The Belated Confession from a Disqualified Father

, he caught her. "Don't be scared, baby. I'm righ

fied, my ey

of blood, I screamed,

red at his security detail, "Tear i

aseball bats and crowbars

ging my broken body across t

my children were ripped from the walls and trampled underfoot.

the Sterling family knelt on the floor, clinging to Julian

n't want the title of Mrs. Vance! All the money, all the shares, you

n pity from a demon, but Julian just l

d at the two mahogany boxes on the main pedesta

ed the urns and b

screaming at the top of my lu

on my spine, pinning me firmly to the floor. I could o

urn and waved a hand in front

you sick in the head? Using this filthy stuff to fake your kids' deat

the eye, a wicked, triumphan

and the urns slipped

as

, ashen remains of my six-year-old babies exploded into a cloud of dust, sca

hand in mock surprise. "My bad. The baby just ki

ed, the last shred of my humanity completely shattered. The gr

om the men holding me down, my eyes almost bleeding from the pr

d a vicious backhand slap to my fac

st fireplace ash! If you scare the baby in Chl

swelled up instantly, one eye puffing shut. I l

ian, darling... do you think Serena's going to curse my pregnancy? What if her evil e

ow exactly how to fix her attitude. Take her down to th

s hauled me u

o the estate's subterranean level, straight into Julian's climate-controlled vault,

rk glass enclosure and lo

ny, sharp legs skittering across my bare ar

wildfire through my entire nervous system. I colla

my body, the physical pain couldn'

how my ba

y, tears mixing with

the vultures pecked at them? W

My agonized screams echoed through the

ving room, Julian

e of unease suddenl

he considered telling t

ced me to move to Europe six years ago, we'd be married by now. We'd have our own cute little kid

c worked

solve. He pulled her into his arms. "I know, baby. I'm sorry

"Keep her in there until dawn. Tomorrow, drag her and the kids

eft in

nor forced the doors open, wielding a sh

I could barely breathe, covere

iately calling her private medi

rest. Refusing painkillers, I dragged

usly sweeping up every speck of ash, every splinter of wo

hem tightly to my chest, and walked out of the Vance

s I had maintained since my days as CEO of th

on the kitchen island of our penthouse,

pacious corner office, gently massaging Chloe's

the twins to show up and

y office doors su

nt rushed in, pale an

e has completely vanished! Her tracker is o

over his face. "What the hell? If she ran off,

lowed hard, his wh

and Lily... t