Sophia’s stomach turned a little as she stepped into the warm studio. She had a sneaking suspicion that Julia had something to do with it, but she wouldn’t go there—at least not yet. Certainly, her sister couldn’t have tried to kill the old bat. Sure, the old lady was a snoop and irritating, but . . .

Maybe she was imagining it all. Her hormones were so out of whack, and everything was falling apart. Including her relationship with James, despite her pregnancy.

It seemed everything was falling apart. But she couldn’t allow herself to go down that path. She had to stay positive.

If she could.

She tried to concentrate on the good news that Julia had shared with her. Julia had proven to Sophia that they were distant relatives to the Amhursts—big San Francisco money, and instead of the fortune being divided between a kabillion heirs, most of the estate was funneling down to James Cahill, since he had Amhurst blood. Yes, the twins and James were related, but not close enough to be weird or anything.

Over the course of several months, Julia suggested that the girls get a piece of the pie. After all, hadn’t they both suffered? Sophia was an only child whose parents were wrapped up in their own lives, their marriage brittle, their interest in their only child waning as she’d become a teenager. And Julia had ended up with younger siblings whom her parents had doted upon.

Hadn’t Sophia always felt that something was missing in her life? That missing something was Julia, and they’d hit it off famously, so when Julia started hatching her plan, Sophia had gone along with it: Get close to James Cahill. Real close. Marry him. Get what was due both of them. The goal was to walk down the aisle before he inherited his millions.

But Sophia had screwed up the plan.

She’d fallen in love with James and then gotten pregnant.

While he was falling for Rebecca Travers.

Everything was so messed up!

She unwrapped her now-cold tacos at the little table in the kitchen and considered telling James everything—to come clean with him.

How would he react? Would he throw his arms around her and embrace her, tell her that she and a baby were all he ever wanted in the world and nothing else mattered? “Oh, come on.” Even she couldn’t believe that fantasy. So, then, would he reject her and be horrified that she was a part of anything so horrid and underhanded and . . . oh, Lord.

And what about Julia? If Sophia dared tell James everything? Oh. God. Her insides turned to ice, and her heart nearly stopped. Julia would be upset. Angry, of course. But she wouldn’t completely lose it, would she? Yes, Julia was tunnel-visioned when it came to James and his fortune, but she wasn’t truly dangerous, surely not deadly.

Right?

Surely, Julia wouldn’t hurt anyone.