She was wearing pajama pants and a warm sweater, but even in simple clothes she looked strikingly elegant.
She looked terrifyingly like Nina.
A wave of terror swept over Nina as Lynn looked straight at her. Nina couldn’t move.
Everything inside her twisted into a tight, icy knot. Her chest seized so hard it became difficult to breathe. They just stared at each other, and Nina couldn’t force out a single sound.
And then, with a growl, a massive German shepherd burst out of the garage and tore down the street.
“Russell!” Lynn cried out in alarm.
She immediately turned her attention to the dog.
“Dad! Russell got out! Call him, he won’t listen to me!”
Dad.
That word snapped shut in Nina’s mind like a trap. Lynn was calling someone her father.
A moment later, he appeared. A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped out of the yard. He seemed to fill the entire space around her; even the air grew heavier.
Nina saw his face — and her world collapsed.
Something inside her snapped, froze. The ground dropped out from under her. She wasn’t ready for this. Not even in her worst nightmare could she have imagined it would be him.
Jasper Garth.
The man who had destroyed her life. The man she loathed with every fiber of her being. The man who was Lynn’s biological father.
Even after all these years, despite the age, the changes, the faint streaks of gray, she recognized him instantly. You never forget people like that. Not after they rip your life to pieces.
She couldn’t move.
How…
How had it happened that her daughter ended up with him?
CHAPTER 10
Blood thundered in Nina’s temples. Heat washed over her—only to collapse into an icy chill a second later.
This couldn’t be real.
She clutched the kitten tighter. Its tiny body trembled in her hands, but Nina felt like she was coming apart.
She had to leave. Now. Before he saw her. Before their eyes met. Before the reality of it all hit her even harder.
Lynn and Jasper were busy with the dog. While both of them were distracted, Nina forced herself to take a step back. Then another one.
She rushed to the car, nearly tripping on the curb, yanked the door open, and slammed it shut. Her hands locked around the steering wheel, her fingers whitening from the tension.
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Even trying to steady her breathing felt impossible.
Nina leaned forward, stared through the windshield—and saw him.
Jasper had hardly changed at all. Tall. Powerful. A chilling icon of reckless self-assurance. Dark-haired, with his hair slightly overgrown, as if he hadn’t had a cut in a month. A fresh scar slashed across his face, the wound not fully healed yet. A black T-shirt stretched across his shoulders, and he’d stepped outside without a jacket despite the cold. Black cargo pants. Heavy boots.
He looked exactly the same as he had back then. Like that night. Like the moment he destroyed her life.
