But she’d been wrong.
Could a man like him really take good care of Lynn?
She couldn’t imagine that he’d changed. People like him didn’t change. He was the same ruthless, cold tyrant. How many other victims had there been besides her? How many lives had he managed to ruin?
And the question that had haunted her for days: how the hell had he ever found out she’d given birth to his daughter?
She surfaced from her thoughts only when she heard a sound nearby.
That was her phone.
Nina opened her eyes sharply. The water rippled against the sides of the tub, droplets sliding down her shoulders. She reached for the phone on the small table.
A message from Leonard.
It had taken him long enough—nearly three weeks to dig up anything on Jasper Garth.
Her hands trembled as she tapped the attached file. Loading. The screen went dark for a second, then lit up again—and Nina froze.
A cardiothoracic surgeon?!
Her heart flipped violently. She skimmed the first lines of the report, and she couldn’t believe what she was reading.
Jasper Garth—brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, one of the country’s leading transplant specialists.
Awards. National recognition. Prestigious distinctions.
She had never known his family owned an entire chain of private medical clinics.
How was that even possible?
Her mind refused to link that man to what was written in the file.
He was a doctor. He saved lives. It had to be some kind of mistake.
She scrolled down.
Charity foundations. Free heart surgeries for children. Financial support for major medical programs.
It hit her like a wave. This couldn’t be real.
And then came the most disturbing part. She read the next page, and her mouth went dry.
Jasper Garth had ties to organized crime.
There was no direct proof: one of his clinics repeatedly appeared in court delay schemes. People scheduled for trial were conveniently“hospitalized.” Their diagnoses suspiciously lined up with court dates. False medical conclusions. Fake certificates for supposedly life-threatening illnesses. Sentences postponed. Investigations stalled.
Con artists. Corrupt officials. People tied to major financial crimes. All of them passed through his clinic.
Nina ran her tongue over her dry lips.
This… was interesting.
A chill crept through her. Now it was clear why he’d always been allowed more than anyone else was.
She leaned back, closed her eyes, took a slow breath. She needed to process all of this—but less than a minute passed before her phone exploded with another incoming call.
Damn it.
