Chapter 3 - SHADOWS OF THE PAST
The next three days were a whirlwind of tactical planning. I didn't just pack bags; I orchestrated a military campaign. I hired the most elite private security firm in the Pacific Northwest—ex-military operatives who didn't care about the Hartwell name.
As I packed the boys' tailored velvet suits, the memories I had buried for seven years clawed their way to the surface. I remembered the scent of Cole’s cologne, the way his gray eyes crinkled when he laughed, and the devastating heat of his touch. But I also remembered the cold, agonizing night in the rain, waiting for him at our spot, only for him to never show. I had thought he agreed with his mother—that I wasn't enough. Now I knew Eleanor had intercepted him, feeding him lies while she ambushed me.
“Mom, are we really going to Chicago?” Theo asked, standing in the doorway of my master suite.
“We are,” I said, zipping up the garment bag.
“Is that where our dad is?”
I froze. I had always told them their father was a man I loved very much, but that circumstances kept us apart. I turned to look at my brave, intelligent boys. “Yes. And it’s time you met him.”
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Patricia walked in, holding a tablet. “The jet is fueled, Ms. Kingsley. The $800 million custom Boeing you just acquired. The pilot is ready for the christening flight.”
“Perfect,” I said, a dangerous smile touching my lips. “Let’s go show Chicago what a 'poor waitress' looks like today.”
