Chapter 5

Victoria hesitated, trailing off mid-sentence.

I knew exactly what she meant. Even if he found out I was still alive, Michael and I would just be an embarrassment to him. He'd never claim us as his own.

I felt the same way, which was why I didn't pack up and leave right away when I heard the Greer family was coming to town for development.

That night, I barely slept. In my dreams, Rodney's face loomed over me, dark and menacing. He grabbed my neck, his grip like iron. "Scarlett, you've got some nerve, faking your own death to get…