When the car pulled up at Palm Bay, she could tell Dn was dead set on


    keeping the whole thing with the child and Walter a secret—for good this time. She didn''t even bother asking. Instead, she went straight upstairs and found the guest room furthest from the master bedroom to crash in.


    Dn stood alone in the empty foyer, listening as her footsteps faded down the hall.


    The housekeeper spotted him and lit up. "Sir, you''re finally home! Is there anything you''d like for dinner tonight?"


    Dn shook his head, nced up the stairs, and started climbing, slow and heavy-footed.


    He paused when he heard noise from the courtyard. Looking out, he caught sight of a face that looked almost exactly like Charles''s-only younger, as if they could be twins.


    Uno saw him too, but his face stayed nk. He just kept munching through a te piled with fruit.


    The housekeeper hurried over. "He''s someone Mrs. ra brought home. Eats like he''s starving, every single meal."


    Dn just nodded and went upstairs without another word.


    He and ra had slipped into this weird, silent standoff. Two days went by and neither of them said a thing.


    On the third night, ra woke up in the middle of the night, restless and frustrated. What was the point of acting like this? She''d risked everything to find him-gone alone to dangerous ces. Now they were both safe. Why keep pretending nothing was wrong?


    She got up and padded down the hallway toward his room.


    All the lights were off except for a sliver of light under his door. He never did like sleeping in the dark.


    She was about to knock when his voice drifted through the door.


    "So what am I supposed to do? His feelings are messing with me."


    A second voice answered, low and calm. "Sir, you already killed him. You''re the one who''s alive now."


    "But I can feel it..." Dn''s voice sounded lost and, in the quiet, almost heartbreakingly sad.


    ra swallowed and instinctively started to turn back, but then that second voice spoke again.


    "Mrs. ra can''t find out. She''s still looking for the truth about his disappearance. She loves you-but she''s not giving up on the answers."


    ra froze, one hand braced against the wall.


    Who was she looking for? Z?


    She drifted back to her room, Megan''s words echoing in her head: Z''s red bead bracelet and that ring had both shown up in Dn''s study.


    She''d always trusted Dn-she''d thought Megan was just imagining things. But after everythingtely, it was all too much. She''d gone to the West Hill cemetery, she''d learned there was a child. Dn just kept denying everything, refusing to admit what was right in front of them.


    She took a deep breath, switched on the guest room light, and stepped out onto the balcony. The night air was sharp and cold, clearing her head for a second.


    But the chaos in her mind came rushing back.


    "A fate like that isn''t good enough for ra. I wanted him dead.” "Do you hate Z?"


    "I do."


    Fragments of conversations tangled together her thoughts. Maybe it was the stress-or maybe she was just done with it all. She took a breath, turned, and marched straight out the door.  s


    At the end of the hallway, Dn''s bedroom was still lit up.


    She didn''t hesitate. She stomped straight over and thrust the door open.


    Dn was just about to lie down. He looked up, startled, as she barged in.


    ra nced around. Whoever he''d been talking to was gone.


    She stared at Dn. His Adam''s apple bobbed like he wanted to say something,


    but before he could, ra turned on her heel and walked out.


    Dn sat on the bed, confused. He had no idea what she was doing.


    ra made her way to his study. No. one was there. She went through everything-turned the ce upside down rifled through every book every drawer, searching for anything that might be hidden.  s


    Nothing.


    She headed back to Dn''s bedroom. He was still sitting on the bed, apparently not having noticed the chaos next door He watched her as she started putting open closet doors.  s


    "ra, what are you looking for?" he asked.


    She ignored him and kept searching the drawers.


    Her hand paused when she touched an old school uniform. Richard had told her


    Dn had kept it all these years. It was hers.


    She forced herself not to look at it too closely, just kept opening drawers. Still nothing—no red bead bracelet, no ring.


    Her eyes drifted to the bed.


    Dn watched her, about to say something else, but ra strode over and yanked the pillow aside.


    The sudden movement made him wince he was still healing-but he didn''tin.


    There was nothing under the pillow, either.<fned5c> ?????? ???? </fned5c>