The same dark eyes. The same shy curve to his smile, hiding behind all that success.

“Mom,” he said, his voice breaking.

He didn’t care about the neighbors, or about his shoes, or about the rain. He ran across the street and pulled me into a hug so tight I could barely breathe. I clung to his jacket, smelling a cologne I didn’t recognize and the faint, familiar scent of the boy I had once tucked into bed.

“You’re soaked,” he murmured. “How long have you been out here?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, my voice shaking. “You came. You really came.”

“Of course I came,” he answered, pulling back to look at me. “You’re my mother. I will always come when you need me. That’s not negotiable.”

He took off his cashmere coat and wrapped it around my shoulders, the fabric soft and warm, a sharp contrast to the cold rain and colder rejection I’d just endured.

As if on cue, the front door of Seraphina’s house opened. My daughter stepped out, now in a different dress, her hair neatly fixed, makeup retouched. Alistair followed, his expression tight.

“Excuse me,” Seraphina called out, forcing a smile as she approached. “Is there a problem with the noise? The neighbors are complaining about the helicopter.”

Rian turned to face her slowly. He just looked at her, long and steady.

“Seraphina,” I said, suddenly nervous. “This is Rian. Do you remember him?”

The forced smile slid off her face like makeup in the rain. Her gaze flickered from Rian to the helicopter and back.

“Rian,” she whispered. “Rian Thorne.”

“Hello, sister,” he said, his voice flat. There was no affection in that word.

Alistair hurried down the steps, extending his hand with that practiced, oily grin.

“What a surprise,” he said. “I’m Alistair Vance, Seraphina’s husband. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Rian let his eyes drift to Alistair’s outstretched hand, then back to his face.

“I doubt that,” he said calmly, making no move to shake.

“You can’t stay here,” Seraphina began, trying to regain control. “This is a very exclusive neighborhood and—”

“I know,” Rian said, cutting her off. “I know this neighborhood very well. They’re my clients.”

Alistair blinked. “Your clients?”

“Thorne Global Holdings,” Rian said simply. “I own the bank that finances most of the mortgages in this neighborhood. Including yours.”

I watched the blood drain from Alistair’s face.

“A multi-billionaire,” Rian stated, turning to me, his entire expression softening again. “But that’s not the important part. The important part is that my mother needed help. So I came.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

“By the way,” he said, looking at Alistair and Seraphina, “you’re going to receive a letter from my bank tomorrow morning. A review of your mortgage terms. You’ll have plenty of time to deal with it. Let’s say… seventy-two hours.”

“Seventy-two hours for what?” Seraphina asked, panic rising.

“To decide whether you want to keep this house,” Rian said. “Or hand it over to me before I find out what else you’ve been hiding.”

“Let’s go, Mom,” Rian said, shielding me from the rain.

As we walked toward the helicopter, I heard Seraphina’s voice break behind us.

“Rian! Wait! We can talk about this!”

He didn’t turn around. He kept me under his arm, guiding me into the warmth of the helicopter. The moment the door closed, I knew everything had quietly, completely turned around. The life I lost was just the beginning of the life I was chosen for.