Roarke's Kingdom

Her life had been shattered. It lay in pieces all around her, and she couldn’t imagine how she could pick up those pieces and put them back together again.

She had lost everything. Everything! The man she loved. The child she adored. She’d even lost her self-respect.

She thought of how Roarke had looked in those last minutes—the dark coldness in his eyes, the tormented line of his mouth.

Her throat tightened and she thought, with brutal logic, that yes, you could survive anything…but maybe there wasn’t really any reason to survive this. Maybe—

“Miss? Are you okay?”

Jennifer looked up. The flight attendant was standing in the narrow aisle, leaning toward her with more than polite concern.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“You sure? If you feel sick or something—”

“Really. I’m good.”

The attendant hesitated. “Well, if you need anything—”

“I’ll let you know. Thanks.”

Jennifer glanced at the woman beside her as the attendant made her way up the aisle. The woman was watching her and Jennifer tried to smile reassuringly. But it didn’t seem to work very well because her seatmate quickly opened a magazine and buried her nose in it.

Jennifer sat back and folded her hands tightly in her lap. She had a long trip ahead of her and she wasn’t going to make it if she fell apart.

Survival. That was the key.

She just had to find a reason for wanting to survive…

And, in a heartbeat, it came to her.

She had to survive because she had to confront Dr. Ronald. The immoral bastard who’d lied to her.

Who’d sold her daughter.

Dr. Ronald. Even his name was enough to make her gut knot, but it was a better pain than the one in her heart.

She would never rest until she faced him.

It wouldn’t be easy—he’d retired and moved away not long after her mother’s death—but she would find him and make him see what an ugly, awful thing he’d done. Nobody had the right to play God the way he had. With her life. With Susanna’s. With Roarke’s.

And when she was done with him, he would know that he hadn’t got away with it.

* * *

O’Hare Airport was crowded with travelers returning from winter vacations. Jennifer heard snatches of cheerful conversation as she made her way to the baggage area.

“…never saw a beach like that before, did you?”

“…such a good time! The people, and the hotel—”

Her fellow travelers were already reliving the memories of their days in the sun. She wanted only to forget, not to remember.

If she remembered, how would she face the empty years that stretched ahead?

And yet, how could she not remember? She had never known such happiness as she’d known the past weeks, and she had lost it all. She would never hold Susu in her arms again, never watch her grow, never hear her laughter.

And Roarke. How could she not think about Roarke? He was imprinted on her heart. In her mind. She could hear his voice, see his face, feel the touch of his hands. Everything he was had become part of her.