As the clinical, sliding doors of the recovery ward hissed shut, leaving Serena Ashford alone in the dim light of the hallway with the man she no longer recognized, a dark, jagged thought took root in her mind.
What if I just say yes to Peter Yates?
The thought was a poison, cold and corrosive, but in her current state of desperation, it felt like the only logical conclusion. If Derek Faulkner was going to block the medical path to her daughter’s survival, then she would have to find a way to circumvent him entirely. To keep Lemon Faulkner alive, she was prepared to sacrifice everything—her dignity, her future, and her very body.
She looked at Derek, her eyes tracking the lines of his face. He looked like the man she had loved, the man she had waited eight agonizing years for, but his w
