Celeste touched his sleeve.
“Some mothers raise their children to survive.”
She smiled.
“We raised ours to win.”
I slowly stirred my coffee.
Nathan leaned closer.
“Does it hurt, Mara?”
He nodded toward Preston.
“Seeing what a son becomes when he has a real father?”
Behind him, the semifinal rankings appeared on a large monitor.
**Mathematics: Ethan Ellis — First.**
**Engineering Design: Eli Ellis — First.**
**Academic Bowl Team Placement: Ellis Twins — First Seed.**
Celeste noticed first.
Her lips parted.
Nathan turned.
Read the names.
Then frowned.
“Ellis?”
“Yes,” I said softly.
“Mine.”
His eyes moved across the lobby toward Eli and Ethan.
They stood beneath the rankings screen.
Calm.
Unspeaking.
For one second, I saw recognition trying to reach his face.
Then he rejected it.
“No.”
He shook his head.
“That’s impossible.”
Ethan looked directly at him.
“You signed the papers, Mr. Crowe.”
He paused.
“You should remember.”
Nathan’s face drained of color.
