Chapter 64

• Danielle sat at the far end of the Sterling mansion’s garden, her fingers buried in the velvety petals of a blooming white rose. The late afternoon light painted the horizon in streaks of gold and orange, but the beauty around her felt strangely distant.
• She had been avoiding Alexander since their last confrontation. Every time she thought about the file in his drawer—the truth about her son—her chest tightened like she couldn’t breathe. She hadn’t confronted him yet, but the knowledge sat between them like a live wire, humming with unspoken words.
• Theo’s laughter drifted from the other side of the garden, light and free. She turned her head to see him running in uneven steps toward the koi pond, his tiny shoes kicking up grass. And right behind him… Alexander.