Isaac went out of his way to make sure she's happy and comfortable even though the ride to her place was relatively short. He put on some upbeat music and turned on the heater to warm her up. They drove in silence for a kilometre or two until Eden grew restless, and she found herself babbling away to distract herself. She was so afraid that her hurt and anger would take over once again if she stayed still too long. She'd cried enough for Liam for one night. So she faked a huge smile on her face as she asked Isaac random questions. He was happy to answer them all while he negotiated the car through the nearly empty streets. Eventually, the conversation moved on to their respective jobs, and Isaac updated her on his latest divorce case, a couple with mega millions on the line, but the only thing they wanted to wrangle over was their ten-year-old Sphynx cat. "I get it," Eden said. "I would have fought for Snow, too, if I knew there's a custody ba

Brenda came out of hiding the minute she heard the front door slam shut. She looked as terrified as Eden felt, and for a minute or two, they both just sat on the couch in total silence and stared at the blank TV screen. "Are you okay?" The nanny asked when the silence became a little too unbearable. In a surprisingly steady voice, belying the flood of tears brimming in her heart, Eden assured her she was okay; she'd been through worse where Liam was concerned. It was total horseshit, of course. Tonight's confrontation was by far their most brutal, heartbreaking, soul-crushing battle yet, and she was amazed she was still standing after all the bloodshed. "You should get some sleep," she added as she gently pulled Brenda to her feet and pushed her towards her bedroom. "It's late." "What about you?" The nanny asked as she paused in the hallway, the worry and fear etched on her face almost palpable. It was the first time Ed

The sound of a key rattling on her front door snapped Eden out of her daze, and a moment later, her friends shuffled in, looking all cosy and comfy in their jammies. "Edie, what the fuck happened?" Lydia screeched as she dumped her pillow and duvet on the sofa. Since it was bound to be a long night, she came prepared. "Yeah, you haven't invoked 'code blue' since Simon," Cassandra added as she uncorked the bottle of red wine and waited for Sienna to hand her the glasses. Eden couldn't wait that long, though. She snatched the bottle as soon as it was opened, not caring at all she'd wake up with a banger of a headache or, worse, an upset tummy. She took a huge mouthful, stunning everyone with her level of commitment. They knew she'd gone on a bender recently, but it was the first time in two years she was drinking in their presence. They exchanged worried looks as she set the bottle down on the counter. "He knows," she announced in a dead

"Is it true Aiden McBride is your son?" Lois got straight to the heart of their visit as soon as they were all arranged around the fireplace in his living room. "How do you know about that?" Liam groaned and buried his face in his hands, already dreading the unavoidable inquisition from his parents. "James," Clarke replied. "You forget he reports to me." Right, Liam seethed. He should fire the whole lot of them and get his own people. "So?" Lois leaned forward, her eyes shining with hope and expectation. "He is," Liam admitted. "Has it been confirmed?" His father asked, a deep frown creasing his forehead. "Yes, it was." "Unbelievable," Lois burst into tears, and Clarke held her while she sniffled, and his sisters threw mildly unimpressed looks in his direction. Her eyes still moist, her nose red and blotchy, his mother stirred to life again with endless questions and demands. "Where is he? I want to see him. I w

Eden spent a restless night, imagining every possible scenario, her mind already inside the plush offices of Thomas Blaine Inc. By the time 5:00 AM rolled around, she was highly agitated. The longer she went through her morning routine and tried to pretend it was just like any other normal Wednesday morning, the harder it became to resist the urge to pack Aiden up and make a run for it. Liam would hunt her down for sure, but if she left now, she'd have a three-hour head start. She strolled to Brenda's room while she brushed her teeth and stared at Aiden, still sleeping peacefully in his cot. She could totally pull it off. She won't take a lot of stuff. Just an overnight bag and— Her phone pinged in her room, and she went to get it, her heart dropping to her feet as she read Liam's short but firm text. 'Don't even think about it.' Was he psychic? How did he know she was thinking of skipping town? Did he k