His gaze returned to mine.
“She was afraid of you.”
I had heard those words before, but never from a stranger standing on her doorstep.
“Of me personally?”
“Of your world. Your family. The power surrounding your name.”
“I would never hurt her.”
“I believe you mean that now.”
The door opened behind him.
“Julian?”
Evelyn’s voice.
Every muscle in my body tightened.
Julian turned.
She appeared in the doorway wearing a soft gray cardigan, her brown hair tied loosely at the nape of her neck. She looked older than the woman I remembered, but not diminished. There was a steadiness in her face that had not existed when we were married.
Then she saw me.
The color drained from her cheeks.
“Adrian.”
My name sounded like a memory she had locked away.
I wanted to apologize. I wanted to explain why I had come. I wanted to ask if Lily had my eyes because she was my daughter.
