son in secret, only to "adopt" him later, all to protect his public image and his company' s stock price.

d, pulling my hands from his

her is already on board. Your parents, too. They all agree thi

en me as an accessory to her son' s success. And my adoptive parents, the Jennings, who had taken me in as a child but never truly loved me, were soc

ling. "You discussed the fate of my chil

nage the cri

voice cracked on the last word. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, a

rustration boiling over. "I am protecting h

down my face. "He needs a father who will acknowledge him! A fa

e finally breaking. He looked cornered, desp

en he was trying to distance himself, to turn

" I said, the word

olutely not. A divorce right now is out

your disaster, Gabe.

on painful. "You are not divorcing me. You are not leaving this apartm

in my own home. His home. He had the money,

ve sound that made us both jump. Ga

n overnight bag at her feet. Behind her stood Gabe' s mother, Eleanor, her face a mask of c

rrived. And the

word to him, her icy gaze landing

y hands. It was a business transaction