He lifted his gaze to meet mine. His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile, but his eyes—his eyes were glacial.

"I heard everything. Men from wealthy families—who doesn't have a woman or two on the side? Your mother died because she couldn't handle it. And somehow, that's Christina's fault?"

His tone sharpened. "You got to grow up with a father by your side. Why shouldn't Christina have the same?"

"No matter what it takes, I'm going to bring her back into the Sullivan family. Everyone will know she's a legitimate daughter of the Sullivans—and no one will ever call her a bastard again."

"You want to wreck this wedding, Fern?" His jaw tightened. "Try it."

I knew he meant every word.

The last time he'd issued a threat like that, the man's company had been swallowed whole by the Hensons within a week. The owner himself had his legs shattered, his tongue cut out, and vanished from Seacrest City entirely.

And what had that man done? Made a crude joke about me.

I should have seen this coming.

Kevin had always been a playboy at heart. To him, my father's affair was trivial—barely worth a raised eyebrow. He couldn't begin to fathom the devastation my mother and I had endured.