”Tobey? Is that you? How?! I thought you had returned to Eastgene!” Deirdre still remembered just how glum and dejected Tobey was when he left—that happened merely a week ago! She really thought she would never get to talk to him again.Tobey looked at her in pity. “Silly girl. How could I possibly abandon you and return to Eastgene on my own? My departure was a feint. The clue was the words you used. I understood immediately that you were just saying them because you had no choice, and for that, I’m sorry. “I was such a reckless idiot! I thought things could be solved by laying things bare, but I underestimated Brendan’s power! Think about it. This is a guy who has the power to make me lose my job and my employability through his influence. How easy must it be for him to control you? God. If you didn’t remind me of that with what you said, I would have put you in so much harm!”Deirdre shut her eyes tightly and felt a sob building up. She dared not let it out—lest Fionn noticed he

Still, Deirdre could not stop herself from asking, “Why?”Brendan placed his head on where her shoulder and neck met. He twirled a strand of her hair with his fingertip. “Because a baby girl will be an adorable, mischievous, sweet little gremlin. Just like her mother.”“But what if it was a boy?”The light in Brendan’s eyes dimmed. “Then I hope he doesn’t turn out like me.”Had Deirdre still believed him to be Kyran, she would have chalked this up as Kyran being modest as usual. He was perfect! Impeccable! Flawless! Why would anybody hope their son turned out differently?But now, she was simply startled at Brendan’s sudden display of self-awareness. She forced herself to smile and reply, “You’re pulling my leg again.”Brendan responded by squeezing her hand silently. Feeling a little disconcerted, Deirdre made up an excuse, “It’s getting late. I need to take a shower.”She rose, and Brendan suddenly called out to her. “Dee?”“Hmm?”“I love you.”Deirdre was stunned. “How muc

Brendan had always been a master weaver of lies. “Declan has an ongoing project in Neve, but his project at Alnwick sets him back from finalizing the deal. I’m going there on his behalf.”Deirdre nodded. A moment later, she declared, “I don’t want to go.”She began to shiver. “There are too many traumatic memories associated with that place. I can’t even think about it without feeling fear. I worry that I might not even be able to sleep once I’m there. It’s that stressful.”An expecting mother’s mental health would always be the top priority. The last thing Brendan wanted was for Deirdre feeling too tense and distressed. The excuse not to go with him practically wrote itself, and all Deirdre had to do was to use it. “So, I think you should go alone. I’ll be fine here. Don’t worry. If you’re worried about me, then give me a call every once in a while when you’re free.”Brendan kissed her hair. “What happens if you accidentally kick the table and get injured?”She laughed. “Kyran, p

For some unknown reason, the uncertain, almost unsettled look on Deirdre’s face summoned a swirl of anxiety. He frowned, and his eyebrows locked together into a knot. He could not tell why or where this anxiety was coming from, but his gut was telling him that something big was about to happen…“Bren!”The door to the lounge opened. Charlene sashayed into the room in tailor-made sartorial finery, decked in jewelry amounting to more than a million dollars in total. She seemed to have made it her mission to become the epitome of a wealthy exhibitionist—one could see it on her face. And her face! The surgery was clearly a success, judging from her recovery. After leaving the detainment center, Charlene had some of her “imperfections” adjusted, and with the right application of cosmetics, she was genuinely beautiful in her own way. Brendan tossed a glance in her direction and felt a surge of disgust shooting into his mouth. His mien was frigid, but Charlene dismissed it altogether wi

“That’s more like it,” Deirdre said quickly, relieved. He believed her now, did he not?Dread refused to leave her alone. She had thought that with everyone leaving the compound, Tobey could come right at her door and still be relatively safe. She was wrong—Brendan had somehow made her neighbor his mole, too. The only small solace was that the neighbor did not recognize Tobey.Deirdre bit her lips tightly. She should insist on bringing Tobey inside the next time. “Dee.”She snapped out of her thoughts. “Oh? What’s the matter?”“I want to go home. To see you.”Deirdre was stunned. She chuckled. “Alright, it’s a little too late for jokes now, Kyran. There’s no flight coming home right now, and you’re not driving in this state. What you should do is rest. Go to sleep.”“I could always ask someone to drive me home.”“Nope, that’s still dangerous to my liking. I won’t be able to sleep knowing that!” she said, doing her best to assure him. Brendan finally relented. “Okay. But only