Audrey Sullivan's fingers trembled slightly as she traced the rim of her teacup.

"I'm not just a woman. I'm a mother." Her voice wavered. "There were reasons I couldn't divorce all these years."

Shane Prescott's gaze dropped to her whitened knuckles.

"Ethan and Natalie both want you to be happy."

"I'm used to this." Audrey turned toward the window. "Show me your room."

The wooden door opened to reveal surprising neatness.

Polished concrete floors reflected light. The bedding was folded into precise squares. Archaeology textbooks lined the shelves in perfect rows.

Trophies glimmered in the sunlight by the corner.

Audrey's eyes grew moist.

Her shaking hands lifted an unfinished wooden carving from the bedside table. "Is this Luna?"

"Yeah." Shane's ears turned pink.

Dozens of carved figures lay in the drawer. Audrey's fingertips brushed one depicting a gentle-faced woman.

"And this?"

"My imagined mother." His voice tightened. "I carved one whenever I missed her as a child."

Tears spilled over. Audrey pulled him into a sudden embrace. "My boy..."

Shane stood rigid, arms hovering awkwardly.

"This is Victor's doing!" She choked out. "The police investigated for three months back then, but—"

Knock. Knock.

Luna Valentine froze in the doorway at the sight of Audrey wrapped around Shane's waist.

She turned on her heel.

Shane chased her to the courtyard, blocking her speeding car.

The window rolled down to reveal Luna's stony expression.

"That was Aunt Audrey." His Adam's apple bobbed. "She...thought I was her missing child."

Audrey waved from beneath the pomegranate tree. "Luna, it's me."

Once the misunderstanding cleared, Luna followed Shane back inside.

"You carved me again?" She ran fingers over the wooden figure.

Shane's ears burned crimson. "Yeah."

"Missed me last night?"

"...Yeah." His voice dropped to a whisper.

Luna leaned closer. "What did you miss?"

His lashes fluttered violently. He'd dreamed of pinning her against the bookshelf, taking her from behind—

"Secretly passionate." Luna smirked.

Outside, darkness deepened. Shane's throat went dry. "Stay...the night?"

"No." She teased deliberately.

His disappointed reach for her hand became a sudden yank. Warm curves pressed against him, stealing his breath.

Their lips met as the lightbulb shattered with a pop.

At the village entrance, Sophia Laurent nestled against Ethan Sullivan. "You sent Luna here on purpose?"

"My assistant called her." He defended quickly. "I didn't speak to her at all."

Sophia nipped his earlobe with a laugh. "Sweeter than honey..."

Ethan's eyes darkened instantly. His hand slid beneath her shirt. "Keep tempting me and I'll take you right here."

Headlights suddenly split the night.

Victor Sullivan arrived with a motorcade. After meticulously washing his hands five times, he offered Audrey a pomegranate. "Audrey darling—"

"Filthy." Her glare could cut glass.

"I shower daily!"

"Rotten to the core." Her words were knives.

Victor stood frozen, a chastened child.