unexpectedly your's

Mia

Mia barely slept.

The walls of her small Everdale apartment felt like they were closing in, suffocating her with the weight of Eleanor's knowing gaze and Adrian's unexpected presence.

She sat by Liam's bedside, watching the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest. He looked so peaceful—blissfully unaware of the storm brewing just outside their quiet world.

Her fingers brushed over his curls as her mind spiraled. Eleanor knew.

And if Eleanor knew, it was only a matter of time before Adrian did.

A sharp knock at the door made her jump.

Her pulse spiked, dread curling in her stomach. It was too late for visitors. Too late for safety.

She hesitated before standing, her heart hammering as she approached the door. Peeking through the peephole, she let out a slow breath. It was just Clara.

Mia opened the door, but Clara didn't step inside. Instead, she looked over her shoulder, lowering her voice.

"You need to be careful."

Mia's grip on the doorknob tightened. "What do you mean?"

Clara hesitated before glancing down the hall, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "I overheard something today. Eleanor has started asking questions. Dangerous questions."

Mia swallowed hard. "Like what?"

"Like where you used to live. Where Liam was born. And if anyone in the office has noticed… similarities." Clara's eyes softened. "Mia, I think she's looking for proof."

Ice slid down Mia's spine.

Proof.

It wasn't enough that Eleanor suspected—she was hunting for confirmation. And knowing the kind of power the Sinclair family wielded, Mia had no doubt that once Eleanor set her mind on something, she wouldn't stop until she had her answer.

"I have to go," Mia whispered, panic rising in her throat.

Clara grabbed her arm. "You can't just run."

Mia's breath hitched. "Why not?"

"Because she'll find you," Clara said firmly. "And if you disappear now, it'll just confirm whatever suspicions she already has."

Mia's hands trembled. "Then what do I do?"

Clara hesitated. "You need to play smart. Act normal. Stay ahead of her. If she thinks you don't know what she's doing, she might slip up first."

Mia clenched her jaw. Every instinct screamed at her to run. But Clara was right. Eleanor was calculating, but she was also proud. If Mia made the wrong move, it wouldn't just be her life unraveling. Liam would be caught in the fallout.

She exhaled shakily. "Okay."

Clara gave her a reassuring squeeze before stepping back. "I'll keep listening. If I hear anything else, I'll let you know."

Mia nodded, watching as Clara disappeared down the hall.

She closed the door and pressed her forehead against it, her thoughts racing.

If Eleanor was digging… how much time did she have before Adrian found out the truth?

Adrian

Adrian sat in his hotel suite, staring at his laptop screen.

He had the file open—the one Caleb had sent him before he left for Everdale.

Emily Hayes.

That's what Mia called herself now. A new identity. A new life.

He had memorized every piece of information in the file, but none of it answered the one question that burned in his mind: Why?

Why had she disappeared? Why had she hidden from him? And more than that—if Liam was his son, why had she never told him?

His fingers tightened around the whiskey glass beside him. Had he been so easy to erase?

A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts.

He turned, expecting Caleb. Instead, when he opened the door, Eleanor stood there, her eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

"I figured you'd be awake," she said smoothly, stepping inside without invitation.

Adrian tensed. "What do you want, Grandmother?"

Eleanor walked to the window, peering out at the Everdale skyline. "I assume you've already started investigating your little assistant?"

His jaw locked. "If you already know, why are you here?"

Eleanor turned to him, arching a brow. "Because I need to make sure you don't let emotions cloud your judgment."

Adrian clenched his fists. "If that boy is mine—"

"Then you have a much bigger problem than you realize," Eleanor cut in. Her voice was calm, but her gaze was razor-sharp.

Adrian narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Eleanor took a slow step forward. "You think she ran from you?" She tilted her head. "What if she ran from something else?"

A cold sensation trickled down Adrian's spine.

"She left without a word, without a trace," Eleanor continued. "She didn't even try to tell you about the child. Doesn't that seem strange?"

Adrian had asked himself that question a thousand times.

Eleanor's lips curved into something close to amusement. "What if someone helped her disappear?"

Silence stretched between them.

Adrian's pulse pounded. "You think she had help?"

Eleanor shrugged. "All I'm saying is… people don't disappear without reason."

Adrian's thoughts spun. The idea that Mia had help leaving him hadn't even crossed his mind.

But if that was true…

Who had helped her?

And why?

As the realization settled in, he knew one thing for sure.

He wasn't just looking for Mia anymore.

He was looking for whoever had kept her hidden from him for seven years.