“You weren’t going to ruin your life for her,” my mother said.
I immediately called my old law office. Minutes later, they found an envelope with my name on it—and what was inside changed everything.
PART 1
Alex Vance dropped his smartphone onto the hardwood floor when the television camera pulled back, revealing four young children sitting on a vibrant rug beside his ex-wife.
He had arrived home early from a client meeting at his downtown Boston penthouse. On the screen, Elena Rivas was appearing on a national morning show, discussing Little Nests, the childcare and early-education franchise she had built entirely on her own.
It had been almost six years since Alex had seen her. Her dark hair was shorter now, her voice more confident, and she carried a quiet, grounded strength he didn’t remember.
Then the camera moved toward the children.
Two little girls and two little boys. One of the boys lifted his chin, and Alex froze—the deep dimple on his right cheek was exactly like his own. One of the girls turned toward her mother, and Alex recognized the precise hazel shape of the eyes he saw every morning in the bathroom mirror.
