Adrian's voice was quiet.

That made it worse.

Seren looked at him and understood, with sick certainty, that the easy part was over.

Kai stood between them, still pointing at the portrait.

"Mom?"

Seren forced a smile.

"Go find Poppy."

"But—"

"Please."

Kai looked from her to Adrian.

Then he nodded.

"Okay."

The moment he disappeared around the corner, Adrian stepped closer.

"Answer me."

"I already did."

"No. You told me his father isn't in your life."

"That's the answer you're getting."

His jaw flexed.

"Five years ago, you vanished."

Seren held his gaze.

"And now you're counting backward."

"Shouldn't I?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Because if he kept counting, eventually the numbers would land exactly where she had spent five years trying to keep them from landing.

Seren folded her arms.

"You hired me to care for Poppy."

"I hired you because Poppy likes you."

"Then maybe focus on that."

"You're living under my roof with a five-year-old boy who looks enough like me to make my staff stare."

Her stomach tightened.

"No one is staring."

Adrian glanced toward the far end of the hall.

One of the housemaids immediately looked away.

Seren closed her eyes for half a second.

"Fantastic."

Adrian's mouth almost moved.

Not quite a smile.

"You're a terrible liar."

"And you're impossible."

"That hasn't changed."

"No."

For one brief, dangerous second, something old passed between them.

Then Seren stepped back.

"I have work to do."

Adrian watched her leave.

She could feel it.

The weight of his attention followed her all the way down the hall.

By the next morning, Kai had decided the Blackwood estate was the greatest place on earth.

Poppy had apparently reached the same conclusion about Kai.

Seren found them at breakfast sitting side by side, arguing over syrup.

"You can't put that much on pancakes," Poppy said.

"Yes, you can."

"No, you'll die."

"From syrup?"

"Probably."

Kai poured more.

Seren took the bottle away.

"Neither of you is dying before school."

Poppy looked at her.

"Do I have to go today?"

"Yes."

"What if I have emotional distress?"

"Then you can have emotional distress in the car."

Kai laughed so hard he nearly choked.

Across the room, Adrian lowered his coffee.

Seren caught him watching them.

Again.

It had been happening all morning.

Every time Kai spoke.

Every time he frowned.

Every time he laughed.

Adrian looked.

Not casually.

Closely.

Seren hated it.

She hated more that she understood why.

At five, Kai already had Adrian's habit of tilting his head when he was thinking.

He had the same small dimple on the left side of his mouth.

And apparently, as Seren discovered with mounting horror, he was left-handed.

Adrian noticed that one at breakfast.

Kai reached for his fork with his left hand.

Adrian went completely still.

Seren saw it.

So did Evelyn.

No one said anything.

That somehow made it worse.

Later, while Poppy's tutor went over reading exercises, Serena escaped to the laundry room under the excuse of sorting the children's clothes.

She needed five minutes where no one looked at her son like evidence.

Evelyn entered carrying folded towels.

"You all right?"

"I'm fine."

Evelyn gave her a look.

Seren sighed.

"Is everyone in this house trained to know when people are lying?"

"Only the competent ones."

Despite herself, Seren smiled.

Evelyn placed the towels on a shelf.

"Mr. Blackwood has been distracted."

"I hadn't noticed."

"Of course not."

Seren looked at her.

Evelyn's expression was neutral.

Too neutral.

"Does he always interrogate employees about their personal lives?"

"No."

That answer came too quickly.

Seren's shoulders tightened.

"Good to know."

Evelyn didn't push.

But before she left, she said, "For what it's worth, Poppy hasn't been this happy in a long time."

Seren looked down.

"That's what matters."

"Is it?"

The door clicked shut behind her.

Seren stood alone in the laundry room.

No.

That wasn't all that mattered.

It had to be.

Because the alternative was impossible.

Upstairs, Poppy had discovered the private family gallery.

She wasn't technically supposed to go in without an adult.

That had never stopped her.

Kai followed because Kai considered rules polite suggestions.

The room was narrow and sunlit, filled with framed photographs, oil portraits, and generations of Blackwoods staring down from gilded frames.

Poppy walked like a tour guide.

"That's my great-grandfather."

"He looks mad."

"He was always mad."

"How do you know?"

"Uncle Adrian said so."

Kai pointed at another portrait.

"Who's that?"

"My dad."

Poppy's voice changed.

Softer.

Kai looked at her.

"Oh."

Poppy stared up at the painting for a moment.

Then Kai touched her arm.

"Your dad looks nice."

"He was."

They stood quietly.

Then Poppy shook herself and moved on.

"Come here. I want to show you something weird."

That sentence should have terrified every adult in the house.

Instead, no one heard it.

Poppy dragged a small framed photograph from a side table.

Adrian at five.

Kai stared.

"That's him again."

"I told you."

Poppy squinted at the photograph.

Then at Kai.

Then back at the photograph.

"You really do look like him."

Kai grinned.

"Mom says I don't."

"Your mom is wrong."

Kai considered that.

"She's wrong sometimes."

Poppy grabbed another frame.

"Stand there."

"Why?"

"Because."

Kai obeyed.

Poppy held the photograph beside his face.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"You even have the same smile."

Kai smiled wider.

"Like this?"

"Exactly like that."

One of the maids entered carrying fresh flowers.

She stopped.

Looked at the photograph.

Then at Kai.

Then forgot what she was doing.

"Oh."

Poppy turned.

"See?"

The maid recovered poorly.

"See what?"

"Kai looks exactly like Uncle Adrian."

"I wouldn't say exactly."

A second staff member appeared at the doorway.

Then a third.

Within two minutes, the private gallery had become the site of the most silent scandal in Manhattan domestic history.

Kai stood in the center, delighted by the attention.

Poppy held up the photo like courtroom evidence.

"Look at their eyes."

No one answered.

"And the dimple."

Still nothing.

"And Kai uses his left hand too."

One of the maids whispered, "Oh my God."

That was when Seren walked in.

She took one look at the room and knew.

"No."

Everyone turned.

Poppy froze.

Kai smiled.

"Mom, look."

"I am looking."

Poppy held the frame higher.

"They look the same."

"No, they don't."

Three members of staff suddenly became fascinated by the floor.

Kai frowned.

"Yes, we do."

Seren crossed the room and took the photograph from Poppy.

"Okay. Fun's over."

"But—"

"No buts."

She put the photograph back on the table too quickly.

It slipped.

Kai reached for it with his left hand.

Seren reached at the same time.

The frame nearly hit the floor.

A hand caught it.

Adrian's.

The room went dead silent.

Seren looked up.

He was standing behind her.

No one had heard him come in.

Of course they hadn't.

His gaze moved slowly around the room.

The staff vanished almost immediately.

Poppy took Kai's hand.

"Come on."

Kai looked confused.

"Why?"

"Because adults are about to be weird."

And just like that, they were gone.

Seren and Adrian were alone.

Adrian looked at the photograph in his hand.

Five-year-old Adrian.

Then toward the doorway Kai had disappeared through.

His face revealed nothing.

But his grip on the frame tightened.

"Interesting."

Seren hated that word.

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"You know exactly what."

Adrian set the photograph against the table.

Then picked it up again.

He turned it toward the light.

"Same eyes."

Seren said nothing.

"Same dimple."

Silence.

"Left-handed."

"Lots of people are left-handed."

"Not in my family."

Seren looked at him sharply.

He stepped closer.

"Except me."

The blood drained from her face.

Adrian saw it.

That was the worst part.

He saw everything.

"Seren."

She backed away.

"You're imagining things."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me why every person in this house noticed the same thing."

"Because rich people are bored?"

That almost made him laugh.

Almost.

Instead, he lifted the childhood photograph beside his face.

The resemblance wasn't perfect.

But it was close enough.

Far too close.

"I was five in this picture."

Seren's throat went dry.

"I can see that."

Adrian lowered the frame.

"When is Kai's birthday?"

She stared at him.

"You already know."

"April."

His voice softened.

Dangerously.

"And you left in June."

Seren's pulse pounded.

He had done the math.

Not almost.

Completely.

"Adrian."

"Tell me I'm wrong."

She couldn't.

That was the problem.

He took one step closer.

"Tell me his father is some man I've never met."

Seren looked away.

"Tell me."

She closed her eyes.

For five years, she had imagined this moment in a hundred different ways.

None of them had prepared her for the look on Adrian's face.

Not anger.

Not yet.

Something worse.

Hope trying not to exist.

"Seren."

Her name broke slightly in his voice.

She looked at him.

He held the photograph of himself at five in one hand.

And with the other, he pointed toward the hallway where Kai had gone.

"Who is his father?"

Seren opened her mouth.

Before she could answer, Kai's voice floated in from the hall.

"Mom?"

They both turned.

Kai stood in the doorway.

He looked at Adrian.

Then at the photograph.

Then at Seren.

His small face tightened with confusion.

"Why does Mr. Blackwood look like me?"

Adrian's eyes snapped back to hers.

And this time, Seren knew there was nowhere left to hide.