Chapter 53

—Ellie—

The next morning, Dad, Mateo, and Salvador wanted to talk to me. When I walked into Dad’s office, I knew from their expressions that it wouldn’t be an easy conversation and definitely not one I’d like.

Dad sat behind his desk, Mateo perched on its edge, and my uncle stood with his hands in his slacks beside the window. I made a beeline for the sofa and sank down. My brain felt sluggish from lack of sleep. I’d spent all night trying to come to terms with the fact that I was carrying a baby, Tristan’s baby.

“What do you want to talk about?” Three sets of eyes darted to my belly, and my hand automatically—protectively—pressed to the spot.

“If you keep this child,” my uncle began.

“I will keep the child.” Dad looked away and then at the picture frame on his desk. A photo of our family taken shortly before I’d been kidnapped.

“You will have to keep it hidden,” Dad said. I blinked at them.

“What?”

“Once