MARRYING MY STEP BROTHER

Blackwo

h's number. It rang once, then went to a recorded messa

led again.

each disconnected tone

phone. She didn't

abeth's mother's house across town. Mrs. Patterson had ne

not caring that it wa

It's James! I need to tal

Elizabeth's mother's cold eye

s not

she must have

voice was ice. "And even if s

! There's been a terr

to close the door. "My daughter finally saw

slammed i

d, then turned and st

Or if she did, she

yone I could think of. Elizabeth's friends. Old

thing. Or no on

f town, a glass of whiskey in front of me

am

iness partner and closest friend, standin

you never came back to the offic

spered. "Elizabeth

the booth across f

"Of Kelvin. She thinks... she thinks I h

is hand through his ha

ey glass jump. "She locked herself away from me, and when I came home today

rocessing. Then: "You have to find

e's disconnected. Her mother won't hel

Hire investigators

st friend, tears st

her with twins. A boy and a girl, like she always talked about. I was planning to

t. The photos were just... I was documenting him growing up so I could show he

my head in

stroyed my marriage because I wante

find her. We'll explain. She'll un

it, I could hear the

e thought I'd betrayed her

.

abeth

t, but it was all I could afford on short notice. One

away from James. Tha

hungry, and I'd run out of formula on the bus. It was nearly midnigh

, rocking her desperately. "

go, suitcases in hand, baby crying, eyes swollen from crying. I'

hen helped me find this apartment through a friend. She

ing him," she'd said firmly. "

ith my crying daughter, I wondered

oubt away. I had d

I'd been pregnant with his daughter. That woma

en exhausted whimpers. She stared up at me with

pered, stroking her soft hair. "You won't miss havin

at the peeling wallpaper and the sin

for my daughter. But it was hone

losed, finally falling

my jaw setting w

made his choices. No

ered into the darkness, my voice hard with resolv