Abigail
“Chat?” he repeated, his tone making the word sound like an unanswered question. His surprise was clear, exposed by a faint stammer before he cleared his throat. “What... uh, what about?”
I glanced at the dashboard clock, taking note of the time. That might work to my advantage, it was nearing lunchtime. “It won’t take long,” I promised, smoothing down the front of my blouse as though he could see me. “And since I’m probably cutting into your lunch break, I insist that lunch will be on me. Consider it my way of thanking you for hearing me out.”
There was a pause, long enough for me to imagine him debating whether to protest. “That’s not necessary,” he began, but I cut him off, my tone firm but still friendly.
AbigailTraffic had been a nightmare, and by the time I arrived at The Seasons Autumn, I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles were white. I pulled into a parking space and sat there for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady myself. The restaurant was just ahead, a masterpiece of modern design blended with old-world charm. Its polished marble steps glistened in the sun while the golden lettering above the entrance gleamed like a beacon.I was glad I’d taken the time to dress properly when I had left home that morning as I glanced at my silk blouse shimmering faintly under the sunlight. The outfit was simple, elegant, and thankfully hid the anxious energy coursing through me.The moment I reached the top of the steps, an impeccably dressed server approached me, his black suit so perfectly ta
AbigailAs soon as Daniel raised his hand, the waiter appeared almost instantly, his notebook poised and ready. Daniel gestured for me to begin, and I ordered water to start, planning to keep my meal light.“Just a simple garden salad,” I started, but then paused. A faint memory of my stomach growling earlier this morning intruded, accompanied by a pang of guilt. I had promised my baby I’d do better. Eating properly wasn’t just about me anymore—it was about both of us. I swallowed the lump of hesitation and quickly amended my order. “Actually, I’ll have the rosemary grilled chicken with a side of roasted vegetables. And the soup of the day to start.”The waiter nodded, his pen moving swiftly across the page. I glanced at Daniel, wondering if he would opt for something modest. Instead, he closed his menu and said, “I’ll have the same.”The waiter’s pen stilled for a second before he sm
AbigailTo my surprise, Daniel didn’t seem averse to small talk. He answered my polite questions about the food and the restaurant with a surprising amount of candor, though he never ventured too far into personal territory. When the food finally arrived, I found myself genuinely grateful for the distraction. The roasted vegetables were perfectly tender, the chicken seasoned to perfection.I focused on my meal, deliberately keeping my gaze fixed on Daniel or my plate, ignoring the pull of curiosity that urged me to glance toward Conrad’s table.Every now and then, I felt a faint flicker of awareness—like a phantom thread tugging at the edges of my mind—that told me Conrad or someone at his table might be watching me. But I kept my focus forward. I would not give them the satisfaction of my attention.Daniel and I ate in silence, but it wasn’t the awkward kind. It was an easy quiet, almost companionable, as if we both understood that the real work had alre
AbigailThe cold steel of the handcuffs bit into my wrists as I sat alone in the barren interrogation room. The walls were a dull gray, and the fluorescent light overhead buzzed faintly, casting harsh shadows that only intensified my growing sense of dread. My breath came in short, uneven gasps, and I fought the rising tide of panic clawing at my chest. I felt like I was suffocating.This can’t be happening, I thought, over and over again. My pulse pounded in my ears as my mind spiraled to the worst places—what if no one believed me? What if I never saw the light of day again? What would happen to my baby?“Stop it. Stop it right now,” I ordered myself, squeezing my eyes shut. The pressure behind them threatened to spill over as tears, but I held them back with a deep, shuddering breath. “This stress isn’t good for the baby.”I shifted uncomfortably in the cold, metal chair, the cuffs making even
AbigailMy jaw tightened as the officer continued, his voice dripping with condescension. “An eyewitness saw you walking to your car rather quickly after leaving Marcy’s place. What was the rush, Mrs. Remington? Guilty conscience?”I could feel my blood boiling beneath my skin, the heat rising to my cheeks despite the chill in the room. My first instinct was to shout my innocence, to defend myself against this absurd insinuation. But I stopped myself, taking a deep breath. Pleading wouldn’t get me anywhere. These officers had already decided I was guilty. My words would fall on deaf ears.Instead, I leaned back in my chair, the handcuffs biting into my wrists as I crossed my arms and glared at him. “So, let me get this straight,” I said, my voice laced with mockery. “An argument between Marcy and me magically translates to me murdering her? That’s quite a leap, don’t you think? And if that’s all you&rsq
AbigailThe clang of the cell door behind me was still ringing in my ears as I sank down onto the narrow cot. The hours passed like a slow drip from a leaky faucet, each minute a torment of restless thoughts. I had handed the police Conrad’s phone number so they could contact my lawyer, yet here I was, still sitting in this freezing, oppressive cell without a single update. No lawyer. No explanation. Just the weight of my own thoughts.The scene with Marcy played in an endless loop in my head. Every word, every expression, every misstep. Why hadn’t I been more cautious? Why hadn’t I insisted on meeting in public, the way I had done with Daniel? I had known the risks, hadn’t I? After everything that had happened in my life lately, how could I have been so careless?My head throbbed as I pressed my palms against my temples. If Daniel were to suddenly meet the same fate as Marcy, at least there would be CCTV footage showing he’d left the restaurant alive. The thoug
His words made anger and humiliation burn in my chest as I absorbed them. My nails dug into my palms as I tried to process the audacity of it all. Conrad had deliberately left me stranded here.“And if I want a lawyer?” I asked, my voice tight.“You’ll have to hire one yourself,” he replied without hesitation, “or settle for a public defender.”The gall of it. My fists clenched so tightly I thought my nails might break the skin. My mind raced back to my last conversation with Conrad, to the coldness in his voice, the way he had demanded I pay him for every single cent of my mother’s medical expenses before Marceline had interrupted us. Was this his way of bypassing her to punish me? Of making a statement?I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to focus. Conrad’s cruelty wasn’t the problem I needed to solve right now. I turned my attention back to Alexander—“Daniel,” I reminded myself
AbigailI hesitated, the words catching in my throat. His question wasn’t unexpected, but my unease had grown with every passing second of this conversation. I couldn’t trust him—not fully. Not after everything I’d just uncovered. Whatever his reasons for disguising himself as “Daniel,” that revelation unsettled me more than I cared to admit. I wasn’t about to reveal all my cards to someone who’d been lying to me from the start. He’d gone to extraordinary lengths to keep his identity hidden from me. That alone was reason enough to keep him at arm’s length.“You’ll know when the time comes. I’ll call for you,” I said carefully. “But for now, I need you to do something for me.”His brow arched, a faintly amused expression flickering across his features. “And what might that be?”I leaned back in my chair, forcing my body to appear relaxed even a
AbigailInternally, I whooped and punched the air in victory. But outwardly, I gave Mr. Hayes a serene, practiced smile, the kind that said I'm glad to be here, not desperate to be here. “Thank you again,” I said politely, then stepped out of his office before my excitement bubbled too far to contain.Ten o’clock was only forty minutes away. Not enough time to start anything new, but just enough to make myself useful. I returned to my office, where Elle was already tidying up the documents on my desk.“Anything urgent?” I asked as I approached.She handed me a printed memo and gave me a quick update on a postponed meeting. “Only thing worth noting is
AbigailThe smell of the food filled the entire room, and something about the presence of Alexander beside me dulled the tightness I’d been carrying all day. The tension behind my eyes had started to fade as I picked at the grilled fish, letting the flavors roll across my tongue, my limbs slowly unknotting with every bite.“I’ve been getting calls from Liam,” I said, my voice tired but audible. I didn’t know why I chose now to bring it up; maybe because I finally felt safe enough to say it out loud.Alexander’s hand stilled mid-motion, his chopsticks hovering above the container of scallops. “Liam?” His eyes flicked to mine, sharp. “How long?”I nodded and swallowed. “It’s been a few times now. He says he’s changed and keeps asking to see me.”His brows drew together, and I could see him piecing something together. “He’s been coming to me too and asking to see you.” He paused. “He’s not been released from Ridgewell officially, but this is part of the treatment program; they release so
Abigail I didn’t know where I was going, I just kept driving. One street turned into another and headlights flashed past me in a blur. The city was quietly winding down while something restless stirred in my chest. My fingers were clenched so tight around the steering wheel, they ached. I told myself I would find a hotel. Or maybe I would go to Roxy’s, even though it was too late and she’d worry. But the truth was, I wasn’t thinking clearly at all. I wasn’t thinking at all.I just didn’t want to go home.And somehow, without meaning to, I ended up here. The car rolled to a slow stop in front of the tall, glittering building before I fully realized where I was. I blinked up at it, dazed and slightly breathless, my stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot. I knew this place; it was the high rise I had met Alexander before we went to Ridgewell to see Liam. The lights shimmered against the glass like stars in a city that forgot what the real ones looked like. But I wasn’t looking at
AbigailAfter work, I found myself walking to the park instead of driving straight home.I told Roxy I’d leave early today, mostly because she looked ready to duct-tape me to my chair if I didn’t. But now that I had, I didn’t know what to do with myself. My body wasn’t worn down enough, and that small sliver of energy still lingering in me made me restless. If I’d had my way, I would’ve stayed in the office till one a.m., working until even my thoughts couldn’t keep up with me anymore. But Roxy had been especially worried lately. So, I’d smiled, packed up, and walked out like someone who had a life waiting for her outside those walls.I didn’t.So, here I was, wandering through the park with my coat still buttoned, my shoes making soft sounds against the path. The air was crisp but not cold, and the faint scent of blooming grass and wet earth filled my lungs. It was peaceful, in a way that made the ache in my chest feel sharper.To my left, I noticed a picnic spread out on a checkered
RoxyAnd yet he always asked as if he had nothing to do with it. As if it wasn’t his driver who opened the door for me, or his expense account that covered the seafood platter I’d been daydreaming about since 3 p.m.I settled in, crossing one leg over the other. What I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what I never could was how a man like Alexander could share even a single drop of blood with someone like Conrad.Conrad Remington, the walking ego. The emotional toddler. Every time I thought about him, it made me want to demand a DNA test on Alexander’s behalf. Maybe they swapped cribs at the hospital. Maybe one of them was adopted. Maybe God just wanted to play a particularly cruel practical joke.Still, why was I thinking about Conrad with what was in front of me?Sitting beside Alexander was one of the most delicious motivations I’d ever had for showing up anywhere on time; Daniel Woods, his secretary. The tall drink of sin I’d been lowkey thirsting over since the first moment I l
RoxyI yawned so hard I swore my jaw cracked. My screen dimmed in front of me, signaling the finality of another day. With a satisfying click, I shut down my computer and sat back in my chair, allowing myself a tiny internal cheer.Done. All of it. Not only had I cleared every task on my to-do list—emails, reports, that ridiculous revision James from Marketing demanded this morning—I had also accomplished the almost-impossible: I’d managed to convince Abigail to leave on time. No 11 p.m. grind, no haunting the office like a lonely ghost with the cleaning crew. She actually packed up and went home like a normal person. That was a victory in itself.I stretched my arms above my head and yawned again, this one longer. All I wanted now was to kick off my heels, boil water for some scandalously sodium rich ramen, and fall asleep in the middle of an episode of Love & Lies: Southside Edition. It was my guilty pleasure, that trashy little reality series with way too many slow motion breakups
AbigailI told myself not to let that reflection haunt me. It was just a slip. I had slept poorly last night and barely remembered to eat breakfast this morning. I was tired, yes. A little thinner? maybe. But I wasn’t broken. I wouldn’t let my own reflection, however unfamiliar it seemed, get to me.By the time I returned to the office, the feelings of listlessness still clung to me like damp clothes, but I pushed through. I had too much to do to afford even a second of moping. The artificial white lights overhead buzzed softly as I walked through the open-plan floor, sandwich bag in hand, ignoring the curious glance Elle shot me from her desk.She didn’t say anything. But the slight furrow in her brow and the tight purse of her lips told me exactly what she was thinking.She didn’t like that the small bag in my hand was far too small for the elaborate meal she had wanted me to return with. I sat down without acknowledging her and unwrapped the sandwich like it was the key to world pe
“You don’t have to stress yourself over me,” I said quietly, watching Elle storm around like a small, angry thundercloud. She spun around sharply, her eyes flashing. Before she could say anything, Roxy stepped forward. Without a word, she pulled her credit card from her pocket and thrust it toward me. “Go get lunch,” she said, her voice firm. “Anything you want. Expensive, greasy, complicated, I don’t care. But when you get back, I better see a substantial charge on that card, or I swear I’ll put you on forced vacation.” I opened my mouth to protest, but Roxy narrowed her eyes at me like a predator eyeing its prey. And Elle looked like she’d physically drag me to the nearest restaurant and force feed me if I dared say no. So I just nodded, accepting the card with quiet obedience, even though I felt like a child being scolded by two very determined mothers. I grabbed my bag and left the office, their combined gazes hot on my back, daring me to come back empty-stomached. As I stepp
AbigailI stared at the list for a few moments longer, letting my thoughts drift. Allan would be the last one I would target for a while. Things were heating up too fast. Conrad was furious with how successful I was; Elle often gossiped about how her old coworkers were walking on eggshells around him, flinching at his temper and avoiding his gaze. And he’d threatened me two more times since that embarrassing outburst in the hallway, his words carrying warning. Ha, all bark, no bite.He didn’t scare me. What did I have to lose? There was a meeting coming up in a few days and something about the way the internal memo had been worded told me there was going to be a vote. I wasn’t totally off guard, I had heard things from the talk making its way around the company. It had to be about that risky new project Conrad proposed a while back. On paper, it looked promising and bold. But the risk was astronomical, and I knew most of the board members were hesitant to sign off on it.This was my