A Lost Love

‘It means that that person has gone away,’ she explained gently, ‘and that they will never come back.’

His still-babyish face creased into a frown of concentration. ‘Does that mean my mummy is dead?’ he asked, his shyness evaporating quickly as curiosity took over.

Her breath caught in her throat. She didn't want to lie to her child, would give anything to be able to tell him she was alive and that she loved him very much. But she was under no illusions, knowing that Rafe would never allow her to be Robert's mother, that if he even guessed who she was he would once again take Robert away from her.