Chapter 90

If Sebastian’s vice was greed, Cyrus’s was lust. His current wife was 16 years younger than him and it was for her sake that Cyrus practically disowned his daughter Harper. The complexities of family dynamics never ceased to amaze Elodie. Thinking of Harper’s stepmom, Elodie suggested, ‘You should stay with me.’ Harper hesitated. ‘Are you sure?’ Elodie shrugged. ‘Why not? There’s plenty of room here.’ ‘Thank you.’ Harper looked grateful. ‘I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I find an apartment.’ They ordered takeout for dinner and caught up on the years that had kept them apart. Later, Elodie showed Harper to a guestroom on the second floor, not the one Vivienne had stayed in. *** Midnight slunk through the house. Elodie lay propped against the pillows, a biography open on her lap, but her mind wasn’t on it. The clock chimed twelve. And then, a whisper of sound, a feather-light tap on the door. ‘Come in,’ Elodie said. The door, left ajar as if in silent invitation, was pushed open wide