Roman turned toward Tessa slowly, the faint smile still on his face—but confusion had already crept in, subtle and instinctive.

“What is it about my mother that you need to tell me?” He asks carefully.

Tessa sat up straighter in the bed, pulling the sheet higher around herself as if bracing for impact.

Her hands twisted together in her lap. She hadn’t planned to say it like this. She hadn’t planned any of it.

“I didn’t want to tell you,” she said quietly. “Not now. You’ve built something incredible here, Roman. This hotel, this moment—it means everything to you. I wanted you to be happy before I dropped anything that...