Chapter 3
I had spent five years believing Serena had abandoned me.
Five years convincing myself that she had chosen another life.
Five years listening to my father tell me I was better off without her.
Now I was standing in an airport, holding proof that everything I'd believed might have been a lie.
I looked at Serena.
"Start from the beginning."
She glanced toward Lily.
"Not in front of her."
I understood.
Whatever happened between Serena and my father, Lily didn't deserve to hear it in a crowded terminal.
I called my driver.
Then I asked Serena whether she'd feel comfortable coming to a quiet place where we could talk.
She hesitated.
I could see the fear in her eyes.
So I offered another option.
A hotel near the airport.
A public place.
Somewhere she could leave whenever she wanted.
She finally agreed.
During the drive, Lily sat in her booster seat beside Serena.
I sat across from them in the spacious vehicle.
Every few seconds, I caught myself looking at her.
My daughter.
The words felt impossible.
She had my eyes.
My mother's dimples.
And the same habit of tapping her fingers when she was thinking.
At one point, Lily caught me staring.
She smiled.
"Do you like bunnies?"
I swallowed.
"Very much."
She held up her stuffed rabbit.
"This is Snowball."
"That's a beautiful name."
"He's five too."
I smiled through the pain gathering in my chest.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Mommy gave him to me when I was born."
I looked at Serena.
She was watching us silently.
Her eyes were full of tears.
I wanted to ask why she had kept the pendant.
Why she had kept my picture.
Why she'd told Lily my name.
But I waited.
We reached the hotel twenty minutes later.
I reserved two adjoining suites and told Serena she could use whichever arrangement felt safest.
She chose the suite beside mine.
Lily immediately ran toward the large window.
"Mommy! Look at the airplanes!"
Serena smiled weakly.
"Stay where I can see you, sweetheart."
I ordered food.
Sandwiches.
Fruit.
Juice.
And a small plate of cookies.
Lily sat at the table coloring while Serena and I moved to the sitting area.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Serena looked at me.
"I didn't know how to tell you."
I leaned forward.
"Tell me now."
She took a shaky breath.
"After you left for London, I found out I was pregnant."
I remembered the trip.
A major security contract.
Three weeks overseas.
My father had insisted I attend personally.
"I called you that night," she continued.
"Your phone went straight to voicemail."
I frowned.
"My phone was stolen during that trip."
Serena nodded.
"Your father told me."
Something tightened in my chest.
My father had arranged a replacement phone.
He'd also handled my business calls while I was unreachable.
At the time, I'd thanked him.
Serena continued.
"I went to your office the next morning."
"What happened?"
"Victor stopped me downstairs."
My jaw tightened.
"He said you were in meetings and didn't want visitors."
I shook my head.
"I never said that."
"I know now."
Her eyes filled.
"I tried again. Then your father called me."
I leaned closer.
"What did he say?"
"He said you knew about the pregnancy."
My stomach turned.
"He said you didn't believe the baby was yours."
I felt physically sick.
"Serena, I would never—"
"I know."
She wiped her tears.
"But I didn't know then."
I stared at the floor.
She continued.
"He told me you wanted a clean break."
"That's impossible."
"He showed me a letter."
My heart slammed.
"What letter?"
She reached into her bag.
Then handed me a folded document.
I opened it.
At the bottom was my signature.
Or something that looked like it.
The letter stated that I wanted no further contact with Serena.
It claimed I believed the pregnancy was an attempt to trap me into marriage.
And it said I would challenge paternity if necessary.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
My hands began shaking.
"I didn't write this."
Serena closed her eyes.
"I prayed you didn't."
I stood.
I needed to move.
I paced the room.
My father had forged my signature.
Or someone had.
The possibility made my stomach twist.
I stopped beside the window.
"What happened next?"
Serena looked toward Lily.
The child was still coloring.
Thankfully, she couldn't hear us.
"Victor came to my apartment."
I turned.
"He said your father wanted to help me."
"Help you how?"
"He offered money."
I stared at her.
"How much?"
"Two hundred thousand dollars."
My breath caught.
"He said I could have it if I signed an agreement and left the country."
I felt rage rising.
"What agreement?"
Serena swallowed.
"A confidentiality agreement."
My jaw tightened.
"It said I wouldn't contact you."
She nodded.
"And that I wouldn't tell anyone about the pregnancy."
I stared at her.
"Did you sign it?"
Her eyes filled.
"Yes."
The answer hurt.
But I forced myself to listen.
"Why?"
She looked down.
"Because Victor threatened me."
My chest tightened.
"What did he threaten?"
"He said your father had connections. That he could make sure I lost my job. That he could ruin my reputation."
I sat down slowly.
Serena continued.
"He also said if I tried to involve you, they would claim I was unstable."
I closed my eyes.
My father's methods.
Control.
Pressure.
Fear.
I'd seen him use those tactics in business negotiations.
I never imagined he'd use them against the woman I loved.
Serena began crying.
"I was pregnant. Alone. Terrified."
I wanted to reach for her.
But I didn't know whether she'd welcome it.
So I simply said, "I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"You didn't know."
"That doesn't change what happened."
For a moment, we sat in silence.
Then I asked the question that had been haunting me.
"Where did you go?"
"Toronto."
I looked up.
"My aunt lived there."
She nodded.
"I stayed with her until Lily was born."
"And the money?"
Serena laughed bitterly.
"I never received it."
I stared at her.
"What?"
"Victor said the agreement was signed, but the funds were delayed."
My hands tightened into fists.
"He told me if I tried to contact you again, the arrangement would be canceled and I'd face legal consequences."
I shook my head.
It was unbelievable.
And yet every detail sounded painfully familiar.
My father had always believed money could control people.
Serena looked toward Lily.
"I worked two jobs after she was born."
My throat tightened.
"I taught music lessons and worked at a hotel."
I stared at my daughter.
She was holding up a drawing.
"Mommy! Look!"
Serena smiled.
"It's beautiful, baby."
Lily ran toward me.
"Adrian, I drew Snowball!"
I crouched.
She handed me the paper.
A white rabbit stood beneath a giant yellow sun.
I smiled.
"That's amazing."
She beamed.
Then she noticed my expression.
"Are you sad?"
My throat closed.
I shook my head.
"Just thinking."
She studied me.
Then she hugged me.
Again.
So naturally.
As though she had known me forever.
I closed my eyes.
For the first time in five years, I felt something I'd almost forgotten.
Hope.
After Lily returned to her coloring, Serena spoke quietly.
"There's more."
I looked up.
She hesitated.
"Last month, someone contacted me in Toronto."
My stomach tightened.
"Who?"
"Victor."
I went cold.
"He said your father knew Lily was getting older."
I stared at her.
"And?"
"He said they wanted the original agreement renewed."
I frowned.
"Renewed?"
Serena nodded.
"With new conditions."
"What conditions?"
Her face turned pale.
"He wanted me to sign away any future claim Lily might have against the Carter family."
I stood so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor.
My daughter.
My father's granddaughter.
And they were discussing her like a financial liability.
I looked at Serena.
"Did you sign?"
She shook her head.
"No."
I exhaled.
"Good."
She began crying.
"That's why I came back."
I moved closer.
She looked up at me.
"I couldn't keep hiding."
Then she whispered something that changed everything again.
"Adrian, there's another reason your father wanted me gone."
I stared at her.
"What reason?"
She swallowed.
May you like
"Because he knew something about your mother's death."
And suddenly, the secret surrounding my daughter became part of something far darker.
