Derek grabbed her wrist hard, his voice strained. "Cecilia, I knew you were alive!"
He held on too tight. Vivian winced in pain but didn't make a sound.
Jayden, who knew his way around people, sensed something was off. He stepped in and tried to pull them apart. "Uncle Derek? I think you've got the wrong person."
Derek let go, his shoulders slumping. His eyes studied her more carefully now.
She did look exactly like Cecilia. But there was something different about her. The way she carried herself.
He caught himself staring and looked away. But his eyes were still red, and he couldn't help glancing at her hand, fingers laced with Jayden's. "Your name is Vivian? What do you even see in my nephew?"
Her expression stayed calm.
"Jayden is genuine and free-spirited. I love everything abou
