Chapter 1

The first case on Holly Stanwick's docket after she became a judge was the divorce between her husband and his childhood sweetheart.

Holly double-checked the file's cover sheet when she received it. "Maeve, is the defendant's information correct? Is his name really Shane Lockwood?"

Maeve Green, the assistant judge, smiled. "Ms. Stanwick, that's the CEO of Lockwood Corp in Havenport, Shane Lockwood. I might slip up on other files, but not this one!"

She searched for "Shane Lockwood" on Google on her phone and shoved the brutal truth in front of Holly.

The face in the photos matched that of Holly's husband exactly. She froze, feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her.

Stella Kennedy, the court clerk, added, "That's right, Ms. Stanwick. You're new here, so you might not know—Shane and his childhood sweetheart, Tess Lindell, have been on and off for about eight years. This is the first time it has reached court, and the public gallery is fully booked!"

Hearing that, Holly nearly lost her footing, and the file slid from her fingertips onto the desk.

Maeve asked curiously, "Ms. Stanwick, do you know Shane?"

She knew him all too well. She had been married to Shane for six years, and they had a son together.

The man who'd shared her bed for six years was Lockwood Corp's CEO and somebody else's husband. It was absurd.

Holly kept her face blank and shook her head. "I just got to Havenport. I hardly know anyone."

After the wedding, she had quit her job as a top attorney in Auswinton. For the next three years, she devoted herself entirely to raising her son, Aaron Lockwood.

This year, she'd worked hard to land a judgeship in Havenport, hoping to finally end their long-distance life. She'd planned to surprise Shane with the news tonight.

But fate beat her to it.

From the bench, Holly finally got a clear look at Tess.

Tess took off her sunglasses with practiced grace. Dressed in designer from head to toe, she sat down and tapped the table with her slender fingers.

Holly, on the other hand, was gaunt from raising Aaron alone. She hadn't bought any new clothes in three years to save money, and her callused fingers snagged on the only silk nightgown she owned.

When the hearing opened, Shane didn't show up. He sent his lawyer, Caleb Baker, to appear on his behalf.

The plaintiff, Tess, kept her face icy and tossed her sunglasses onto the table. "Why isn't Shane here? I want a divorce!"

Caleb said apologetically, "Mr. Lockwood is in an international meeting and can't step away. He said the Blue Heart diamond from the Ebis Auction, which is worth a billion, has already been delivered to the villa. He'll be home tonight to keep you company."

Tess snorted and shouted up at the bench, "I want the divorce today! I'm done!"

Holly kept her voice professional. "Plaintiff, list your grounds for divorce. The court will consider them."

Arms crossed, Tess complained, "He gives me the silent treatment. He only spent half the year by my side. And sometimes, when I wake up, he's already gone!

"He stands me up, too. I didn't use the black card for an entire month, and he didn't even notice!

"And last month in Calivale, I said my stomach hurt, and he didn't even take the red-eye to make me chicken soup!

"I called while he was in a meeting, and he completely missed that I wanted the Blue Heart diamond. Love that shows up late isn't worth a dime!"

Her supposed grievances sounded more like a brag. The courtroom fell silent.

Holly had never imagined her cold, workaholic husband had that kind of soft side. She'd thought Shane was just a regular office worker in Havenport. She even felt sorry for how hard he worked and used her own savings to pay for Aaron's formula.

She had pinched pennies like a fool while dreaming about their future. How ridiculous she must have looked to him!

Her eyes stung as a tear fell onto the case file, blurring the name "Shane Lockwood".

Caleb insisted on evidence against the divorce, and the hearing stalled.

Just then, Shane called. Caleb exhaled in relief and put the call on speaker.

The familiar voice filled the courtroom through the phone. "Hey, honey. I was wrong, okay? I bought you another island. How about we spend a month there in a couple of days?

"I don't want a divorce. It took me forever to marry you. If you leave me, you might as well kill me!"

At last, Tess broke into a laugh. "Silly, I've got you on speaker. Everyone heard that. No take-backs!"

Hearing Shane spill those sweet words burned like acid through Holly's chest.

The hearing wrapped up in a hurry. Holly had to organize the paperwork for Shane and Tess.

Just then, her phone chimed with a Havenport news alert. "Shane Lockwood and his wife were caught on a sweet date at the Golden Bay Club, silencing the rumors of their divorce."

The photo showed them wrapped in each other's arms.

Holly's eyes dimmed as she flagged down a cab to the Golden Bay Club.

On the ride over, moments with Shane flickered through her mind. They had met at a business gala, where she had helped him solve a tricky case.

She had expected never to cross paths with him again, but Shane pursued her hard, and they fell fast.

Maybe because she had lost her father young and craved a happy family, she said yes the moment he proposed. Shane had knelt before her mother, Hayley Stanwick, and vowed to love Holly for life.

For the first year of marriage, Holly felt cherished. Shane peeled her shrimp at every meal and never forgot her preferences.

On Valentine's Day, he surrounded her with a sea of flowers and placed on her finger a ring he had personally designed. On her birthday, he turned over his assets to her. She even cried when she saw one million dollars in the account.

What moved her most was when he chose to get a vasectomy.

Kissing her, he had said, "Holly, I love you and respect you. We'll have a child when you're ready."

But in the second year, she still became pregnant unexpectedly, and Shane transferred to Havenport. That was when everything began to go downhill.

Laughter drifted from a slightly ajar private room. "Shane, you really have it all. You left your wife and kid behind in Auswinton while dating your childhood sweetheart in Havenport. We single guys are jealous."

Seated at the head table, Shane snorted. "If you're so jealous, I'll let you play dad for a day."

"No way! If your grandpa finds out your son calls me dad, he'll skin me alive! So, when are you going to tell Tess?"

Shane drew on his cigarette. "After our vacation next month. Tess and I go way back. She can't have kids because she saved me back then, so I owe her a child. She'll love Aaron."

"What about the one in Auswinton? She's a lawyer, isn't she? Can you handle her?"

Smoke curled around Shane, hiding his expression. His light, careless laugh answered everything. "So what if she's a lawyer? Her mother's still alive. With the right pressure, Holly will hand over Aaron."

His friend nodded. "True. If you hadn't been trying to spite Tess back then, that woman never would've lucked into it. She should really count her blessings."

Holly's blood went cold. It felt like her chest had been torn open and left bleeding.

So, all that tenderness had been a con. She and Aaron were chips he'd tossed on the table in a petty feud.

She had no idea how she made it out of the Golden Bay Club. As soon as she stepped outside, a call came in from her senior, Wren Jenkins, in Caligold.

"Holly, how's the judgeship treating you? Hard work and low pay, right? Be honest. Come to Caligold. Our firm is about to go public, and I can bring you in as a partner."

She didn't hesitate this time. "Alright. I'll see you in Caligold in ten days."

Chapter 2

Wren practically shouted in my ear, "You really said yes?"

"Yeah," Holly said. "Being a judge isn't exactly thrilling, but the resignation takes ten days. Once it's done, I'll come to Caligold."

Wren had headed to Caligold right after graduation and built his own law firm. He had invited Holly more times than she could remember. Back then, she'd shelved the idea because she'd married Shane.

Wren hesitated, then asked, "Do you need to discuss it with your husband?"

A bitter smile tugged at her lips. "I don't have a husband now."

In fact, she wasn't even legally married. The irony would've been funny if it weren't her life.

Wren went quiet. He caught on right away and dropped the subject.

"Wren, I'll join Jenkins Legal Counsel on two conditions. If you agree, I'll sign a lifetime contract!

"First, erase every record tied to me in Auswinton, and do the same for my mother. Second, help me move my mother and my son to Caligold with me."

"Alright! It's no big deal!" he said without hesitation. "Holly, I can't wait for you to join me!"

When the call ended, Holly leaned against the cold wall and only then realized her face was wet with tears.

Less than a minute later, her phone rang again. It was Shane calling.

It was the same voice she'd heard on the speaker in court, only now, it sounded cold and distant. "Have you arrived in Havenport?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

After she was appointed as a judge, she texted him, planning to surprise him with the news.

"I booked flights for you and Aaron back to Auswinton the day after tomorrow. Take him out for a couple of days. I'm leaving on a month-long business trip tomorrow, so I won't have time for you two."

Holly let out a bitter laugh. She had just arrived, and he was already urging her to leave. Was it because he wanted to vacation on the island with Tess?

"Shane, let's meet," she said.

He clicked his tongue. "I'm busy, Holly. Can you stop being difficult for once?"

The line went dead before she could answer.

She stared at the dark screen until the last spark inside her went out.

If he didn't love her or Aaron, she'd take Aaron and disappear from his world.

Later, Holly headed back to the hotel, every step weighing her down. The moment the door opened, a little boy launched into her arms. "Mom! I missed you so much!"

Her lashes trembled as she blinked back tears and kissed Aaron's cheek. "Aaron, would you want to live overseas with me? It'll just be you, Grandma, and me. Dad won't be there."

Aaron smiled and nodded innocently. To him, Holly and Hayley were his whole world.

"Will you be okay if we don't see Dad anymore?" Holly asked.

Aaron puckered his lips and kissed her. "I'll always be with Mommy."

Holly held Aaron close, and only then did a sense of calm finally settle inside her.

She hadn't told Hayley yet because her blood pressure had been high for years. She planned to break the news after they emigrated.

...

The next day, Holly submitted her resignation to the court's higher office.

Maeve and Stella were stunned when they heard.

"Ms. Stanwick, did you win the lottery? It's so hard to become a judge. Are you really going to quit?"

Holly smiled. "I've thought it through. I want to go back to what I used to do."

"Fair. Lawyers make real money in Havenport. Just don't forget about us once you make it big, okay?"

Holly didn't say she was moving to Caligold to practice law. They probably wouldn't see each other again.

Havenport had already broken her. She wasn't coming back.

Before the workday ended, Holly got a call from an unknown number. The moment she answered, Aaron's crying flooded her ear.

"Hello, is this Aaron's mother? Aaron had something at daycare that seemed to have upset his stomach. He's running a slight fever. Would you like to take him to the hospital?"

Daycare? A fever?

Her brow furrowed, and she rushed to the daycare without even applying for leave.

On the way, she called Hayley over and over, but no one answered. She had no choice but to take the weak and feverish Aaron to the hospital first.

Thankfully, it wasn't serious. The doctor prescribed some medicine, and Aaron felt much better after taking it.

Holly asked, "Did Grandma drop you off at daycare? Where did she go?"

Aaron lowered his eyes and fidgeted with his fingers before finally speaking. "Grandma went to make money. She said you work too hard. She told me to be good at daycare, and she'll buy me ice cream..."

Holly was stunned for a moment.

Hayley must have thought she and Shane were arguing about money and wanted to help.

Half an hour later, Hayley finally returned the call, her voice low and nervous. "Holly, I'm working as a housekeeper now. Did something happen to Aaron?"

Holly felt a pang of guilt and couldn't bring herself to blame her. "He's fine. Are you tired? Where are you? I'll pick you up after work."

Hayley let out a sigh of relief, and her tone brightened. "Shane got me this job. Don't worry. I told him I was recommending a friend, not that it was me. I just wanted to help you two."

Shane got her that job? He could spend a billion dollars on a Blue Heart diamond for Tess, yet pretend to be broke around them. How long did he think he could keep up the act?

Without a second thought, Holly brought Aaron to the address Hayley sent over.

It was one of the well-known hillside villas in Havenport. The surroundings were serene, nestled against the bay and overlooking the city's glittering nightscape. But the price could make anyone's jaw drop.

Holly found the number on the gate and pressed the bell.

Aaron curiously pointed at the plaque and read it aloud. "Tessmont... Manor..."

The name hit Holly like a jolt. The black and gold plaque really did read "Tessmont Manor."

Just then, the lock clicked, and the door swung open.

Holly's throat tightened, as if an invisible hand had closed around it.

The next second, she saw Tess standing in the doorway.

Chapter 3

Tess was just as stunned. "Ms. Stanwick, what are you doing here?"

Hayley hurried out to explain. "Ms. Lindell, this is my daughter. She's here to pick me up from work."

Holly finally found her breath and tightened her grip on Aaron's hand.

"Mom," he called softly, the quiet yelp of pain drawing Tess' attention.

"I didn't expect you to already be married, and even have a son." Tess stepped forward to pat Aaron's head, but he slipped away and hid behind Holly.

"Ms. Lindell, he's shy. Please don't mind him."

Tess narrowed her eyes, smiling as she looked at Aaron. "He's adorable. He looks a little familiar, though."

Holly's breath hitched. She offered a quick goodbye and left with Hayley and Aaron.

On the tram, Holly could barely process what she had just seen.

Shane had gotten Hayley a job as Tess' housekeeper. Tessmont Manor and the sea of Tess of the d'Urbervilles roses in the garden were proof of his love for Tess.

Holly was the other woman. Shane was cruel enough to make his own son illegitimate.

The vows he had whispered in her ear were now a brand of shame stamped into her life.

What had he ever given her? A cheap handmade ring? A marriage lived apart more often than not? Five years of silent treatment?

She had been foolish enough to wonder if it was her fault, if he was under too much financial pressure, or if distance had worn them down.

She had burned through years of savings to raise their child and fought her way into a judgeship in Havenport.

Just when she was ready to start a new life, Shane shattered her hopes.

She was nothing but a prop in his romance with Tess. Even the identity he'd given her had been a lie.

...

Holly buried the hurt and forced a smile as she took Hayley and Aaron out to dinner.

Havenport really was a small city. At the Riverside Bistro, a server wheeled 999 roses past their table.

A bright violin melody played, and the restaurant broke into cheers.

"Let's give a warm round of applause for Mr. Lockwood and Ms. Lindell on their sixth wedding anniversary!"

It was Tess again. She stood in the center like a pampered princess while the man, with his back to them, knelt on one knee.

The platinum wedding ring on his left hand stabbed at Holly's eyes. It matched the diamond ring on Tess' finger perfectly, making the knockoff on Holly's hand look even cheaper.

Her ring had been handmade by Shane. He had engraved "Holly" along the ring, saying it stood for "love her wholly".

She had polished that ring like a treasure. How ridiculous she had been!

Holly moved to take Hayley and Aaron somewhere else to eat, but it was too late. Shane's declaration rang through the restaurant.

"Tess, I'll love you forever. You're never leaving me!"

"Shane! Then, you'd better stay right under my heel," Tess said with a playful smile.

"Fine. I'll belong only to you..."

The Blue Heart diamond flashed as it slid onto her finger. Shane kissed the back of her hand and drew her into his arms.

Hayley stared at the spectacle, then caught the look in Holly's eyes and yanked her toward the restroom.

"Holly, was that Shane just now? He's already married? And his wife is my employer?"

Holly's mind was a mess. She lowered her head and told her everything.

Thankfully, Hayley had taken her blood pressure medicine before coming out, though she still shook with anger. "How dare he? I'm going to demand an explanation!"

"Mom!" Holly stopped her. "He's the heir to the Lockwood family. We can't afford to cross him. I just want to get through these ten days and then leave. Please!"

Hayley saw the tears welling in Holly's eyes and the heartbreak written all over her face. She let out a long, deep sigh.

They composed themselves and returned to the table, only to find Aaron gone.

Holly's heart leaped into her throat. She rushed to the staff. "Excuse me, have you seen a little boy?"

"The very cute one? He left with Ms. Lindell."

Holly blinked in disbelief. "What?"

Before that, Tess had run into a lost Aaron in the hallway and asked why he was alone.

Aaron scrunched up his face, on the verge of tears. "I can't find my mom. Can you help me find her?"

Tess took his hand. "Of course. Come to the private room with me, and we'll call her, alright?"

Aaron nodded hard and followed her.

Tess pushed open the door and said excitedly, "Shane, look what I found. This little boy looks exactly like you did when you were a kid."

When Shane saw Aaron's face, his eyes widened in shock. His friends, who knew the truth, fell silent.

Aaron broke the silence by toddling over to Shane and calling out in a bright voice, "Dad!"

Chapter 4

When Holly found the private room, it looked like a storm had hit it. Only Shane sat at the head of the table, waiting for her. He stubbed out the cigarette and walked toward her.

"Shane, where's Aaron? What did you..."

Before she could finish, Shane clamped a hand around her throat and slammed her against the wall.

He clenched his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. "Holly, did you set me up? When did you figure out who I am? What do you want?"

He felt like a stranger she had just met. Cold crept from her scalp to her toes.

"Shane, I should be asking you that! Why did you come after me? Why did you lie to me?"

She hated him. He had ruined her and Aaron. He was such a jerk!

To trick her, he had even had someone forge a marriage certificate. It was fraud. He had pretended to be poor, then betrayed her while they were "married".

But she had no power to stand toe-to-toe with him, and she didn't even dare question him.

Shane let out a short, cold laugh and released her. "I'll pay you. Aaron stays with me. Just name your price."

There was no apology or explanation. Only a flicker of pity in his eyes.

Holly lifted her chin. "No! You never wanted me to keep Aaron in the first place! I won't hand him over!"

In their second year of marriage, Shane hadn't seemed happy when Holly got pregnant. He smoked through the night in the living room.

At dawn, he told her to terminate the pregnancy, coaxing and pressuring her. But she refused.

"Aaron is a Lockwood. Can you afford to give him the life and education he deserves?"

Holly knew she couldn't win a direct fight, so she softened her voice and pleaded, "Shane, even if you plan to take Aaron, give him time to adjust. He had food poisoning today and still has a fever. Can we sit down tomorrow and talk this through?"

It worked. His eyes softened. He gave in and told the driver to take them to see Aaron.

As she was leaving, he stopped her. "What Tess and I have isn't something you can break, if that's what you're thinking."

Holly paused but didn't look back.

On the way, she hired someone to dig into Shane and Tess' past.

At his coming-of-age party, Shane was kidnapped. Tess risked her life to save him.

Cornered and desperate, the kidnappers opened fire. Tess stepped in front of him, and because of that, she was torn apart by 99 pellets, destroying any chance she had of becoming a mother.

It was devotion—no doubt about it.

Holly stopped clinging to hopes that wouldn't come true. She decided to ask Wren to move quickly and take Hayley and Aaron away from this city.

Shane had settled Aaron in a spacious apartment. Holly was surprised to see clear signs that Shane had been staying there, yet there wasn't a single trace of another woman.

She wore a frown she couldn't hide. Aaron, by contrast, was delighted.

That night, Aaron peeked out from under the covers. "Mom, does this mean we can live with Dad from now on?"

Her throat tightened. "If not, will you be sad?"

Aaron nodded, then quickly shook his head and hugged her tight. "I'm happy as long as I'm with you. But I'll be even happier if Dad is there."

Holly kissed his forehead, the ache in her heart growing sharper.

"Sorry, Aaron. I'm going to let you down," she thought.

...

The next morning, Holly didn't see Hayley and assumed she had gone out for groceries. She didn't think much of it.

Hayley, who couldn't swallow the humiliation, had gone to resign. She was going to tell Tess everything and demand justice for Holly.

At Tessmont Manor, Hayley was still rehearsing what to say when she stopped outside the study.

The door was shut. Soft sobs drifted out, mixed with the rhythm of skin meeting skin.

"You jerk! How could you have a child with her?"

"Tess, it was an accident. I was drunk when I touched her. I even got a vasectomy for you. I never thought she'd get pregnant."

Shane's voice came in broken gasps, thick with restrained desire.

Hayley's eyes went wide. She pressed a hand to her chest and stumbled back, but the voices kept ringing out.

"I won't forgive you! Let's get divorced!"

"You little devil, I knelt all night. Have mercy on me. You like Aaron, too, don't you? I'll bring him back. Don't worry. I'll take care of Holly and make sure she never shows up in front of you again."

The sobs were swallowed by kissing, replaced by breathy sounds that flushed Hayley's face.

"Does it feel good, Tess? I'm dying on you. That night, I only touched Holly because I thought she was you.

"From now on, Aaron will be ours. You lost the chance to be a mother to save me. I'll make it up to you with a child, alright?"

"It's not enough," Tess said as she panted.

Shane chuckled hoarsely. "Where isn't enough? Here? Or here?"

"You're awful!"

"Alright, I'll give you another ten percent of Lockwood Corp. I'll give you all of me, too."

Staring blankly, Hayley fumbled for her phone. She had to tell Holly what they were plotting.

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe, and her vision blurred.

The phone hit a step with a dull thud and clattered down the stairs. She stumbled after it, but her foot slipped, and she tumbled all the way to the bottom.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Aaron's sweet voice singing a nursery tune. "I love to hug my grandma. She loves to hug me, too..."

But she couldn't hear it anymore.

Chapter 5

From the moment Holly woke up, a heaviness pressed in her chest, the kind that told her something bad was about to happen.

She had to leave Havenport with Aaron and Hayley before things spiraled further out of control.

Right then, her phone rang sharply, slicing through the uneasy quiet. She picked up the phone, every nerve on edge. "Hello, Wren."

"Holly, I've erased all your and your mother's records, but there's an issue. Aaron's information isn't registered under your name, so I can't process it."

Her stomach dropped. After giving birth, Shane had been the one to handle Aaron's birth registration. A thought struck her like ice.

"I need Aaron's birth registration to cancel it. Holly, is he registered under your ex-husband's name?" Wren asked.

Holly's heart sank. If Aaron really was registered under Shane's name, things were going to get complicated.

"So, you need Aaron's birth certificate to cancel it?" she asked, trying to steady her voice.

"Exactly. But hurry. I've already expedited the immigration paperwork. If the old identities aren't deleted in time, it'll get messy."

"Got it."

She hung up and paced the living room, her mind racing.

Just then, her eyes landed on the locked study door. Without hesitating, she called a locksmith. Claiming her child had lost the key, she easily convinced him to open it.

The study was decorated in the same sterile gray tones as the rest of the house. Beneath the massive rosewood desk sat a matte black titanium safe.

Holly took a deep breath, knelt, and stared at the combination lock.

She had a phenomenal memory—she'd passed every section of the bar exam in one sitting. The date of Tess' birthday, which she had seen on the divorce file during the trial, flashed in her mind.

9-6-0-5-1-3.

The next second, the safe swung open.

She skipped over company documents and went straight for the personal files, where she found a marriage certificate and a birth certificate.

The marriage certificate came with a photo of Shane and Tess, both smiling blissfully.

It was nothing like the one she had—Shane's face had been stiff in their wedding photo. He said he hated taking photos.

In fact, he hadn't hated taking photos at all. He had only hated being in one with her.

Holly opened the birth certificate and saw Aaron's name printed clearly on it.

Shane was so heartless. He had registered Aaron under his and Tess' names.

Holly's chest ached so sharply she almost couldn't breathe.

There was no time to think. She quickly snapped a photo and sent it to Wren, then carefully returned every document to its original place.

Minutes later, her phone rang again. Thinking it was Wren, she said when she picked up, "Wren, do you need anything else..."

"Ms. Stanwick," a doctor said, his voice urgent. "Your mother's been in an accident. It's serious. You need to come to the hospital right away!"

"What? What happened?"

"She fell down a slope and has internal bleeding, along with complications from hypertension."

A slope?

Holly didn't have time to think. She grabbed Aaron and rushed out the door.

When Holly saw Hayley lying in the hospital bed, the room seemed to spin around her. She burst into uncontrollable sobs.

She covered Aaron's eyes. He asked innocently, "Did Grandma forget to take her medicine again?"

The doctor stepped out of the operating room with a heavy sigh. "We did our best."

Holly's knees buckled. She collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her face.

Her father had died when she was a child, and her mother had singlehandedly raised her through years of hardship. Before she could finally live for herself, she was gone—dead in a foreign city.

If only Holly hadn't chased Shane to Havenport, none of this would have happened. Hayley would still be alive.

Holly hit her chest with her fists, her heart already shattered beyond repair.

Aaron gently wiped away her tears with his small hands, then wrapped his little arms around her neck. "Don't cry, Mom. Grandma will get better soon!"

The poor child didn't understand that Hayley would never wake up again.

...

When Holly sorted through Hayley's belongings, she realized the phone was missing.

Doubt crept in. Hayley never liked climbing hills. How had she fallen from a slope?

The neighborhood was flat. The only slope nearby was the hill leading to Tessmont Manor.

The chill drained every drop of warmth from her body. Without hesitating, she called the police. "Hello? I want to report a crime!"

...

The police quickly took over the case.

The coroner began the autopsy and soon gave a preliminary report. The injuries didn't match a fall from a slope but looked like those from a staircase. Surveillance footage confirmed Hayley had been heading toward the hillside villa.

Holly knew the answer already, but she needed proof.

Just as the investigation began to close in, it was abruptly shut down. The police ruled it an accident and brushed her off, saying there was no further evidence.

A kind female officer pulled her aside and whispered, "Ms. Stanwick, you've offended someone you shouldn't have. Let it go. Let your mother rest. Don't bring more trouble on yourself."

Holly understood what she meant. In Havenport, the only man with enough power to silence the police was Shane.

Wiping her tears, Holly took a cab straight to the villa. She needed the truth. Otherwise, she'd never forgive herself.

She screamed Tess' name outside Tessmont Manor until her voice broke, but Tess never came out. Instead, two bodyguards shoved her to the ground.

Just then, her phone rang. She answered it, only to hear Shane's furious voice on the other end. "Holly, what are you doing? Your mother's death has nothing to do with Tess!"

Holly had nothing to fear. "Shane, I regret ever meeting you! Have you forgotten what you said when you knelt in front of my mother? You swore you'd love me and cherish me for life!

"Look at you now! My mother is dead, and you didn't show up! Now, you're even trying to hide the truth!"

His tone hardened. "My patience is running out. Keep this up, and you'll never see Aaron again!"

Her last sliver of strength left her, and she fell to her knees.

"Mom, I'm sorry," she muttered to herself.

Aaron was all she had left to live for. Without him, she had nothing.

As she stumbled down the hill, a middle-aged woman in a housekeeper's uniform stopped her.

"I only worked with your mother for a day, but she was very kind." She pressed something into Holly's hand. "Take care of yourself. This is all I can do."

With that, she hurried off.

Holly slowly opened her hand. It was Hayley's phone.