**Audrey's POV**

Blake jerked back with a grunt. He let go of me instantly, stepping back as I collapsed to the floor, gasping for air.

"I'm sorry," he said, staring at my neck.

Emma dropped the scissors and ran to me. "Mommy!" Her little hand touched my cheek. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, still trying to breathe normally.

"I called Daddy already," she whispered. "He said if it gets really bad,I should call the police."

I squeezed her hand as my breathing steadied. Blake stood frozen,pressing his hand against his knee, blood seeping through his fingers.

When I could finally speak again, I looked at his wound. It wasn't just a scratch - the scissors had gone deep enough to create a steady flow of blood.

Emma bit her lip. "Shoud we call the police?"

*Though Blake hurt me, he didn't do any real damage,* I thought. *But Emma's scissors definitely left an actual wound.*

"Ifwe call the police, Blake could easily counter-sue for assault. I can't let Emma face consequences for protecting me.*

"No police," I decided.

Snow chose that moment to wander out from the bedroom. She sniffed at Blake's injured leg before rubbing against his other leg, as if concerned.

She looked up at me and meowed once, clearly asking for help.

*Snow seems to actually care about him now. The wound looks pretty bad.*

I took a deep breath and stood up.

"Emma," I said,"gofind a pair of your daddy's pants."

Her face scrunched up. "Why should this mean man get Daddy's pants?He hurt you!"

"You ruined his pants," I explained.′′Weshould replace them." When she still looked unconvinced, I added, "Think about it - if he walks out of here with torn, bloody pants and tells people Emma Knox did it, how's that going to look?"

Her eyes widened. "Okay! I'll get some right now!" She dashed off toward the guest bedroom while I headed to the master to get the first aid kit.

**Blake's POV*

I lowered myself onto the sofa, pressing my handkerchief against the wound and watching Emma disappear into the guest bedroom - not the master where her mother went.

*Wait. Emma took Snow to the master bedroom earlier, but now she's getting Adrian's pants from the guest room."

I applied more pressure to my knee, ignoring the pain as my mind worked through what this meant.

*No married counle puts their kidl in the

smaller guest room. This means Evelyn and Emma share the master,while Adrian sleeps alone in the guest room.*

*If they're truly the loving couple Adrian claims they are, why sleep separately?*

Evelyn returned with a first aid kit, her movements cautious as she approached.

"Mr. Parker," she said evenly, "I hope you won't hold this against my daughter. She's only four."

I looked directly at her. "I can let it go," I said, "but on one condition -you treat my wound."

Something flickered across her face before she nodded. "That's reasonable.My daughter hurt you, so I should help." She opened the kit, then frowned. "We're out of bandages. Can you stop the bleeding for now until someone brings supplies?"

I eyed her suspiciously but agreed. "Fine, but hurry."

"Thank you," she said, clear relief in her voice.

**Audrey's POV**

I walked out of the master bedroom just as Emma came from the guest room holding a pair of black dress pants.

"Mommy,this one!"

I raised an eyebrow, immediately realizing these were probably the cheapest pants in Adrian's luggage. The corners of my mouth twitched.

*This kid must have sent nhoros toMrsPoE′

the least. How else would a four-year-old know? She's already showing Adrian's calculating side.*

I handed the pants to Blake. "You can change after we treat your wound.I'Il replace the damaged ones too."

He barely glanced at them before setting them aside.

"I'm still taking Snow with me," he said coldly, looking at my cat, who was now grooming herself nearby.

After everything, he still wanted to take Snow?

"Isn't Snow just a testing tool to you?" I asked, my voice sharp.

"Yes," Blake replied without hesitation, staring at me. "The test is done, so I'm taking my tool back."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. *Snow, who I once valued more than my own life, is just a tool to him? Is this what his "remorse" for his ex-wife looks like?*

Before I could respond, the door burst open. Adrian rushed in carrying pet supplies - a cat bed, litter box, and bags of food. He dropped everything when he saw Blake.

"Evelyn!" he called out, hurrying to place himself between us. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

I instinctively looked at Blake, who was covering his wound himself,remembering his suspicions, then softened my voice."I'm fine. Don't worry.1

Adrian's shoulders relaxed. "Good." He turned to Blake, his expression

hardening.′′Ifyou had any manners, you would've left when you knew I wasn't home instead of barging in to manhandle my wife."

Blake's mouth twisted into a cold smile. "Your wife?"

His eyes gleamed with mockery. "Who exactly is Audrey Sinclair to you?You barely know her and she's suddenly your wife?"

"I've known her - " Adrian stopped abruptly, catching himself. He switched gears fast. "How many times do I have to say it? This is Evelyn Knox,my wife. Not Audrey Sinclair."

"We met in college. We have a four-year-old daughter. And you're questioning how long we've been together?"

Blake stared at Adrian for a long moment before looking past him directly at me. "Doesn't it wear you down, Audrey? Playing this man's wife?Pretending to be a mother to a child that isn't yours?"

He stood up, wincing as he put weight on his injured knee, and took a step toward me. "Audrey."

The intensity in his eyes made my stomach clench. "I screwed up."

"I shouldn't have trusted Rachel's word alone to find you. I shouldn't have believed Laurel was you without checking thoroughly."

"I never should have hurt you over and over because I thought she saved my life."

His voice dropped lower."Iwas wrong,Please stop pretending."

"Stop acting like you're married to him, stop pretending Emma is your daughter..."

"You-"

"Mr. Parker," Adrian cut in, stepping firmly between us. "That's quite a speech.Very touching."

"Maybe save it for her graveside."

Blake went still. I could see tension ripple through his shoulders.

"Get out of my way," he growled.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Adrian didn't budge an inch.

"You know what they say about too little, too late?" Adrian crossed his arms."When Audrey was alive, you couldn't be bothered to look at her.Not once did you stand up for her."

"She's been dead for months, and now you're pouring your heart out to my wife because she looks like your ex? Get a grip."

Adrian reached back without warning and pulled me against him. The sudden contact with his body startled me, and I instinctively pushed against his chest.

He tightened his grip and whispered harshly in my ear, "Play along.He's already suspicious."

I froze,glancing at Blake's face, then stopped resisting. I still managed to keep a small gap between Adrian's body and mine.