Everyone said Finnian was cold and heartless, but he treated Amara with a


    devotion that was rming. He had been willing to risk his life to save her. How could Keith not be worried?


    "Amara, do you still have feelings for him?" he asked, unable to stop himself.


    Amara looked down. "Please don''t ask me that."


    Her evasion was an answer in itself. You only avoid a question when the truth isplicated. If she truly felt nothing, she would have said so. A wave of sadness washed over Keith, and he fell silent.


    As they talked, Keith''s arm remained on Amara''s shoulder, an innocent gesture that, from a distance, looked like an embrace. Liliana and Emma, who happened to be looking at another house in the area, saw them. A sly smile touched Liliana''s lips. She took out her phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to Finnian.


    *Finn, guess who I saw today?*


    Finnian was in his office reviewing documents when the message arrived. He assumed it was another one of Liliana''s selfies or a picture of some new purchase she had made. He wasn''t interested, but he opened it anyway. He was not prepared for what he saw: a photo of Amara and Keith walking side-by-side, Keith''s arm draped possessively over her shoulder.


    Another message from Liliana followed: *I was just out for a walk and ran into Amara and Keith. They seem really close, don''t they?*


    Finnian didn''t reply. He stared at the picture for a long, long time, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his phone. It felt like his heart was soaking in acid. He knew the baby wasn''t Keith''s, but Keith was still an incredibly important person in her life. He remembered hearing that whenever Amara had been bullied in the past, it was always Keith who hade to her defense. The bond between them must run deep.


    The thought sent a surge of raw jealousy through him, and his eyes began to burn.


    That evening, Amara sat in her room reading after dinner. She preferred the living room-the sofa at the Everly estate was incredibly


    up


    with a book and a bowl of fruit-but


    after her awkward run


    Wittr


    Finnian the other day, she had


    decided it was safer to stay in her room.


    Around eight o''clock, she put down her book and was contemting some script revisions when she heard a knock on the door. It sounded heavier than usual, almost foreboding.


    "Come in," she called out.


    The door opened, and Finnian walked in. He was wearing a dark gray suit with a


    ck shirt, no tie, and he radiated an aura of cold, sharp intensity.


    Amara sat up straighter. "Mr. Everly, what is it?"


    They hadn''t spoken since their night at the vi. It felt like something had happened between them, and yet, nothing had happened at all. This was the first time she had seen hing since, and his mood felt distinctly off.  s?novels


    He didn''t sit down. Instead, he paced around the room with his hands in his


    pockets, a storm brewing behind his calm facade. He looked deep in thought, and deeply unhappy.


    Amara tried again. “Mr. Everly, did you just get off work? Have you seen Grandfather?"


    He stopped pacing. "I have."


    ***