Willow went to the restroom to tidy up. This time, Julian didn’t disturb her. When she came back, she said, “I want to see the guarantee letter.”

    Julian’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment, he said, b“/bI’ve set a dinner appointment with the bank manager of Yarrowmere’s Harkive Bank. We’ll sign the letter tonight.”

    Willow smiled faintly. “Nothing escapes your control, does it?”

    Julian also smiled, but it was bitter. He walked her down to her car. As the door shut before him, he continued staring at her through the window. His gaze was filled with his deep longing for her.

    That night, Joe Paxton, Harkive Bank’s manager, flew to Brindley Julian brought him to Moonlit, where they downed several bottles of hard liquor before the guarantee letter was signed. The bank would release the funds to Aurelia Group the following day.

    Water flowed from a golden faucet in the opulent restroom. Julian leaned against the wall with his head thrown back. His face was red–it was clear he’d had too much to drink.

    Esther carefully supported him and said, “Your body isn’t as strong as it used to be. You’re killing yourself by drinking so much.”

    He pulled out a box of cigarettes and opened it. Taking one out, he put it between his lips, lighting it. His gaze darkened as he took a drag. “Mr. Paxton wanted to drag things out for a few days, but I don’t have time for that.

    “Willow will be leaving for Faeria in a matter of days, so this is myst chance to spend time with her. I’ve only ever held Gabrie once, and that was a month ago. Who knows what she looks like now?”

    Esther felt sorry for him. Julian looked up at the smoke he blew out and said, “Send the signed letter to Willow and tell her the

    funds will be released tomorrow.”

    She nodded. “Don’t worry, sir. I’ll take care of everything.”

    1

    Later that night, Willow received an electronic copy of the signed letter. She looked it over several times before putting her phone down.

    Heather was nearby. When she saw the look on Willow’s face, she asked, “What were you looking at? Why do you look so preupied?”

    Willow smiled. “It’s nothing.”

    She walked over to Heather and gently rocked the cot. After a long moment of considerationb, /bshe said, “Julian wants to see Gabrie, Mom. I’m thinking of bringing her over to his ce for a few days before leaving for Faeria. Let’s meet at the airport then and board the ne together.”

    Heather was stunned when she heard that. She looked at Willow for a long time before determining that thetter wasn’t joking.

    She didn’t say whether she agreed or disagreed. All she did was ask “Are you thinking of getting back together with him?”

    Willow shook her head. “He just wants to bsee /bGabrie.”

    Heather found this fishy, but it also made sense. She thought Willow was just taking pity on Julian. She wanted to discuss this with Timothy, but he’d taken an afternoon flight to Yarrowmere and would only be back the following morning.

    She asked, “He didn’t threaten you, did he?”

    Willow smiled. “That’s ba /bstretch, even for him.“.

    That cleared Heather’s doubts. Still, she was worried, so she arranged for two nurses to follow Willow and Gabrie over. She wanted to drop Willow off, but thetter said it was fine for the driver to take her there.

    Early the following morning, when the nts were still damp with dew, two ck cars slowly drove into Radiance Manor.

    Once they stopped, Julian opened the back door of one of the cars. Willow got out bof /bthe car with Gabrie in her arms. Gabrie was almost a month old, and she was so tiny that her head was the only thing that was vaguely visible from the swaddle.

    Julian’s gaze was dark as he looked at Willow. Then, he gently parted the swaddle, wanting to look at Gabrie.