PART 3

PART 2 The message stayed on my screen long after the phone went dark. For Ryan's sake, I hope you make the right choice tomorrow night. Victor placed my phone on the table as if it were evidence instead of a threat. "He found you faster than I expected." "You knew he was looking?" "I knew he never stopped." Silence settled between us. Outside, expensive glasses clinked against polished tables. Inside the private room, it felt like the entire city had disappeared. "I don't want your protection," I whispered. Victor nodded once. "I know." "Then why are you helping me?" He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he slid a thick folder across the table. My name wasn't on it. The name printed on the front was Emily Thornton. My old married name. Inside were photographs. Pictures of Ryan walking into preschool. Pictures of me leaving the grocery store. Pictures taken from across the street outside my apartment. Someone had been watching us for months. My hands began to shake. "I burned every address." "I changed every number." "I even..." "You underestimated the Thornton family," Victor interrupted. "They don't forgive people who leave with something they believe belongs to them." "They don't own Ryan." Jack certainly believed he did. Victor leaned back. "Tomorrow night Jack expects you to come alone." "I won't." "No." His voice remained calm. "Because tomorrow night, the city is going to believe you're with me." The next evening every important family in Chicago gathered inside the Castiano Foundation Gala. Crystal chandeliers reflected across marble floors. Politicians. Judges. Business owners. People who smiled with their mouths while calculating with their eyes. I almost turned around before entering. Then Victor offered his arm. Every camera flashed. Every conversation stopped. I hesitated. "You don't have to touch me," I said. "You only have to survive tonight." For the first time, I accepted his arm willingly. The whispers started immediately. "Who's she?" "Isn't that one of the house staff?" "Victor Castiano brought a maid?" Across the ballroom, Jack Thornton slowly lowered his champagne glass. His smile disappeared. Our eyes met. I hadn't seen him in four years. He looked exactly the same. Expensive suit. Perfect haircut. Cold blue eyes that treated people like property. He walked straight toward us. "You look different, Emily." Victor answered before I could. "She does." Jack ignored him. "You took my son." "You lost your right to call him your son the day you chose revenge over being his father." Several guests pretended not to listen. Every single one listened anyway. Jack smiled. "You think hiding behind Victor Castiano changes anything?" Victor finally spoke. "No." "It changes everything." Jack stepped closer. "She's carrying Thornton blood." Victor's expression never changed. "She carries my protection." For one dangerous second, neither man blinked. Then Jack laughed. "This isn't over." "No," Victor replied. "It just started." That night every newspaper in the city published the same photograph. Victor Castiano. His mysterious woman. His hand resting lightly against the small of my back. By sunrise, nobody remembered I had ever been a maid. Everyone believed I belonged beside the most feared man in Chicago. Everyone... Except Jack.

2 chapters