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PROLOGUE

‘YOU KNEW’ BEN CHATSFIELD stared at his brother Spencer and tried to suppress the sudden surge of rage that threatened to overwhelm hiry, bitter words—bubbled to his lips He sed theave a wry quirk of a s ‘So How long have you known?’

‘That I was illegiti ‘Five years Since my twenty-ninth birthday’

Five years Ben blinked as he tried to take that in For the past five years he’d been estranged from his brother, from his whole family, and for what?

For nothing apparently

‘It’s a nice place you’ve got here,’ Spencer offered, and Ben didn’t answer Spencer gazed round the relaxed yet elegant dining rooship bistro in Nice, where he’d shown up out of the blue, walking through the tinted glass doors, his sunglasses slid onto his forehead, as if he were for all the world just another tourist

Not Ben’s older brother, the leader of their Three Musketeers, once adored, always missed When Ben had rounded the corner from the kitchen and come to a standstill, Spencer had smiled easily, as if they’d seen each other last week instead of fourteen years ago

‘Hey, Ben,’ he’d said, and somehow Ben had found his voice and answered back, his voice clipped

‘Spencer’

And now his brother was telling him that he’d known for five years the secret Ben had discovered when he was just eighteen years old, the secret that had broken his heart and forced hi all ties with his family The secret that had cost him so much, maybe even his own soul, and still Spencer just smiled

‘It’s old history now, Ben,’ he said, and Ben could tell Spencer was trying to be conciliatory Five years too late ‘Water under the bridge I always knew there was so that made Michael treat lad I finally found out it was because he always kneasn’t his biological son I’ve made peace with that’

‘Glad you have,’ Ben answered He kept his voice even despite the tangle of euilt, sorrow and happiness at seeing his beloved brother again, but one truer

The old anger still burned red-hot, aSo Spencer thought he could just stroll back into Ben’s life as if he’d never left No apologies, no explanations, just a waving aside of fourteen years

‘What are you doing here, Spencer?’ Ben asked, and his brother raised his eyebrows, looking slightly startled at Ben’s flat tone, the blunt question

‘Aren’t you glad? It’s been a long time, Ben’

‘You’ve knohere I’ve been’

‘You’ve knohere I’ve been,’ Spencer countered and Ben stared at him evenly