Author’s pov
In the next room, Helena stood by the window with her arms crossed. Her brow was furrowed, eyes focused.
"Do you think Cece already knows?" she asked quietly.
Esther let out a slow breath and shook her head. "Hard to say. She keeps everything to herself. Even when she figures sothing out, she doesn’t always show it. That’s just how she is." She paused.
"When Zane ca to Denver, he t with Cece more than once. He might’ve said sothing without aning to. Just enough to get her thinking. And when you brought it up earlier, she probably put the pieces together."
Helena gave a slow nod. "Things tend to happen when they’re supposed to."
She had kept her promise for years.
The one she made to the Locke matriarch: protect the girl, raise her far from the family, and most of all, make sure Maggie Locke never found out the baby was alive.
Cecilia was that baby. The daughter of Zane’s late wife, Rebecca. Her mother and older brother died in the crash. She was the only one who survived. Just a baby, wrapped in a hospital blanket.
Helena’s thoughts drifted back to that night.
The hospital was in chaos, sirens blaring, nurses running, blood on the floor. The Locke matriarch had fallen to her knees, sobbing.
The sll of antiseptic still lingered in Helena’s mory. The way the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.
Helena picked the baby up, wrapped her in a towel, and walked out the back door without looking back.
She drove until Colorado Springs was far behind.
She had no plans to return. Not until Esther called and said Zane was asking questions.
That was the first sign the secret was cracking.
Then ca another na. Sebastian Black.
Helena knew the Black family had more than money. They had power, connections, and the kind of clout that could protect soone if things went bad.
If the truth was coming out anyway, it was better to get ahead of it. Say it first to set the tone. Don’t let Maggie control the story.
With Sebastian at Cece’s side, and support from Zane and the Locke matriarch, even Maggie wouldn’t risk doing anything reckless.
That’s why they finally agreed. Cece had a right to know. It was ti for her to learn the truth. Ti to take back the life that was hers from the start.
"You raised her too well," Helena said, glancing at Esther. "She doesn’t care about nas or titles. She just cares about you. We should’ve told her years ago and dealt with whatever ca next."
Esther’s eyes filled with tears, but she nodded.
--
anwhile...
Sebastian had been nodding along politely for nearly an hour as VanDyck described the care and feeding of orchids in excruciating detail.
He’d learned about soil pH, misting schedules, and the exact humidity level required for ideal bloom.
VanDyck was clearly thrilled to have a captive audience. Sebastian, for his part, endured it like a champ.
He’d mastered the occasional "Oh, really?" and "That’s fascinating" with the ease of a man who’d been trapped in worse conversations.
But inside, his brain was starting to turn to mush.
"Excuse , Uncle VanDyck. I need to use the restroom," Sebastian said, standing up with a polite smile. "I’ll be back in a minute. I still want to hear more about the temperature stuff."
"Excellent, excellent! I’ll wait right here!" VanDyck bead.
Sebastian nodded and walked off, his expression unreadable.
The mont he turned the corner, the smile dropped. He exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.
--
In the living room, the others were half-watching a sitcom rerun, the sound of canned laughter echoing off the walls.
Harper, seated on the edge of the couch, glanced toward Cecilia’s bedroom for what felt like the fifth ti.
Cece’d been in there a long ti. Too long.
Harper frowned and stood, brushing imaginary lint off her slacks.
Sothing didn’t sit right.
Crossing the room, she knocked gently on the door. "Cece?"
No answer.
Getting more concerned, Harper eased the door open.
Inside, she found Cecilia lying on her back, staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes.Her arms were limp at her sides. Her lips were slightly parted. She didn’t even blink.
"Cece?" she said again, stepping closer.
Cecilia was still. No blinking, no reaction. It was like she wasn’t really there.
Harper’s stomach tightened. A chill ran up her spine.
"Cece, co on," she said, softer now, like she was afraid to break sothing.
Harper knelt beside the bed, leaning in and waving a hand in front of her friend’s face. "Hey. Earth to Cece?"
Suddenly, Cecilia’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. In one swift motion, she yanked Harper down beside her, sitting up at the sa ti. Their faces were now just inches apart.
"Harper," Cecilia whispered, eyes wide, voice low and urgent.
"AHHH!" Harper shrieked, startled.
"Shh!" Cecilia clamped a hand over her mouth and wrapped an arm around her waist to stop her from bolting.
Her grip was fast but careful, like soone trying to hold a butterfly without crushing it.
Harper’s eyes bulged.
Cecilia’s grip was firm, but it wasn’t aggressive. Just urgent. Desperate.
Her hand trembled slightly where it pressed against Harper’s side. Her breath ca in shallow bursts, and her voice was tight with fear.
"I need you to listen," Cecilia said, her voice still a whisper. "And I need you to stay calm."
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