Briony stared at Irwin, unable to believe what she was hearing.


    Until today, it had never even crossed her mind that the boy she''d poured her heart into raising could turn on her so fiercely.


    It had only been a few weeks. How could he have changed sopletely?


    "I hate you! I never want you to be my mom again!"


    Irwin screamed the words, then turned to bolt for the door-


    "Irwin!"


    Stewart''s brow furrowed as he reached out and caught his son by the arm.


    Irwin''s pet carrier tumbled to the floor. The little kitten inside yelped and fluffed up in rm.


    "Daddy!" Irwin threw himself into Stewart''s arms and broke down in sobs.


    "Mom doesn''t love me anymore! Dad, I hate her! She doesn''t love me at all!" Stewart stooped to pick Irwin up, then fixed Briony with a dark, reproachful stare. His handsome face was clouded with anger, and his voice was sharp. "Briony, Irwin just got out of the hospital and the first thing he wanted to do was buy you a gift to cheer you up. He did it because he loves you. If you can''t appreciate that, fine, but did you really have to take it out on him?"


    Briony''s breath caught in her throat. A wave of heat and pain rose from her chest, burning all the way to her heart.


    She stood there, trembling, her slender frame barely able to hold itself together.


    There was anger, yes. Bitterness. But underneath it all, a deep, gnawing sense of injustice.


    Why? Why should she have to endure all this?


    She''d raised this boy for five years, only to be told he was the son of her husband and his mistress. She hadn''t thrown a fit or made a scene-she''d just asked for a divorce, wanting nothing more than to leave that twisted "family" behind and live her own life.


    She thought she had given enough,promised enough. So why couldn''t they just let her go?


    What more did they want from her?


    Briony''s face was ghostly pale, her breathsing faster and faster.


    James, watching her clench her jaw to keep fromshing out, felt a twinge of sympathy.


    He turned to Stewart. "How exactly was Briony taking it out on Irwin? Maybe you should listen to what your son actually said! He told her the kitten could take Grandma Julia''s ce. That''s Briony''s mother! No one can rece Ms. Hudson- not a cat, not anyone else!"


    Stewart shot James a frosty re. "Irwin is five years old. He''s bound to say things the wrong way sometimes. As an adult, shouldn''t you know better than to hold it against him?"


    James let out a sharp, incredulousugh. "You really are awyer, aren''t you? Always have an answer for everything. All right, let''s say your kid didn''t mean any harm. But what about this ''Mom Rosita'' he keeps bringing up? Comparing her to Ms. Hudson—if she''s not clueless, she''s just in malicious."


    "You''re the malicious one!" Irwin wailed, tears streaming down his face. "Mom Rosita is the best! She''s never said a bad word about anyone. You don''t even know her-how can you say she''s mean?"


    James looked at Irwin and gave him a mocking thumbs-up.


    "Sure, kid. Guess you inherited your dad''s mouth, too. Your precious Mom Rosita is the best, huh? Why don''t you both run along home to her and stop making Briony''s life miserable?"


    The way James said "Bryn" made Stewart''s frown deepen.


    He turned to Briony, his gaze hard and unyielding. "Briony, whether or not you like the gift, Irwin meant well. You don''t have to ept it—but as his mother, you can''t take your anger out on your child."