The Wife They Rejected Was a Billionaire Heiress

, California a week early, her da

trong enough to go back to school. Naomi had promised herself

d she was coming back early

rough the gates. Every window glowed gold against the dark hillside. Naomi

e carried fro

n he and Naomi rushed off to city hall for that marriage license years back but ev

stomach

rd the French doo

owd in cocktail attire gathered around a stone fountain. Her son, Julia

s, was Chloe Bennett. Ethan's first love.

pen in his palm, looking up at Chloe

If I could go back and do it all

e rest picked it up like a chant. Chloe pressed a han

bouquet, offering it up with both ha

It's not fair that my real mom got in the way of

sts. Someone teased, "Careful, Julian

n't matter. If Aunt Chloe and my mom were both drown

up at Eth

an said, but there wa

through his. "Our Julian never says anything he doesn'

ed, solemn a

e attachment disorder at two years old, the boy who flinched from every hand that

ing in two-hour stretches for three days straight. She thought of how,

alive, dependent for a st

en like this would leave him wheezing by morning. He'd stoo

sed, tugging her sleeve, "

d wistful, her eyes

you. Of course I want to be Julian's mother. If only things had gone differentl

ed beautifully o

hing fragile and precious. Julian's sma

thetic murmurs spre

ready have a decade together." "You know she practically forced her way into his bed. Tha

"Dad, it would be better if Mom wasn't around at all. She's just... ordina

t pounded so

p the Blackwood Foundation funded after she'd pulled old Mr. Blackwood from a burning car wreck on the 101. She'd transferred to a four-year university on

an decided she'd planned it trapped him on purpo

Mr. Blackwood stepped in: he'd bail out the Bennetts and send Chloe s

times than she could count over seven

dren. Even after the crash three years ago, when she'd pushed Ethan and

her husband nor her son

, on one knee, f

ignature scrawled fast and cold, like he couldn't wait to be

ing left here wo

Mo

Lily, stood beside her, gazing up with a cla

n from her but Lily's smal

d about anything. I love you the most

ly had been diagnosed with a developmental disorder as a tod

most she'd s

tight. "Lily. If Mom and Dad aren't together anymore would

said, without hesi

equally, completely. She'd given her son and her daughter the

f them had ever

still fightin

uzzed in her

hter, taken from us twenty-six years ago. You're my sister. Grandfather is sending

went ve

fornia oil money, the family whose name was

ing to be the Sinclair family's personal attorney had approached her with a D

lights, to where Ethan knelt with Chloe's hand in

year ago, she might ha

any

new wife. A n

ke it eas

ed back. My daughter

ket, took Lily's hand, and walked s

f them to hear. "If Chloe truly wants this, I'l

For the first time all evening, the crowd re