Jane stared at the will Mr. Ratcliff left behind and felt the weight in her chest just melt away. Even her voice sounded lighter. "Aiden, tell me again. When he wrote this will, did he say anything else?"
Aiden stood there with his hands at his sides, his tone respectful. "He only insisted that the will not be made public until Ms. Meyer and Mr. Ratcliff are officially divorced. He didn''t mention anything else."
"Perfect. That''s just perfect."
Jane snapped the will shut, the crisp sound of the gold-embossed cover echoing in the quiet living room.
She looked outside into the thick darkness, a sly smile tugging at her lips.
She''d find a way to get Reese and Sebastian divorced. Once it was over, she''d make sure Sebastian married a proper heiress from a real, old-money family.
Neither Reese nor Leslie would ever get into the Ratcliff family-not if she had anything to say about it.
Upstairs, Sebastian leaned against the carved banister, his ck shirt sleeves pushed up, showing off the sharp lines of his forearms.
He held his phone, the screen glowing, but his eyes were on Jane downstairs. There was a storm brewing behind his gaze.
He never thought grandfather would leave a will like that.
Was it because he was worried that after his death, Sebastian would find out Reese wanted a divorce and cause a scene?
So he made Reese his goddaughter, cutting off anyst chance Sebastian might have had with her. He even left her shares, making sure Ratcliff Global would always back her up.
But grandfather forgot one thing.Sebastian had never failed to get what he wanted. Not once.
He opened his phone, scrolled to Reese''s messages, typed and deleted over and over, until finally he just wrote: [Don''t get a divorce.]
He stared at those words for what felt like forever, but in the end, he couldn''t send them.
He knew Reese hated him now. Even if he sent it, she wouldn''t answer.
He thought about seeing Reeseugh with Matthew earlier, then about the will, and a wave of jealousy burned through him, almost making him lose control.
"Reese, you''re not leaving me."
Sebastian whispered it, a stubborn glint in his eyes, and turned away into his study.
No matter what it took, he would
keep Reese with him. He wouldn''t let her go Even if she hated him. Even if she never forgave him. He needed her, and he couldn''t let her leave.
At that same moment, outside Brookfield General, a ck car rolled to a stop.
Tara stood in the parking lot, Rosie steadying her as the driver loaded her luggage into the trunk. Even her loose coat couldn''t hide the gentle swell of her belly.
She nced at the empty hospital entrance, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.
After she was rushed to the hospital,
was.re
Zach had stayed just long enough to
make sure she and the baby were
stable Once the doctor said she
only needed to rest he left, and
never came back, not even when she was discharged.
"Zach really has a heart of stone,"
Rosie muttered as she fussed with
Tara''s coat. "You''re carrying his baby and he can''t even bother to show up when you leave the hospital."
Tara didn''t say a word. Without thinking, her hand drifted to her small bump.
Last night, she''d felt the baby move for the first time. It was such a faint feeling, like a little butterfly brushing her palm-so soft, but so real.
For the first time, it hit her: she was really going to be a mom.
Back at the new house she shared with Zach, dinner was already waiting, but Tara wasn''t hungry.
She sat on the sofa, absently tracing circles on her belly, her eyes lost and worried.
Rosie dropped onto the couch next to her, looking both anxious and annoyed. "Tara, you can''t just sit here and zone out.
"I heard old Mr. Ratcliff passed away.
"And the Ratcliff family hasn''t done anything to Reese. Do you think maybe Reese will actually get through this whole thing untouched?"