Chapter 225

No.1

The Willow Creek campus was massive. The morning sun illuminated groups of children in tailored navy-blue uniforms running across the pristine grass,trailed by parents holding expensive coffees.

Elisa wove through the crowd, her heart beating a rapid, anxious rhythm against her ribs. She kept her head down, letting the oversized glasses shield her face.

She scanned the different play zones. Finally, near the edge of the campus, by a large, imported white-sand architectural play area, she saw her.

Kayden was crouching in the center of the sandpit.While the other five-year-olds were throwing sand and screaming, Kayden was completely silent. She was hyper-focused, using a small plastic trowel to construct a structurally perfect replica of a Roman aqueduct.

A massive wave of pure, overwhelming love hit Elisa's chest. Her throat tightened. She took a step forward,

ready to call out her daughter's name.

"August, look! Tate is running so fast!"

No.2

The high-pitched, grating, incredibly familiar voice sliced through the morning air like a rusty knife.

Elisa's boots slammed to a halt. The blood in her veins instantly turned to Freon. Her lungs seized.

She violently threw her body to the left, diving behind the thick trunk of a massive, ancient oak tree.She pressed her back flat against the rough bark, her chest heaving as she fought for air.

Slowly, she peeked around the edge of the wood.

Less than thirty feet away, standing on the edge of the grass, was August Chambers. He was wearing a casual but devastatingly expensive gray cashmere sweater. Allena was clinging tightly to his bicep,wearing a designer trench coat and a sickeningly sweet smile. "Thank you so much for pushing back your board meeting for Tate's Family Day," Allena purred, loud enough for Elisa to hear. "It means the world to him."

They were watching Tate, Allena's spoiled seven-

year-old brother, who was sprinting across the lawn like a wild, undisciplined animal. They looked exactly like a perfect, wealthy family attending a school event.

No.3

Elisa's brain short-circuited. August was supposed to be at the corporate office. Why was he here? He was here to play the role of the perfect father figure for his mistress's brother, a role he completely denied his own flesh and blood.

Suddenly, the situation turned violent.

Tate, running completely out of control, charged directly into the sandpit. He didn't even look down.His heavy sneaker smashed directly into Kayden's Roman aqueduct, kicking the wet sand into the air and destroying an hour of careful work.

Kayden didn't cry. She slowly stood up. She brushed the sand off her navy-blue pleated skirt with precise,calm movements. Then, she tilted her head up.

Her stormy gray eyes locked onto Tate with a look of absolute, freezing contempt.

Tate didn't apologize. He pointed his finger at Kayden's face and let out a loud, obnoxious laugh.

"Look at the weirdo! You don't even have a dad here!You're a bastard!"

No.4

August heard the commotion. His brow furrowed in irritation. He pulled his arm out of Allena's grip and took long, heavy strides toward the sandpit to discipline Tate before it caused a scene.

August stopped at the edge of the sand.He opened his mouth to yell at Tate.

But his eyes drifted past the boy. He looked down at the little girl standing in the ruined sand.

August's eyes met Kayden's.

It was like a massive electrical shock ripped straight through his heart. His entire body went completely rigid. The air vanished from his lungs. He stared into those stormy gray eyes-eyes that were the exact,identical shade and shape as his own. A violent,primal, biological connection slammed into his nervous system.

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't speak. He just stared at her.

Behind the oak tree, Elisa saw August freeze. She

No.5

saw the look of absolute shock on his face.

Pure, unadulterated terror exploded in Elisa's brain.The secret was dying right in front of her eyes.

She didn't think. She moved.

Elisa sprinted out from behind the tree. She ran across the grass, her coat flying out behind her. Just as August began to slowly lower himself to one knee to speak to the child, Elisa inserted herself directly between them like a physical brick wall.

She grabbed Kayden's hand and violently yanked the child behind her legs. She spread the wide fabric of her oatmeal coat out, completely shielding Kayden's face and body from August's line of sight.

August was jolted out of his trance by the sudden movement. He looked up, his eyes filled with anger at the interruption.

When he saw Elisa's face behind the fake glasses,his pupils dilated to their maximum size.

No.6

"Elisa?" August gasped, his voice cracking with absolute shock. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Elisa forced her breathing to slow down. She locked

her knees to stop them from shaking. She looked down at him, her eyes dead and cold.

"Jewel had an emergency board meeting," Elisa lied,her voice a flat, robotic monotone. "I am here as a proxy for my goddaughter."

It was the perfect, unbreakable lie. It explained why she was registered as a Gilmore, and it explained why she was protecting the child.

August slowly stood up. His massive frame towered over her. He didn't look convinced. His dark eyes darted to the left, trying to look over her shoulder to see the little girl again.

Elisa immediately took a half-step to the left,mirroring his movement, completely blocking his line of sight with her body. She radiated the terrifying,lethal energy of a mother wolf protecting her cub.

No.7

"Mr. Chambers," Elisa said, her voice dropping to a freezing, threatening whisper. "Step away from my goddaughter."