his lapel. "Beca

ghts w

nce, plunging the room into black. The he

ound Adrian's arm, and his fin

ld have kicked in," he

rridor, a door sla

quarter inch. Headlights swept across his face. A b

" he b

he know we

cold passed behind his eye

"My mother can't run

eeling in front of Lillian to help with her shoes. "There's a service stair at

mara caught

. "You said it like you

ara

y i

nearly shut behind them. In the black, narrow hall

wrong," he said, "I

on

know it wasn'

ds as he framed her face. He was giv

di

issed

wall. His jacket slid off her shoulders and fell to the floor, and his hand found the bare skin at the small of her back, hot and sure, pulling her flush

her mouth, wrecked. "I

don't

tremble as if he were holding up the whole sky

ng in the st

rehead rested against hers,

gate," he whispered. "

d y

r kiss-swollen lower

ed her mother down one step at a time, one arm around her th

ed her dress. The gate was ten yar

llian s

a. L

a tu

e front drive. The two black cars. The men in dark co

t of the front doors al

o, no

ient smile. He said something Amara couldn't hear. Then he he

idence. Every page

dropped, just sli

ra breathed. "Dun

n opened the rear

e clinic. At the dark wi

she was sure h

he go

, red taillights bleeding into the ra

buzzed i

ri

and run. Whatever they tell you ab

ur, her lips still burning, her

rrived, from a num

alone. Midnight tomorrow.