The nights had become Xander’s private hell.
He lay in the vast, empty king-sized bed of his penthouse, the city lights of New York glittering far below like distant stars. Sleep had become a rare visitor, and when it came, it brought dreams that tore open old wounds with merciless precision.
Tonight, the dream was clearer than ever.
He stood on the beach where he had proposed to Claire five years ago. The sunset bathed everything in warm gold and rose. Claire walked toward him in a flowing white dress, her ginger hair catching the light like fire. But this time, she wasn’t alone.
A little boy, no older than four or five, ran beside her, laughing with pure delight. He had dark, slightly messy hair and striking emerald-green eyes — eyes that looked exactly like Xander’s own. The child r
