Chapter 73

ELOISE

“When I was seven, my mother began to change,” I began, the recollection heavy on my tongue. The words just fell out of my mouth like a broken vase. “She started coming home really late.”

Adam didn’t say a word, just letting me spill it.

“My dad... He was always on the phone, swearing to himself. I knew he was important, but I had no idea he was an aristocrat.”

Those nights without parental warmth were just a shattered dream for the kid. Zoey’s family made me wish I had a ‘normal’ family.

“My mother’s absence turned from nights to weeks,” I continued. “She came and went as she pleased, and I never knew when she would go again. You remember, right? I told you. We used to be a happy family. We used to go out on weekend dates, the three of us. They would take me to dinners and amusement parks, and we would eat ice cream. The best toy I received from them was a huge teddy bear. It meant a lot to me because they worked together to win it.”

Like old photographs, our happy family rela