Chapter 6

Evie woke early, even though she’d barely slept. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the new environment or if she was in knots from the expectations of the new day. She got ready and sat at the breakfast table with Elizabeth. They snuck glances at each other, occasionally exchanging polite smiles.

“What if they don’t give us what we want?” Evie asked, interrupting the cold silence that shrouded them.

“They will.” Elizabeth handed a newspaper to her. “They will.”

The headline on the New York Post was that Adrian Ross was running for a senate seat. That was why Elizabeth had been so confident and why she had picked now to reveal who her father was. Evie chuckled. She admired her mother’s precision and timing. In order to avoid a scandal, Adrian Ross would have to settle. But what was enough? She had been ignored for almost twenty-three years, and she couldn’t put a price on that. Next to Adrian’s candidacy photo there was a family portrait. They didn’t pose. It wasn’t a ‘one, two, three, cheese’ moment. It was a genuine family picture. They were smiling, not at the camera but at each other. That was what she wanted; Evie realized instantly. She wanted to be part of that family portrait.

“I just… I’m not sure we are going about this the right way.”

“Don’t lose your nerve now, girl.” Evie snickered when the dear and the soft tone that usually delivered it disappeared. Now she was girl. “You promised that you would help me get back at these people. They shunned me, threw me out of their ranks like I was nothing.”

“Mother, your motives—”

“My motives shouldn’t bother you. Concentrate on what your role is here. The innocent girl they will pity and let into their fold. Then, when you earn their trust, we will get our revenge.” Malice shone bright in Elizabeth’s eyes. The devil danced in them; evil intent reflected on her lips as they pulled into a smile. “They are going to get what they deserve.”

The door swung unceremoniously open. Harold was accompanied by three men in business suits and three others in medical lab coats.

Elizabeth shot to her feet, panic in her eyes. Evie knew that look. It was the same one Elizabeth got when the landlord came for the rent. She felt cornered, and Evie couldn’t fathom why.

“What is this?” Elizabeth asked as the men with the lab coats started setting up their kit.

“This is a court order. We are here to get a DNA sample from your daughter.” The older man turned to her. “I am Dennis Kent. I will be representing the Ross family on this issue. I would like to warn you that, if you insist on damaging Adrian’s Ross’ reputation, we will go after you with everything we’ve got. And you, Elizabeth, know the resources we have in our arsenal.”

At that moment, Evie didn’t feel very sure of what they were doing. It might have been because Elizabeth was visibly shaking, her smug look long gone.

“You will not intimidate us, Mr. Kent,” Evie said. “My mother and I just want what is owed to us.”

“Very well then.” Mr. Kent removed a piece of paper from his briefcase and set it on the table. He handed Evie a pen. “This document states that you are well aware of what you are doing and the consequences that will follow.”

Evie skimmed through the one-page document that stated one thing. That if the DNA results turned out to be negative, she would be sued. Evie was sure of what she was doing—her mother had sworn to her that Adrian Ross was her father. So, without consulting Elizabeth, Evie took the pen and quickly signed it.

“What did you do?” Elizabeth barked.

“Mother, relax. They won’t intimidate us.”

Elizabeth dropped into the chair next to her, her fingers worrying the hem of her skirt. Evie sat down as the lab technicians drew her blood.

“These are three independent, court appointed laboratories.”

“Why court? Wouldn’t Adrian Ross want to do this privately? If this got out it would hurt his campaign,” Evie asked.

“Adrian Ross doesn’t have skeletons in his closet, and you aren’t going to be the first one. If this leaks out to the press, he will involve the public in every way possible. Adrian protects his family, and you are not that. He will come after you and me, for one, pity you,” Mr. Kent said. “Let’s get this done. I need to get back to the campaign.”

Evie noticed that Mr. Kent wasn’t worried, not one bit. He and Harold shot dagger-eyes at her mother, making her squirm. Evie had never seen her mother retreat into herself like that. “What about my brother, Mr. Harold?”

“Once the DNA tests are done, confirming that you are indeed his sister, then he will come and see you and only you.” Harold said pointedly to Elizabeth, “He has no use for a mother who abandoned him.”

“What do you mean by if? We share a mother.”

“You seem like a nice girl, but you are naïve and gullible. We know your mother, in fact we have known her since we were in our early twenties, biblically and socially. She might have seen you on the street, convinced you to come to New York to try and pull a con. She hoped to manipulate Adrian and Ethan’s good natures, but that is why we are here,” Kent said.

“Well, she does have Elizabeth’s green eyes, and red flakes in her hair. Let’s just hope the resemblance doesn’t go past the physical,” Harold put in.

Evie just nodded. She knew how manipulative her mother was, but she didn’t believe that Elizabeth would lie about her father’s identity and try and con her own son. She pressed down on the band aid the technician had put on her arm. “When will the results be out?”

“Three days. We want to make sure that no errors are made. We will contact you on Thursday. You might want to get yourself a lawyer.” That was their parting shot. They left the hotel room, leaving an awkward silence behind them.

“Mother, you are telling the truth, aren’t you? We won’t get into trouble?”

“That doesn’t matter right now.” Elizabeth laughed. “I can’t believe this is happening. Finally, the universe is smiling down on me. You should go down to the spa. Thursday is going to be the first day of the rest of our lives.”

That comment made Evie uneasy. She didn’t know what her mother meant and, honestly, she didn’t want to find out.

* * * *

DJ wanted to shut his door and close the drapes once he saw his father march toward his office. There was no way to escape or pretend to have a meeting. The old man had already seen him. DJ sat up straight, trying to home in on an aura of authority around him. It was hard trying to act superior over his father when he was sitting in a chair that once belonged to him. DJ could easily have had it replaced, but part of him, as little as it was, still wanted to be just like his father. That was the part he resented, the part that frightened him.

The ringing of DJ’s phone pierced through the awkward tension that was quickly filling the room and suffocating him. Grateful for the momentary distraction, DJ picked up the phone at the side table. A glance at the number and he turned it on silent. DJ didn’t pick up unknown numbers, it usually led to unknown problems with women he had only known for one night. He noticed something else, this had been the tenth time the person had called him in the hour. He was glad that the ringing hadn’t woken him up from his exhaustion and alcohol induced sleep.

“Father.” DJ stood up and shook the old man’s hand. “What brings you here today?”

“It’s Thursday. Elizabeth and that girl are coming in today.” Dennis’ eyebrow rose questioningly.

This was the part when DJ expected his father to question his competency. He wouldn’t do that out loud of course, so the eyebrow did all the talking for him. “I know what day it is, Father. The laboratory representatives are waiting in the conference room. We are just waiting for Uncle Adrian, Harold and Elizabeth to arrive. I have a handle on things.”

Dennis nodded as if he didn’t quite believe him but didn’t have any other choice but to accept it.

“We both know Adrian Ross wouldn’t know how to cheat if you drew him a picture and held a seminar for him. But you on the other hand—” DJ watched as his father swallowed that insult as if it didn’t bother him. “What about Ethan’s case?”

“His mother didn’t bring that much property or money into the marriage. Her father signed everything over to Ethan Senior and he left her out of the Will. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on in this case. But I recommended to Ethan that he should settle her with some money. She is his mother.”

DJ tried to swallow the frog in his throat as his father looked around at his former office. DJ had done little to alter the appearance. He had just replaced his father’s paintings with the pictures he had taken from Nice. On the wall behind him was the picture of him and Evie holding hands, taken from the back and on the beach. DJ often looked at that picture when he felt hopeless and stressed out. Now his father stared at it as if he had an opinion on it.

“Well, Adrian is here. I will wait with him in the conference room,” Dennis said.

“Are Adrian, Lisette and Catalella going to be there?”

“Obviously. Your brother has a meeting otherwise he would also be here.”

“Poor girl, she is about to face a hurricane called Ross.”

“The Ross’ are a united family. It’s the reason why they are strong. Family is everything—we are joined by love and the knowledge that nothing is too big to be forgiven.”

DJ cleared his throat, dispensing of the awkward silence in the room. “I will meet you in there.”

DJ sat back in his chair as his father left the room, taking all the tension with him. He exhaled and wiped the imaginary sweat from his brow. A weird and disconcerting lingering stare from his assistant welcomed him back into another uncomfortable, awkward moment. This was his third assistant in as many months. They all seemed to have an agenda that didn’t include doing the work they were paid for. They were here to net a billionaire, and they thought a wink and seductive smile would do the job. Thanks to Catalella’s dress code policy, the miniskirts and figure-hugging dresses were banned. Now he just had to suffer through unwanted attention.

Catalella walked into his office, an amused grin on her lips.

“Catalella, I think I need a new assistant. That one has crazy eyes. Maybe we could share Darcy.” Catalella’s friend and assistant had made it clear from the start that she wanted nothing to do with him, and that her boyfriend was way sexier than DJ. He had been relieved to hear that.

Catalella picked up his files and beckoned him to follow her out of the office. “One had dreamy eyes and the other one eyes full of lust. The common denominator is you, DJ. Maybe you should scar that pretty face of yours.”

DJ’s phone rang once more. The same number. He groaned, wondering whether or not to pick up the call and put an end to it all. However, the intention of having closer only seems to be an open window to the other person. He put his phone on silent and put it in his pocket.

As Catalella walked into the conference room, DJ turned back, and the woman was still standing there. Was she the one calling? DJ had had number of unknown and untraceable phone calls. He didn’t look that deeply into them because he thought them to be a silly joke. However, if it was his assistant, he would need to do something. She took the creepy meter higher when she waved at DJ. “Never. I have grown attached to my good looks. However, I am definitely getting a new assistant.”

“A new stalker? Congratulations, DJ, this is the third one in three months,” Lisette teased.

“You have no idea,” he mumbled under his breath. DJ took his phone out when he rang once more. He rejected the call and quickly saved it as stalker.

“I keep telling you to get married, bro, but you are still hung up on the French girl. Get yourself a pit-bull wife and your problems will be over,” AJ added.

“Guys, can we focus?” Ethan said impatiently.

“Thank you, guys, for your excellent advice, but—” DJ didn’t know if it was because the room was at its capacity or if he had been distracted by his creepy assistant. It was her green eyes that hit him first and, for a moment, he thought he was imagining her again. But then Evie squirmed in her seat and looked away from him. His heart ceased to beat at that moment, his voice disappeared, and breath fled from his lungs. Tears prickled his eyes and freely dropped to his cheeks. DJ closed his eyes and shook his head, hoping to rid himself of the mirage. However, as he slowly opened them, she was still there. Evie, his Evie was here, alive.

“Evie…Evie,” DJ held onto the chair in front of him when he felt all the strength leave his legs, his heart skips a bit as his soul threatened to leave his body. “Evie…but you are dead!”

* * * *

Evie had been impressed from the moment she stepped into the Ross Kent building. It was hard to believe that the whole twelve floors were just a law firm. When she stepped out of the elevator onto the executive floor, her breath was taken away. It was beautifully decorated with Avant Garde art pieces and lush carpets and furniture—a whole floor just for the two main partners, Dennis Kent and her half-sister and sister-in-law, Catalella Ross-McCreery. She and Elizabeth were taken into the conference room where the Ross family and her brother Ethan were waiting. Harold and Kent were their too. Ethan, her big brother, greeted her warmly and so did the Ross family, but they didn’t extend the same kind gesture to her mother. They ignored Elizabeth as if she didn’t even exist.

“We are just waiting for my son. Catalella has gone to get him,” Kent said.

“Remind me why Dennis is my lawyer?” Ethan directed the question to Harold.

“Because he is the best there is. No offense to your wife, but he is his father’s son,” Harold responded. “In matters that involve both women and law.”

“Harry,” Kent warned.

“Dennis, your son is a playboy. Better than you,” Adrian teased.

“Boys stop,” Rosalinda said. “He hasn’t been the same since he returned.”

Another Dennis?

Evie felt uncomfortable sitting there across from Rosalinda and her disarming smile. Evie had expected anger, a show of hatred, but the woman just sat there with no ill feelings visible on her face. It was the young Latina woman who didn’t seem to have the patience for Evie. She scowled at her, narrowing her gaze and rolling her eyes.

“Lisette.” Rosalinda chastised her with just that.

“Baby don’t be rude,” Adrian added.

“Lisette, rude? You don’t say,” Adrian’s son teased, and they all laughed.

“You can’t expect me to be okay with this, Papa. They are just gold diggers. Everyone knows the story behind Rich’s parents. I don’t know why we are here entertaining them. I could be at home with my sick baby,” Lisette complained.

“I’m sorry if your child is ill, but this is not a waste of time. This is my life and I have no idea who Rich is and why his parents are involved in this,” Evie said.

“I’m Rich. My real name is Ethan McCrery, and I will spare you the history of my parents.” That’s my brother, Evie thought. He was dismissive with her. Never attempting to make any sort of connection with her. “I’m sure you are well aware of Elizabeth’s antics by now. Where the hell is DJ?”

“DJ, maybe you should scar that pretty face of yours.”

She turned to the voice, and saw a woman walk through the doors. Evie had to admit that she was impressed at how beautiful she was. Even in a pantsuit, she managed to look sexy.

“Never, I have grown attached to my good looks. However, I am definitely getting a new assistant.” The voice that had haunted her dreams and waking moments echoed in the room. Evie felt her jaw drop. She sucked in a lungful of air, not sure whether she wanted to cry or scream. A triumphant-looking smile from Elizabeth let Evie know that her mother had been aware of Dennis Roger’s identity and involvement in this case.

“A new stalker? Congratulations, DJ, this is the third one in three months,” Lisette teased.

“You have no idea.”

Adrian’s son chuckled. “I keep telling you to get married, bro, but you are still hung up on the French girl-”

“Don’t forget the nightly rotation of women,” Lisette muttered under her breath.

“-get yourself a pit-bull wife and your problems will be over,” Adrian’s son said.

“Guys, can we focus?” Ethan said impatiently.

Evie wanted to shout, No! Let’s not focus. She looked for the exit, but unfortunately it was the same doorway that DJ seemed frozen in. He had spotted her, and she didn’t have the time to hide. Evie decided to pretend to be brazen, to not care and not be affected by him. Fate was an evil thing. The scent of his cologne floated to where she sat, and in it lurked a basket of emotions and memories. This wasn’t going to end well. Dennis’ eyes, glistening with tears, focused on her. Evie viciously swiped her own away.

“Evie, but you are dead!”

“Almost.” That was her response. Evie couldn’t ignore the myriad of emotions in his eyes as he stared at her in disbelief. She took deep breaths struggling to keep her panicked heart in her chest. Her fingers dug into the cushions of the chair, holding herself down and trying not to leap into the arms of the man she loved and hated in equal measure. She had missed him so much.

Her mother laid her hand over hers, stilling any nostalgic emotion she had for the man she still loved. Mastering all the hurt and anger she had accumulated in the past year she turned to Adrian, “Can we get on with the DNA test?”

“Evie?” The room said in unison. They stared at her, recognition in their eyes. They knew her or knew about her. She wondered how much Dennis had told them.

“I can’t…” Dennis dropped the files on the desk. “Catalella, do you mind—”

“Don’t worry about it. I got it.” Catalella put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Once DJ had walked out, she turned to her brother. “AJ, I know you want to be here, but…”

“I got it. I’ll call Reno,” AJ said.

“Tell him to forget about the meeting, he needs to be here,” Kent put in.

Dennis had run away, from what, Evie wasn’t sure. Was he happy to see her or was he not?

Instantly Evie realized that this was the family Dennis had told her about, Catalella the woman who was so much like her but so different. Adrian and Rosalinda, his godparents, AJ, the man who had been like his big brother before Reno appeared. Lisette, the no-nonsense girl, who protected her family like a lioness, and his estranged father. The family that she so desperately wanted to be a part of was Dennis Rogers’ family.

“Dear.” Rosalinda reached over the table and patted her hand. “Are you okay to continue?”

Evie wanted to pull her hand away, show them that she wasn’t weak, and Dennis’ appearance would not railroad her. But she couldn’t. In a moment she had felt more warmth than her own mother had given her in a lifetime.

“Yes, please. Let’s continue.”

“Okay, the DNA results first.” Catalella handed an envelope to her father and the other to Evie.

Her hands trembled as she tore the envelope open and pulled out the piece of paper within. This was it, the moment when her identity would be cemented in stone, the moment she would become a Ross and be part of what looked like a strong, beautiful and united family. Evie’s heart dropped into her stomach and her insides screamed out. The results were negative. Evie noticed that Adrian hadn’t opened his envelope. That was only because he was sure she wasn’t his.

“Your mother and I never had an affair. I am not that kind of man. I love my wife. I would die first before causing her any pain. I am not your father, but if you need a family, we are here. You are Ethan’s sister and that makes you my daughter as well.”

“The twins will be so excited about having another auntie,” Rosalinda said with her ever-smiling face beaming.

“Let’s hold off on introducing them to their new auntie just yet,” Catalella protested. “We still don’t know if she has a brother. Plus, her intentions are questionable.”

Evie’s world was crumbling. Dennis had just made an unannounced entry into her life; she wasn’t a Ross and now here she was. What the hell was going on? “Mother?”

“You should learn not to depend on her, I did. When I was four years old, I knew Elizabeth wanted nothing to do with me, then she left when I was six. I was lost for a while, but Catalella found me, and I have never been happier.” Ethan winked at Catalella, and she smiled. “I have a beautiful wife, two incredible children, a godfather and parents-in-law that gave me what I everything I had needed and never got when I was a child. You can have that, but only if you don’t bring Elizabeth along with you.”

“I’m your mother!” Elizabeth shouted, startling Evie.

“My husband doesn’t owe you anything,” Catalella began. “You can stay at the hotel, but you will be moved to a smaller room. Any expense incurred outside the hotel will be your own. We have a contract here for you to sign, Elizabeth. As for you Evie, we won’t offer you money, but we will support you in every way we can.”

“Why?” Evie rasped out.

“Because you are my sister,” Ethan said earnestly.

Catalella cleared her throat to express her discomfort with Ethan’s openness.

Evie was about to say yes. What was money compared to a family, a group of people who wanted to be by your side, giving you their support and their protection. But there was Dennis…this was his family. All of a sudden, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

“I didn’t come here for you, Adrian, or you Ethan. I have already achieved my purpose. Dennis, your son, came to Nice, deceived my daughter, got her pregnant, almost killed her, then left. I will be suing for attempted murder.”

“What?” Evie, in unison with the whole room, shouted.

“Come, dear, we are done here.” Elizabeth grabbed Evie’s arm and dragged her out of the room.

Evie didn’t know what to do. She rushed behind her mother, bumping into a large man with a set expression on his face. As they waited for the elevator she watched as everyone flocked to an office. As the crowd parted, she spotted Dennis and the large man she had just bumped into. They were hugging, the large man’s concerned face turned in her direction. Elizabeth dragged Evie into the elevator and, as the doors closed, confusion settled around Evie’s head. What the hell was she to do now?

* * * *

DJ stared at the walls. His whole body and his mind had shut down due to the emotional overload. Nothing…it was like his world had all of a sudden ceased to make sense. He listened to the hushed whispering of his family behind his back. They were all waiting for him to go down in the deep end so they could jump in and save him.

“AJ, you should go home. Your wife is pregnant. You shouldn’t leave Kat alone,” DJ said. He was trying to sound like the voice of reason. One by one, he would get each of them out then go to the hotel and see Evie. He needed an explanation, and he hoped it was a damn good one.

“You’re right. Lisette, I’ll drop you off.”

“Me? Why me? My husband is here. He will drop me off,” Lisette insisted.

“Why you? Because you are too over-protective. In fact, I think Evie would be much safer if Reno went home with you.” DJ was trying to keep things light and easy. Hopefully he would hold up the façade long enough for them to leave. “My godchildren must be wondering where you are.” He directed the comment to Catalella and Rich. “I think you should all go home. I promise not to jump off the balcony or drink in excess. I have to prepare for the meeting tomorrow. Considering it’s your merger, I bet you want your lawyer well rested.”

“About that…” Rich scratched the side of his neck as he was known to do when he was nervous and about to deliver bad news. “We think it would be better if you let your father close the deal. It’s just signatures. You’ve done most of the work.”

“And I would like to see this through.” DJ was trying to be assertive and not aggressive but, with the myriad of emotions burning inside him, he couldn’t tell the difference anymore. “Yes, my dead girlfriend, the love of my life, came back to life today. I am a wreck because she betrayed me. It’s obvious to me that she didn’t love me. For two years I have been operating like a man who is barely alive. I get that I scared you guys. This is a miracle I should be celebrating. I’m not going to go into a downward spiral for a woman who doesn’t give a shit about me. I will see this merger through.”

“DJ, you can’t.” This time it was Catalella speaking up. She walked up to him and laid her hands on his-. “The thing is, Elizabeth made it clear that she intends to sue you for reckless endangerment that caused grievous harm to Evie and the death of two people.”

“What? I don’t believe it,” DJ paced the room. “Exactly what does she claim happened? What did Evie say?”

“That’s where it gets worse, bro.” Reno stepped in. “She is claiming that you tried to assault her, and that was the reason she took off from your house and got into that accident.”

DJ laughed bitterly to himself and took a seat. There was no question about it, his world had most definitely stopped making sense. “Are these criminal charges?”

“No, civil. They are preparing a notice of intent. They went to the Barclay’s law firm who gave your dad a call. Now my father and your father are cashing in on their favors, trying to make sure nobody takes them on.” Catalella sat next to him, threaded her fingers into his and squeezed tight.

There was a reason why she was his best friend and, if he had been smarter, he should have picked her instead of the women in New York. “You are a lucky guy, Rich.”

“Just don’t get any ideas. I kind of like that girl sitting next to you. She’s grown on me. I can’t imagine my life without her.” Rich winked at her. They shared a smile that only they knew the meaning of. For a couple of seconds, Rich and Catalella got lost in each other.

“Well.” DJ stood up and broke the moment. There was only so much love he could take without getting jealous. “For a third husband I think you are doing okay. But you will never be as good as her first.”

“Let me guess, you?” Rich asked.

“It was the summer of…” AJ trailed off. “I don’t remember.”

“Cat was four and DJ was six, she was the little girl with a huge fantasy, and he was the boy who couldn’t say no. They got married at our Hamptons estate and divorced five minutes later when DJ spotted a twelve-year-old girl with an adult bra,” Lisette said.

“Even then, DJ, you were a lady killer.”

“Well, Catalella, it appears that I am, literally this time.” The heaviness pressed back down onto his chest. “Rich, you do realize that this is a hit against me and you. They are trying to ruin our lives. I, for one, gave two years to a cold-hearted bitch, and I’m not about to give her one second more.”

“She didn’t seem that cold when we met. It actually looked like Elizabeth was influencing her,” Rich said. “I have a sister I can’t trust, because our mother is pulling the strings and treating her like a puppet.”

“You’ve only known her for an hour. I had the best couple of weeks of my life. She just made the insanity of falling in love seem right. But now she is trying to ruin my life.” DJ grabbed the keys from his table. “I am going to see the love of my life and her conniving mother. I would like to take you all with me but, Rich, do you mind being my wingman?”

“I would love to say yes, but I am not ready to face her.”

“You never will be, but you got to bite the bullet. Let’s go. Reno, do you mind kicking these people out and locking the door?”

“Sure, just keep your cool,” Reno said before turning to Rich. “You have a sister.”

“I have a sister,” Rich said in disbelief. “My mother returned, and she brought me a sister. I still can’t believe it.”

“So, what now?” Lisette asked.

“I don’t know. It’s a bit too much right now,” Rich confessed.

As they spoke amongst themselves, DJ thought of what Reno had said. Keep your cool. That was an impossible request. DJ’s insides were behaving as if there was some volcanic activity within him. How was he supposed to keep his cool?

* * * *

Evie paced the length of her room. She didn’t expect how hard seeing Dennis would hit her. She had the urge to run into his arms and kiss him, like a dumb little schoolgirl. It was Sophie who had kept her in her seat. She couldn’t betray her best friend by falling into the arms of the man who caused her death. Evie knew, on some level, that it was wrong to blame DJ for something he hadn’t had power over. But who else was she supposed to blame? Herself? The answer to that, Evie knew, would completely destroy her.

A forceful knock on the door pulled Evie out of her thoughts and her room. Elizabeth stood to the side, just as startled as Evie was. Evie went to open the door. She jumped back when Dennis pushed the door wide open and took long strides past her and into the room. Ethan followed behind. They both had an angry but determined expression.

Dennis stood a few feet away from her, disbelief still fresh in his eyes. He looked away from her and to Elizabeth. “You are suing me. What exactly do you hope to get from it?”

“What?”

“How did you find out?”

Evie’s shock was drowned by Elizabeth’s outrage.

“I thought we decided that it wouldn’t be right to do that, Mother?” Evie had convinced herself, and she thought she had persuaded her mother too, that blaming Dennis for something he hadn’t done. But she wasn’t ready to forgive. Evie needed to hold onto that anger so that she wouldn’t let herself fall back into his grasp. There was no way they could prove that it was his fault, and every way to prove that it was Evie’s.

“And you claimed that I assaulted you and that was the reason you got into the accident.” Dennis anger was now turned on her. “Why would you lie like that? You ran out of the apartment without knowing all the facts. I never laid a hand on you.”

“You were in a towel with your lover laid out on the couch,” she yelled. “You betrayed me. You were having a romantic evening with Ava while I was freaking out about being pregnant.”

“I was going to marry you, not Ava. I never touched another woman after I committed myself to you. I understand that, with my past, it would be easy for any woman to think I was cheating, but you weren’t just any woman. You were my woman, my future wife and the woman I wanted to have children with, a future with. But you never trusted me from the beginning, so yes, we were doomed. I am at fault for a lot of things, but Sophie’s death isn’t one of them.”

“Are you saying it was my fault?” Evie trembled.

“Ava, you mean my ex-wife, Ava?” Ethan asked.

“If she was a sexy French redhead, then yes.” Evie turned to him, choosing to forget the guilt she felt over Sophie and to rely on the anger she had for Dennis. “I can’t believe you were sleeping with your friend’s wife.”

“Ava isn’t anyone’s wife. She left me once my father disowned me. DJ was just her next victim. She just didn’t expect his brains would be above his shoulders and not in his shorts.” Ethan laughed. Evie couldn’t believe that he found it funny. A glare from DJ, and he immediately sobered. “It is thanks to DJ that I got my divorce and was able to marry the love of my life. It’s the reason why he is my twins’ godfather. Without him, I wouldn’t have a family.”

“Well, if it wasn’t for him, I would have my family,” Evie retorted.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Ethan pointed out. “Don’t deny yourself happiness just because of what you think he did. Or because of what Elizabeth wants you to do.”

“My daughter has a mind of her own,” Elizabeth said with her chin raised.

“I believed that two years ago. I don’t know,” Dennis said.

“I am my own person.”

“Then behave like it. You put this wild accusation out there and you ruin my future and Rich’s business deal. Is that what you want to achieve?”

Evie looked at her mother. She didn’t know Elizabeth’s end game, but it didn’t take a genius to realize what it was.

“It’s the money, isn’t it? How much for my career? Let’s leave Rich out of this. I’m the one you are mad at, the one you think betrayed you and killed our baby and your best friend. How much for you to leave my city, my life, and my heart?”

“Is it that easy for you?”

“Easy!” Dennis barked. “I saw that truck hit you. I was just a few feet away when the car exploded. I stood there, helpless, when the firefighters were putting the fire out and when the paramedic pulled a body—a body I thought was yours, charred beyond recognition—out of the car. I was the one who went crazy to the point that they had to sedate me. I woke up with your mother and Philippe at my bedside, ready to tell me that you were dead, and it was my fault. The woman I loved was dead, my baby was gone… I was a wreck. And you were probably eating hospital jelly a few rooms down the hall.”

“I wasn’t—it doesn’t matter.” Philippe had never told her anything about Dennis being at the hospital. According to him, he hadn’t even shown up.

“Philippe and Evie are getting married.” Elizabeth’s lip curled at the corner. She was obviously proud of herself for revealing that bit of information.

“You’re what?”

“I…it’s none of your business.” Evie’s chest heaved as her heart broke a little. She had never thought that she would see such hurt, such vulnerability, on Dennis’ face. He was a strong man with an aura of authority around him, and she had never thought he was capable of looking so broken.

“Two million dollars and you leave, Elizabeth,” Rich said.

“Are you trying to buy us off?” Evie asked.

“Not you. You can stay in this room for as long as you would like. You have a family here if you want to get to know them. If you don’t, I will give you a check for the same amount. Make a wise decision. The twins are having their first birthday this Saturday. You can go down to the concierge and ask for a car, and they will bring you to my home. If you don’t turn up, a lawyer will be here with a contract for you to sign and the money. DJ, let’s go.”