THE LAST THING HE TOOK FROM ME

it

s just h

staye

ching his face for something-an

und no

tened around

it w

behind him. The lock clicked

eli

u k

girl in that

her catch

e g

ed. Jus

kne

es

softly she alm

med to tilt u

w l

es dropped

than you

g?" she

ayed

I was t

th

h was taken whe

kno

velisse's h

u k

es

't I remember

ce har

u weren't s

ared a

s that ev

ed to t

a laugh, s

st y

es

me to tr

closer. "I know

e was cold, hard. "You kn

ed the p

Like you've been keeping evidence locked away in your office. It looks like someone

s jaw c

ll you ever

hy

you're no

like he was

rea

es

ve you the right to decid

e a pr

wh

nt si

y fat

espo

moth

ing flashed a

it-her stom

moth

anywhere b

know my

barely whi

inside h

sappeared whe

kno

knew

es

you never

so low she had

ould have put

ou. Your family. That woman. My moth

stomach wit

supposed to

hand, softened for a hear

m trying to ke

s not

as to

or six years, I gave you my trus

t stoo

gave me

g. "I don't think you understa

er eyes.

prov

th

wa

th

harp and bitte

photograph ba

was. You knowing everythi

rd the door. He

oorknob, he spoke. "The divor

fr

d. "W

s no oth

the photo. "Th

't tel

cour

d for the

ai

desk drawer, pulled out a thick

t's

ancial se

y saw the

the obvio

What's that su

ed the

id out a stack of documents in her name-property deed

inked at th

are..

es

you transf

ths

red. "M

s happened nea

thin. "So you've been prepar

ayed

more than

ere planning to leave-before

ring for the

y of divorce,"

es

never t

N

allowe

t el

nother pape

etters: VAREN HOLDINGS -

head. "This

es

s not op

rre

s it in

l find

"You're doing i

dn't give a

the co

't wan

nee

hy

id no

ny was empty, basically a shell. No

ing pages until she spott

cogniz

it mattered to him, and how he'd failed. She remembered his disappoint

e picked

and," s

staye

tried to

es

art sp

s this comp

red the

he

rs a

hy

y. "Because I knew one

ust s

ha

erred to you directly at the

y n

dn't

ele

searching for i

t re

know al

he meant it, and somehow that

the stack. "Has any

s gave

eone

dn't

ho

n't k

her head.

I don'

"Then why did yo

document fro

was an

it a

it should

didn't y

it's no

st

she said, v

es

an down h

eeping this co

es

hy

me. "Because your father wa

past the lump

thinking

idn't

you saying

own something people have been

raph-her mother, her father, Caelen, herself. The divorce. Her pregnancy. A

e me because you s

ickered in C

lt it,

to move somethi

dn't

hy

't tel

cour

ng up the documents

ny is so impor

e dropped to

lowed h

ent cold. "Becau

met her e

hy

cause when you got pregnant-everything chang

red. "Protecti

er phone rang-blaring, ha

d the numb

ated, the

el

le

is

a distort

divorces you...don

he shot a glance at Caelen-

are

e one you ne

oes tha

what he g

ped to the co

hy

ce went

your name...those are what someon

ght for

ho

e click

e whispered

th

e phone. Caele

he number,

k her he

eli

first time, I want to see what

s eyes

actly what

ho

dn't

didn't know she owned, land her father had chased, a mother she'd lost, a child she w

the end of her marriage-they looked like the start

t Caelen, vo

because you loved me, or because you

en didn't have