Susanna had eaten her fill of cherries and strawberries that afternoon, yet somehow her hunger always resurfaced sooner than expected.


    It hadn''t been long before she was hungry again.


    When Hull came out after finishing a call, he was greeted by the sight of Susanna working her way through... an entire pineapple.


    Yes, she was sitting there, cradling a whole, peeled pineapple in her hands, taking bites straight from it as if it were a giant apple.


    Hull approached, eyebrows raised. "Is that really how you eat a pineapple?"


    He''d only ever seen pineapple served in neat, golden wedges, not devoured whole. Watching Susanna, pineapple juice running ever so slightly down her wrist, was a surprise.


    "It tastes better this way," Susanna replied, and took another juicy bite, not the least bit fazed.


    Hull watched her, almost amused. Just seeing her eat made him suddenly want some too. "Doesn''t eating this much fruit bother your stomach?"


    He knew fruit was healthy, but in excess-especially sweet and acidic ones—it could be rough.


    "I feel fine. I''m just a little hungry," Susanna said, cheerful as ever.


    "What do you want for dinner?" Hull asked, suddenly realizing Susanna had been grazing all afternoon. Not long after lunch, she''d worked her way through a whole bowl of cherries and strawberries, and now she was steadily dismantling a sizable pineapple. Judging by her determination, she might actually finish it.


    Would she even be hungry for dinner after all this?


    "Whatever works for you I''m not picky," Susanna said breezily. Truth be told, apart from fruit, nothing really sounded appealing at the moment. Hull wrapped his arms around her from behind as she watched TV.


    Susanna nced over her shoulder. "Now what?"


    "Derek''s people finished collecting all the samples-they''ve all been sent to theb for testing," Hull told her.


    Susanna blinked. "They''re actually going through with the testing?"


    There''d been talk about DNA tests before-even with Derek and Adelle''s rtionship in tatters—but Derek had kept Adelle in the palm of his hand for years. Susanna wasn''t convinced the tests would actually happen. Wouldn''t Adelle, savvy as she was, find some way to stall or sabotage things?


    But Hull exined, "Derek, Dan, and Finch each sent five of their own men to supervise no one''s going to tamper with anything."


    That caught Susanna off guard. "They really want to make sure nothing goes wrong with the results."


    Hull nodded. "Exactly."


    She fell silent, thinking.


    "The Murray family could reallye apart at the seams this time,” Hull remarked quietly.


    Susanna let out a breath. It was true. If Derek was proven infertile, and the tests revealed the children weren''t his, the Murray family would be doomed.


    "He''d deserve it," Susanna said softly. "After everything he''s done, it''s just karma."


    All his lies and maniption—especially duping someone into marriage—were more


    than enough. He''d proven, time and again, he wasn''t a good man.


    When you''ve done enough wrong, retribution is only a matter of time. If it was Derek''s turn now, then so be it.


    Susanna took another bite of her pineapple.


    Hull eyed the fruit. "Is it sour?"


    "It''s sweet and tangy!" she replied, almost chipper.


    Hull grinned. “Funny, didn''t you used to avoid pineapples? I thought you only liked


    really sweet fruits-never anything tart."


    "I never used to like them, but now~~ the tanginess is really refreshing Susanna said. There was something new and tempting about the sharp, juicy vor a pleasant discovery


    Hull chuckled. “Just go easy. Too much fruit can be hard on your stomach, even if it tastes good."


    “Got it,” Susanna said, though she immediately bit off another big chunk, making Hull shake his head in helpless amusement.


    A momentter, his phone buzzed again. Gently, Hull shifted Susanna onto the couch before heading off to answer it.


    With Hull out of the room, Susanna quickly polished off the rest of the pineapple. She decided her unshakable hunger must''ve been Hull''s fault-me it on the way he''d worn her out earlier.


    Well, to be honest, he hadn''t been that relentless... They hadn''t even gone all the way, but she still felt. drained. That had to be why ber hunger was so fierce now.


    Her phone vibrated, pulling her from her thoughts. It was Ste calling.


    Susanna answered, "Star?"


    "I''ve sent some people to back up Hull. You can stop worrying," Ste said reassuringly.