he gnawing anxiety from that file, it had all settled into a deep, phy

a gray, rainy afte

gna

ane, desperate flicker of hope. A baby. A baby would chan

edric's number. "We need to

ows. He arrived, but he wasn't alone. Lena Thorne was with h

id a thick envelope across th

id, his voice devoid of any emoti

engaged. He told me this "situation" ne

k stack of cash and the busine

us caress. "It's for the best, darling. You wo

ential downpour, their words echoing in the roaring silence of my mind. The

ch, stealing my breath. I clutched myself,

, the profound shock, it was all too much. I was losing th

air of expensive, well-made leather shoes stopping in the puddle

the storm, filled with an ala

mebody call