Talia didn't sleep. She sat in the decaying Voss estate long after Luca vanished back into the night, the photograph clutched in her fist like it might vanish if she let go.
Her daughter's eyes stared up at her from the photo sharp, defiant, too much like Kian's.
Too much to hide for much longer.
She shouldn't have come here but this was the only place that still knew her before the lies took root.
She stared at the flash drive beside the photograph. It held everything. Medical records. Financial transfers. The name of the surrogate. Even the signed legal guardianship forms.
A digital landmine.
If Kian ever found it, there'd be no coming back.
Not for them.
Not for her.
And not for the little girl she'd given up everything to protect.
DONOVAN TOWER — NEXT MORNING
Kian didn't usually pace, but this morning, he was restless.
Talia hadn't come back. She hadn't called. And that gnawed at him more than he wanted to admit. She's hiding something. That thought coiled around his gut like smoke. He wanted to believe the worst of her was behind them. That she'd told him everything but a scar still ran through their past one no kiss could fully cauterize.
He tapped into his private surveillance system, eyes scanning the logs. No pings. No camera catches. Not even a glimpse of her at the building's entrance.
That wasn't like her.
She was bold, fearless Unless she was running again. He called her cell.
No answer.
He left a voice message. "Talia. It's me. If you're trying to disappear again, I swear to God I'll burn every shadow to find you. Call me."
Across the City, Talia sat in a nondescript café in Brooklyn, hood up, coffee untouched. Her eyes were on the door. Every jingle of the bell made her fingers twitch around her phone. She hadn't answered Kian's call. She couldn't not when she knew he'd hear the truth in her voice.
She still hadn't decided what to do with the flash drive. It was in her purse, weighing more than gold. She could destroy it. But what if something happened to her?
She needed to keep her daughter's identity secret. From Kian. From the vultures watching them.
But secrets had a way of leaking especially when Kian Donovan was the one digging.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number again. She opened the message. "Keep hiding her, and more than your lies will bleed." A chill ran down her spine. Then another ping this time, from her bank app. It was a flagged transaction. Someone had tried to access the trust account tied to her daughter's name. She stared in horror because they're getting closer.
DONOVAN TOWER —- EVENING
Kian was still in his office when she walked in. No knock. No warning. Just Talia looking like hell and fury wrapped in a trench coat. He stood slowly.
"Talia—"
"We need to talk," she said. His brow furrowed. "Where the hell have you been?"
"I can't explain right now. I just— I need to ask you something." He stepped closer, voice dropping. "Are you in danger?" She hesitated.
"I don't know," she said softly. "But someone's watching me. Watching us." He closed the distance in one stride. "Who?"
"I don't know yet."
"That's not good enough." His hands gripped her shoulders. "You don't get to vanish. Not again."
"I had to," she whispered. "To protect something—someone." Kian froze.
"Someone?" The silence wrapped around them like a noose. Talia's lips parted, but nothing came out.
Tell him.
But she couldn't.
If he knew… if anyone else did…
He brushed hair back from her face, his touch softer than she deserved. "You're shaking."
"I didn't sleep."
"You look like you haven't breathed," he said.
Then he leaned down, pressing his lips to her forehead, his voice a rasp. "Whatever it is you're not saying, it's killing you."
She closed her eyes.
"It might kill you, too," she whispered.
He stepped back at that.
And she saw it, the crack in his composure.
"You still don't trust me," he said quietly.
"I don't trust them," she replied. "You don't know who we're dealing with."
"I don't care who they are," Kian growled. "No one threatens what's mine."
Her throat tightened. "I'm not yours."
"You were," he said, stepping closer. "And you will be again."
His lips crashed against hers hard, desperate, demanding.
She melted into him like a sin long denied. His hands roamed beneath her coat, finding bare skin. Hers gripped his shirt like it was the only thing holding her to the earth.
He lifted her onto the desk, ripping buttons, teeth scraping her throat. Her legs wrapped around his waist, skirt hiking, collarbone exposed but just before he entered her, he paused breathless, eyes burning.
"Tell me," he rasped, his voice ragged. "Whatever it is. I don't care what it is. Just don't lie." She closed her eyes, nails digging into his back.
Please let me stay in this moment just a little longer but the door slammed open behind them.
Kian froze.
Talia's head whipped around.
A figure stood in the doorway, dressed in black and in his gloved hand was a phone streaming a live feed of her daughter.