Chapter 3

Cassian came to my father's funeral.

He wore black, entered in front of all my relatives, knelt before the coffin, lowered his head, and made the sign of the cross.

The more composed he looked, the sicker I felt.

After the ceremony, he brought me a bowl of oatmeal.

"No raisins. The temperature is just right."

I stared at the spoon, a fine ache spreading through my chest.

So he had remembered all these little habits after all.

He leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Vee, I gave Odessa the certificate because the father's name had to appear on the child's birth registration. I gave Linnea the house because her father once saved my life."

"What I gave you was what I wanted for myself."

He paused and looked at me seriously.

"Of the three families, you're the only woman I pursued. I thought you understood that."

The anger inside me finally broke through.

"You gave them legal documents, a house, and children. You gave me a fake wedding. You call that favoritism?"

Cassian's mother entered carrying a basket of fruit and nutritional supplements. She opened with a reproach.

"Whose fault is it that you never got pregnant? The Ashcroft family can't be without an heir."

She patted the back of my hand as though she were concerned for me.

"Cassian was willing to let you use the title Mrs. Ashcroft. What more do you want?"

A title printed on a fake certificate—a name she had graciously allowed me to borrow.

I pressed a hand over my abdomen, where a life no one knew about was growing.

Clutching the examination report in my pocket, I knew I would never tell him.

The door opened again.

Odessa entered holding her child. A tiny gold bracelet circled the baby's wrist.

Inside the bracelet was a name: [Mercy.]

My breath stopped.

That was my mother's name.

Before she died, my mother had given the family heirloom bracelet to Cassian. She had told him that once I had a child, he was to melt it down into a baptismal bracelet engraved with her name.

I reached for it, but Odessa immediately stepped back.

Cassian moved in front of her. "Vee, don't frighten Rowan."

"That belongs to my mother."

Cassian's mother frowned. "It's just an old bracelet. It suits the baby perfectly. You never had a child, so what do you need it for?"

The last warmth in my heart went out completely.

I raised my hand and slapped Cassian across the face.

The farewell hall fell silent.

He turned his face aside, then looked at me calmly.

"Are you done? Come home with me. I'll compensate you separately for the bracelet."

"No need."

I walked past him, my eyes burning, but I didn't look back.

"Cassian, you can't compensate me for anything that belonged to my mother."

That afternoon, I returned to the apartment Cassian and I had shared to collect my documents.

Breastfeeding tops hung in the closet. A postpartum meal plan was stuck to the refrigerator.

The pair of champagne glasses I had hand-painted sat in the cabinet. One was still pristine. The other had long since lost its paint.

Linnea had spent the first few weeks after giving birth here.

In the study, the cuff links, watch, and fountain pen I had given Cassian remained unopened. Beside them were baby photos of Rowan.

He had preserved my gifts carefully.

He had simply never allowed me into his real life.

Cassian's mother called.

"The situation has blown up online. The Ashcroft family can give you a small apartment if you issue a statement saying it was only an engagement party."

"What if I refuse to sign?"

"Your father's cemetery plot is right beside the Ashcroft family cemetery. Vee, even the dead deserve peace."

I stared at the chipped champagne glass. My fingertips turned cold, and then I suddenly laughed.

"Fine. I'll see you at the estate tomorrow."

After hanging up, I messaged my lawyer.

Double-check every piece of evidence before the meeting tomorrow.

Then I slipped the pregnancy report into the file folder.

This would be the last time the Ashcroft family made a decision for me.

It would also be the last time I walked through the doors of the Ashcroft estate.