Chris’s POVMy heart was pounding as I called. I paced the study slowly, the door closed because I wanted to be able to make this call alone.When the call finally connected, I waited with bated breath for what I was about to hear.There was silence, but not like it was all altogether quiet. It was like he had answered the phone and was doing other things because there were indeed background noises and voices.Then he spoke, his voice familiar, “Why the heck would you not answer my calls?”“How are you, Dad?”“You heard me, right? Why didn’t you answer my calls?”I swallowed, my head feeling heavier by the second. “I was asleep. I’m sorry.”“Asleep? You’re a CEO, you never sleep to the point where you can’t even answer calls at night. You have to be a light sleeper,” He started to lecture me.“What if it was one of your board members calling you last night for an emergency meeting? What if one of your buildings were on fire and they needed you?” He continued, and I listened, not darin

Chris’s POVAs I walked alongside my father through the grand halls of the villa, memories of my childhood flooded back. This place held a certain kind of nostalgia, a mix of fondness and resentment intertwined with every step that I took. The man led the way with a confident stride, his presence commanding attention wherever he went. Despite the warmth of his welcome, I could not shake the feeling that something was not right; that a shoe was going to drop. We entered a spacious study lined with bookshelves and adorned with opulent furnishings, I could not help but let my mind wander, trying to figure out why I was invited back into this place after all these years.My eyes fell on my mother, she was sitting on the vintage couch, her face holding a small smile. Maybe this was just me and my overthinking but I always felt like she did not like me. I felt like she only tolerated me. “Hello, Mom,” I said to her, and her smile widened, but weakly. “Chris, my love. I see that you are

Chris’s POVI thinned my lips and nodded, accepting what he had just said. Even if I did not, I did not have any real choice.“You should know that I only allowed us to use Kirby that night because I wanted to get Linda back, right?”“Yeah, but she also needed to know that if she tried to fight a battle that she was in no way equipped to fight, that she was going to lose; and bitterly at that,” My father explained, flashing me a small smile.Silence hung in the air for the next few seconds, the only sound was the one of my mother sipping the liquor from her glass as she watched the exchange.“Back to the question…” I broke the delicate silence. “What was Hunter talking about?” It should not have bothered me like how it was, but it did.I needed to know. “The thing about you not being a true Kingston?” Mom asked, her voice a bit raspy. I peeled my eyes off Dad and looked at her. Since he was not giving me answers, maybe she would. “Yes, is he right? And if he is, what does that even

Linda’s POVFallon’s reassurance about Chris brought a small measure of relief, but it was fleeting. But it was more than that. It was not just about my husband, even though what she had explained made me feel a bit better about it all, it was more about what was going on in me. As the miles stretched on, the anticipation of reaching our destination weighed heavily on me. And I don’t think that it was only me, when I glanced in the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of Fallon, she looked lost in thought, her eyes glossy and her face filled with an emotion that I could not decipher. Glancing at Mitch, he was asleep. Of course, he was. I rolled my eyes and scoffed very faintly as I looked back at the road. The small town held the promise of answers, but it also loomed as a battleground where the truth would clash with the shadows of deception. I did not like how I had acquired the information about the town. It had been Chris’s and my date, I should have put everything aside and pu

Linda’s POVThe weight of the failure hung heavy in the air as we trudged back to the parking lot. Each step felt like a reminder of what had just happened and the consequences we now faced. Especially me. I glanced at Mitch, his expression mirroring my own sense of defeat. “I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice heavy with resignation. “I have no idea what we do now.”Fallon was nowhere to be seen, her absence a sharp reminder of the rift that had formed between us. I could not blame her for being angry – I had let her down, just like I had let Chris down. Mitch slid into the passenger seat beside me, his silence echoing the weight of our shared disappointment. “I guess we go home,” He said finally, his voice smeared with resignation. Home. The word held a bittersweet promise, a reminder of what I had done. Home, the word reminded me of my husband. And what did that remind me of? Failing him. I started the car and decided to give Fallon a call before leaving, but as expected, she di