THE LAST THING HE TOOK FROM ME

kept staring

stared r

ug off. Exact resemblance-okay, maybe a long-lost cousin, or just so

held the same delicate angle. Even that hesi

he photograph, br

her eyes held something Evelisse recognized, though

nced at

is

iet. He just sta

reache

it t

took a

N

hung in

her something didn't matter, she let it go. When he disappeared into meetings late into the night, she figured he was working for their future. If he came hom

t, somethi

he photo over. Not u

owered h

eli

is

thing to do

oes she loo

w tigh

doe

e d

imagin

lmost laug

m

photo next

k at

oked. Sai

nce said

it," she

oked

rt was

see

't mean a

ll me wh

ady tol

nothing to do with me.

oved tow

ld her

, Evelisse stood between Caelen

es nar

the pho

N

eli

lied

ce wen

ed to you abou

ared a

about

sn't re

it inside my d

le

as it

le

oks like me, standing next t

aw fl

rstand what you

explai

can

quietly she al

st

can

t y

hy

the truth could p

ward her stomach-

ced. His ey

etween th

omething to do wi

N

k. She c

re ly

xpression

e emot

dodging th

eed to

blin

ha

uldn't b

divorc

es

s of a woman who l

es

thing about my

nce

want me t

t cold. "I'm telli

ch h

fro

gave a bi

giving me afte

es dar

eli

N

ook he

six years tr

kno

fende

kno

ded your

kno

me, you've kept

face ti

g to keep

. For a moment, neither

ed down at th

wo

ba

el

-year-old

ed the ph

the c

met h

n't k

sounded diff

don't

N

y were y

id no

ele

hardened.

g in her

odded

in

the photograp

m keepi

N

topped her.

aring at the

hy

ldn't

was e

ed the photo i

e you to

n't investi

sed at

't plan

, Caelen loo

she t

now I

alked

nd Evelisse realized she ha

as she pressed t

ind-finger moving up t

tor start

rty seconds ago. He'd think she was g

s. When he was angry, Caelen used the private corridor-t

erence wing. So maybe she had five m

ator doo

e stepp

nobody

ffice door

went

ce folder still

open

uff. Property transfers. Medi

she spotted a thin

lled i

raphs.

eath c

read t

oman. Over

te residence. One beside a black car. Another ho

sse s

barely sevente

he same age as in the

ked up

rneath-eigh

her-

er-tw

irteen, fourteen,

stretched bac

e expected. Different clothes, hair,

fingers wer

t one. Its edges were w

s stood outside

er-the man sh

wo

ure: a little g

sse f

hite with little embroidere

r's favor

hing went

o.

the photo

date. Fiftee

twelve b

r's voice, a woman's perfume, someone holding her hand. Then

nk into Cae

she in t

elen's fat

s the

. The little girl was gon

stood outside the

ide Eveliss

-holdin

artbeat felt

ver the oldes

scrawled o

hurried h

ead i

n a

le body

AWAY FROM

ed at th

gers tr

rs ago. Someone knew about this wo

ph wasn't proof of Cae

mething that started before her marria

could understand anyth

me from th

someone ap

tos but couldn't finish bef

stood

tos on the desk, then th

d-not anger, no

came

sse s

es

ed the p

telling me

at the writi

in wen

stepped

the lit

ayed

it

th

ele

ly met h

scared her more than

se he

lways

hen she was twelve had

gerou