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I shift my stance and lean against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest as I regard her. She wants to leave?

“Maybe we could come up with a payment plan?” she offers hesitantly.

I shake my head.

Defeat crosses her features, hope dimming from her eyes.

“Oh.” Her shoulders slump. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“I won’t be taking your money,” I inform her.

Her eyes immediately lift.

“I will create a new identity for you, but it does take some time to process everything. It’s not a simple task.”

She bites down on her bottom lip, her brows furrowing. “How much time?”

I push off the wall and walk toward her, stopping beside the bed. “Four to six weeks. Give or take.”

Her eyes widen. “But I don’t have that kind of time. I need to leave New York as soon as possible.”

Leave New York? Yeah… That’s not happening.

“You’ll stay here during that time,” I say calmly. “At my home. Garrett isn’t welcome on the estate, so he’ll never find you here.”

She shakes her head, looking down at her hands. “I can’t do that. I wouldn’t want to be in the way of your wife.”

I blink a few times. “My wife?”

She glances up. “Francesca said she was late starting the roast for Mrs. Alarie.”

“Ah.” A faint smile tugs at my lips. “That would be my mother.”

“Oh.” I could be wrong, but it seems a flicker of relief crosses her features. “I just assumed…” Her cheeks tint a soft shade of pink. “Sorry.” She shifts and the bottle of water rolls to the side, falling over the edge.

I catch it and hold it out to her. “You should drink this.”

She eyes it cautiously, hesitant to take it from me. I don’t miss the panic in her eyes as she examines the liquid, and it kills me that I know why she’s so cautious to accept it.

Calmly, I remove the cap and take a sip, swallowing every drop. Only then does she take the bottle from me, gulping it down as if she hasn’t seen water in days.

Fuck, that bastard really did a number on her.

I rub my jaw. “You’ll stay in my guest room. I assume you didn’t bring anything with you?”

“Just my backpack, which…” She looks around the room. “I must have left it in your daughter’s room.”

I retrieve my phone from my pocket and type a message for Tommaso. “I’ll have essentials sent over tonight so you’re more comfortable.”

“Oh, you don’t—”

I glance up from the screen and arch a brow.

She stops herself and instead says, “Thank you.”

After sending the message, I slip my phone back into my pocket. “My brother will need to be informed tonight of what’s going on. If you’re up for it, you should come with me. He won’t believe me unless he sees you himself in person.”

Her fingers tremble around the bottle. “W-which brother?”