The Mercer Summons

Pale morning light crept into the bedroom after a restless night. Clara had barely slept, her thoughts circling back to the gentle way Desmond treated Chloe—the quiet warmth in his gaze and the care in his gestures, a tenderness Clara herself had never known.

Half-asleep, she heard her phone ringing on the nightstand. Reaching over blindly, she swiped the screen without checking the caller ID.

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