******
A soft knock at her door startled her. Patricia stepped in quietly, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Blake was behind her, holding a sleepy Adrian.
“Emery…” her mother’s voice was soft, tentative. “You’re pale. What happened?”
Emery swallowed, forcing her lips into something that looked like a smile but wasn’t. “Nothing. Work was just… long.”
Patricia didn’t buy it. She sat down next to her daughter, fingers curling around hers.
“You saw him today, didn’t you?”
The mask shattered. Emery’s eyes filled with tears, her throat tightening painfully. She looked away, blinking rapidly, but it was too late.
“I had to,” she choked out.
“Gabriel invited me to dinner. I didn’t know Damian would be there. And when he saw me—” Her voice cracked. "I had to pretend, Mama. I had to p
