Chapter 3

When she opened her eyes again, there was a card on her nightstand. A note pinned under it.

"Mom's surgery has to wait a little longer. Vivienne's in a bad place. I can't leave her for that long. The surgery is too long — she couldn't handle it."

One line. One meaning.

For Vivienne Ashcroft, Damien Thorne would wait on anything.

Her chest tightened, one sharp pulse after another. Then, suddenly, she laughed.

A grieving, bitter laugh.

She pressed a hand over her heart and picked up the phone.

"Nathaniel. I'll agree to the divorce."

"But I have one condition. Help me fake my death. I'm taking my brother and my mother, and we're leaving. For good."