He'd even considered giving Susanna a proper dressing down.

But..... faced with her like this, he found himself helpless.

"Tell your mother she needs to get back to Litamark as soon as she can."

Susanna just sighed. "Even if she comes back, it's not like she's going to take you back. You might want to brace yourself for that.”

Derek had already started to walk away but froze for a split second at her words. Then, without looking back, he kept going.

He was gone.

Barnaby and Silas followed him out, leaving Susanna alone with Hull.

Stepping out of his embrace, Susanna pressed a hand to her chest. "Oh my god, he really lost it back there."

To her, Derek's rant had been nothing but nonsense—a man unhinged. The way she saw it, the paternity tests with Adelle's kids must have finally pushed him over the edge.

Hull ruffled her hair affectionately. "He's not exactly holding it together. You love someone, keep them by your side for years... then suddenly learn none of the children are yours? Any man would lose it."

"And just so you know—Ivanna and Leanne's results came back too. Neither of them are his," he added quietly.

“Are you kidding me?" Susanna blurted out. No wonder Derek nearly dragged her off to Blacktower the second he thought even one child was his.

She frowned. "Wait a sec-about Dan. Was the doctor who did the test his dad? Or is it that my dad is actually his dad?"

Hull stared at her in disbelief.

Dan was a sore spot. Since none of Adelle's kids were Derek's, Susanna had always suspected Derek might be infertile. But the results from the Blacktower test showed Dan was his. Susanna didn't buy it at the time-she'd even joked that the doctor must've been the real father because who else could rig a paternity test with a room full of witnesses?

"If his dad and my dad are the same person, then my mom really had terrible taste in men," Susanna concluded, only half joking.

Hull could only shake his head, barely suppressing a laugh at how quick her mind worked.

"Anyway, whatever. I'm not thinking about it anymore," Susanna said with a sigh. "We'll deal with it once my mom gets here."

Hull hesitated, then asked, "Is it true your mother married Elliot?"

That was the e last thing Susanna wanted to think about. The mere mention of it made her want to

crawl into a hole According to..

વલસ

Mrs. Lacey had said on the phone, she just had to accept this new stepfather, whether she liked it or not. S FindNovel.net

At least she hadn't ended up with Lincoln-that would really have been a nightmare. Lincoln was Hull's age, called Hull "brother," and yet he nearly ended up as Hull's girlfriend's dad... The whole thing was pure madness.

Ferrowland.

Stella answered her phone. "Stella, Leslie's been arrested."

"Already?" Stella's interest was immediately piqued. “What about Tegan?”

"Ms. James is back at the hospital. Helena's been trying to get ahold of her nonstop.

Word just came in—Uriah's heading to Yoreland."

Stella scoffed. “Of course he is. He finally feels a sense of urgency now, huh."

Not long ago, when he heard Tegan

had gone to Yoreland-and Leslie

was vacationing there too-he hadn't even blinked. He'd even half-suspected the whole kidnapping story was Tegan making drama But now that his precious sister was in trouble, he was suddenly playing the hero.

Too little, too late.

If Stella had already moved against Leslie, there was no way the woman could wiggle free. As long as Tegan kept her resolve, even Uriah, charging into Yoreland himself, wouldn't be able to deliver Leslie from this mess.

After giving a few more instructions over the phone, Stella hung up and went to find Ronald.

When Ronald heard it was about Tegan, he smiled and squeezed her cheek. “You really want me to get involved?"

"I do. You have to." With Ronald on their side, Leslie didn't stand a chance.

"If I do this, Tegan and Uriah's relationship will be over for good," he warned.

"So be it," Stella replied flatly. "That's exactly what Tegan wants-she wants out."

Ever since Tegan sent in her

application to that hospital in Yoreland she'd made it clear she wanted a clean break from Uriah.

But Leslie never let up even chasing

her across countries. Without

teaching Leslie a real lesson this time, Tegan would never have peace.

FindNovel.net

As for Uriah... all these years with the Horner family, he'd never really been on

Tegan's side. This was just the consequence.