AbigailI stared at the boy, as he kept screaming, accusing me of touching him inappropriately. I could feel the disgust rolling off the crowd around us. As the security guards arrived, their authoritative presence immediately silenced the murmuring crowd around us. The noise of the crowd died down as they made way for the guards like Moses parting through the Red Sea. The teenage boy pointed at me as if I were a villain in a cartoon before launching into his dramatic story of lies. Tears even welled in his eyes.“She touched me,” he insisted, his voice loud and quivering just enough to sound convincing. “And then she threatened and hit me! Someone help me!”My jaw tightened as I glanced at Roxy, whose face was a mirror of disbelief. “This is ridiculous,” she hissed.But the guards weren’t taking chances. They exchanged glances, then looked at me, suspicion shining in their faces even though they tried to look professional.“Ma’am,” one of them said, his tone cautious but firm, “we’ll
AbigailConrad patted the boy's head and calmly said, "No, I'm not her husband." Then he pulled his arm out of Susanna's and tried to take my hand.I took a step back to avoid his arm. Conrad looked confused and asked, "What's going on? What happened?"The officer explained what had happened, white the boy was still shouting loudly, "Aunt, you know this woman? She's a thug, she touched and hit me!"I saw Liliana’s face shift ever so slightly as she processed the details."Oh, Harry, stop." Liliana stopped the boy, Harry, from accusing me and then turned to me.“Oh dear,” she said with a gentle laugh, turning all her attention to me. “It seems there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding. We’re all family here, aren’t we? I’m sure it wasn’t anything inappropriate. Perhaps Harry was being naughty, and Abigail tried to discipline him? Boys can be such a handful at this age.”Her words were sugar-coated, but the implication was razor-sharp. My hands clenched at my sides as the officer’s frown
Abigail“Abigail’s right.”Conrad’s agreement caught me off guard, so much so that I almost didn’t believe my ears. The surprise must have shown on my face, but I quickly masked it.Apparently, Susanna didn’t believe her ears as well, as her face twisted into a picture of wounded disbelief. She looked as if she'd just been betrayed by her most loyal supporter.“What?” she said, her voice high-pitched.“Abigail’s right,” he repeated firmly, turning to Susanna with a seriousness that had only been directed at me before and never her. “Harry is at an age where recklessness can lead to disaster. What if it had been y
AbigailThe house was quiet when I heard the soft creak of the door to the game room opening.Conrad stepped into the room, his tie loosened and his jacket draped over one arm. His face was shadowed with exhaustion, but there was something else there—maybe remorse? He hovered near the doorway, looking at me as though he wasn’t sure if he was welcome.“You’re up,” he said softly, his voice carrying a note of surprise. I don’t know why he would be so surprised. It was almost ten at night and he hadn’t been home. How could I sleep?I shrugged, placing another card down on the table. “ How come you're back? Don't you need to stay with Susanna?”He hesitated for a moment before stepping closer, his movements uncertain. “After all this, you must need me. I just want to make sure you're okay. Abigail... earlier today, at the station—were you hurt?”The question caught me off guard. “No,” I said simply, “I’m fine.”Conrad exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “Good. Harry’s be
AbigailThe robins outside my window chirped cheerfully as I got out of bed and stretched my tired body, but I was immune to their happiness. It was as if ice had settled over my heart as I realized Conrad was still not home. My night had been full of restless sleep and scattered thoughts, and now, as I padded toward the kitchen to make a cup of tea, the sharp ring of the study phone cut through the quiet.It rang once. Twice. No one answered.With a sigh, I turned toward the study. Conrad usually never left the house this early without checking in, but he wasn’t here now. Pushing the door open, I crossed the room and picked up the receiver.“Hello?” I said, clearing my throat so I didn’t sound sleepy.The man on the other end exhaled audibly, relief clear in his tone. “Thank goodness, someone answered. This is Daniel. Are you Abigail? Do you know where Mr. Conrad Remington is? I’ve been trying to reach Mr. Conrad all night on an urgent matter, but he hasn’t returned any of my calls to
AbigailMarcy’s expression didn’t falter, and for a moment, I wondered if Liliana had promised her something.Liliana sighed like the drama queen she was turning out to be. “This is a misunderstanding, I’m sure. Why don’t we calm down and figure out where the jewelry is?”“Don’t patronize me,” I snapped. “This isn’t a misunderstanding. It’s manipulation.”“Abigail,” Conrad said, his voice low, “let’s not escalate this.”I rounded on him. “Are you seriously questioning me right now? After everything?”“I just—” He hesitated, running a hand through his hair.“You’re right to hesitate,” I said sharply. “Because if you side with them, Conrad, I will not forgive you.”I leveled a mocking glance at Liliana. She stood there as if this entire charade wasn’t her doing. The anger in the chest begged for release, and I let it fist my words with venom. “Is this what you wanted, Liliana?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “To embarrass me like this? Tell me, was this little performance Susan
AbigailThe air in the room shifted the moment Marceline entered. Her presence commanded the kind of attention no one dared ignore. She stood there, sharp and commanding, her gaze sweeping over us like a storm about to break. Her eyes landed on Liliana, lingering with the kind of intensity that could make even the boldest person stop in their tracks. Marceline’s lips pressed into a thin line as she turned to Conrad."And who, may I ask, is this?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the tense silence.Conrad cleared his throat, stepping forward. “Mother, this is Liliana. She’s Susanna’s sister and—”Marceline cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand, her gaze never leaving Liliana. “I didn’t ask for her life story, Conrad.” Her tone was ice. “Our family’s been very busy lately, and we don’t have time to take in Susanna’s relatives.”I bit back the urge to grin as Liliana stiffened, her practiced expression faltering for a split second.Conrad, ever the peacemaker when it suited him
Abigail****Marceline’s fork paused midair, and she looked at Conrad with an arched brow. “Well,” she said, setting her silverware down with practiced grace. “If you insist.”But the conversation didn’t die there. Marceline switched topics easily and launched into a tale about her close friend Penelope and her heartbreak over her children’s refusal to settle down.“Imagine,” Marceline said, her voice carrying an undercurrent of disapproval, “both the boy and the girl, as successful as they are, are nearing forty and still have no spouses. No grandchildren. It’s shameful, really. I told her just the other day how fortunate I am that my Alexander and Conrad never gave me such grief.”I forced a smile, nodding in hopes of keeping the conversation alive. “Penelope must be worried,” I offered, my voice carrying the pity I knew my mother-in-law would want to hear.“She is,” Marceline agreed with a dramatic sigh, launching into more details. She was particularly fixated on how Penelope’s dau
Abigail“Conrad Edward Remington!”Marceline’s sharp voice cut through the tension between me and Conrad, surprising the both of us. I turned towards the doorway of the study where she stood, her sharp eyes fixed on her son. Her usually elegant and serene demeanor was gone, replaced by a look of sheer outrage.Conrad stiffened, his face flushing red as his mother stepped into the study.“How dare you speak to your wife that way?” Marceline demanded, her voice laced with both reprimand and disappointment. “I did not raise you to be a man who throws such cruel words at the woman he vowed to protect.”For a moment, Conrad looked like a child caught stealing cookies from the jar, his mouth opening and closing without a word. I stood frozen, caught between shock at her intervention and relief that someone had come to my defense.“Mother, this is none of your business,” he finally managed to say, though his voice lacked its usual authority.Marceline’s sharp laugh filled the room, and she t
Abigail*For the first time, I saw something shift in his expression—something that looked almost like shock. Conrad stood slowly, pushing his chair back with a scrape that set my nerves on edge.“Stop joking around,” he said, his voice low and tense. “We’re not getting divorced.”I met his gaze, my voice steady despite the panic drumming in my chest. “Have you ever known me to make that kind of joke?”For a moment, his eyes burned with anger, but he quickly masked it, exhaling sharply through his nose. His jaw tightened, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to regain control.“What brought this on?” he ask
Abigail*Without a word to Susanna, I turned away and walked back toward my room. I didn’t need to look at her to know her sharp gaze followed me until I was out of sight, brimming with that contempt she wore like armor.As I pushed my bedroom door shut behind me, Marceline’s words came rushing back, relentless and sharp: “Abigail’s back here now, in her husband’s home. It’s time you returned to yours.”I let out a annoyed breath and sank onto the edge of my bed. Marceline thought I was back for good. That much was clear. And why wouldn’t she? Here I was, back under this roof… pretending.This was survival. I was here
AbigailAs I zipped up the last bag in my suitcase set and placed it against the others in the corner, I felt a relief at the knowledge that I was almost ready to leave this house and its suffocating weight behind.I glanced at my handbag, where the divorce papers I had gotten prepared sat neatly folded, tucked away like a secret. My hand twitched with the urge to pull them out and march straight to Conrad’s study to demand he sign them. But not yet. There were steps I had to take first. Before anything, I had to talk to Roxy. She would know if I could keep working at the company and stay at the house she’d taken me to when I had left this mansion the first time. I needed that stability now more than ever, for both myself and for my child.Everything I was doing, every step I took, was
AbigailThe sharp trill of my phone startled me, pulling me out of my unhappy thoughts. For one irrational moment, I thought it might be Conrad, calling from the study even though we were in the same house.But the name on the screen made my breath catch for an entirely different reason. Liam.I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the green button. Liam, my baby brother, with his easy smile and constant chatter, always so full of life. He didn’t call often—our lives had taken us in such different directions—but when he did, it was never without good reason.What reason could he have to call me now?I shook off the thought, forcing myself to press the button. “Liam,” I said, injecting a lightness into my tone that I didn’t feel. “Hey! It’s been a while.”“Bee,” he said, and my chest tightened at the familiar nickname. He was the only one who still called me that. His voice was warm, but there was an undercurrent of something else there—something worried. “Are you okay?”The question hit
AbigailI pulled away from Conrad’s embrace, the lingering heat of his body feeling like a brand to me. “This is… a lot to take in,” I said, making sure my voice felt fragile.He nodded, looking at me with concern. “I’m glad you insisted on seeing it for yourself, Abby. Now you understand why I’ve been doing all this. It’s all for you. To protect you.”I offered him what I hoped looked like a grateful smile. “I’m exhausted,” I murmured. “I think I’ll go to my room.”“Of course,” he replied, his smile much brighter than mine. “Rest as long as you need. I’ll tell the cook to make your favorite for dinner.”
Abigail“No,” I said immediately. “I’d like to see it now. You promised me, remember?”“Yes, I remember,” he shook his head playfully, as if he had expected I would say that. “This way,” he said, leading me toward his study.We reached the study, and Conrad unlocked the door with a small key he pulled from his pocket. He stepped inside first, turning on the lights, and I didn’t hesitate before following him in.The room was exactly as I remembered it—dark wood paneling, bookshelves lined with leather-bound volumes, and a massive desk that dominated the space. But what caught my attention was the safe in the corner. Conrad led me to the far corner, where the imposing safe was bui
Abigail“I’m not saying Susanna is lying,” I added quickly. “But you can’t expect me to believe something so... so extreme without any kind of proof. This is Alexander we’re talking about, Conrad. He’s been nothing but kind to us.” I shook my head in confusion. “Why would he go from that to… this? It doesn’t make sense. Right now, without any evidence, it feels like you’re asking me to take a leap of faith without a net.”Conrad sighed heavily, releasing my hand as he leaned back in his seat. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel, a nervous tick he probably didn’t realize he had. “I want to let you in on what I know, Abby. Believe me, I do. But I never wanted you to be dragged into this. Telling you would feel like the whole purpose of protecting you has been defeated. You were sup
AbigailThe nylon bag in my hand felt heavier than it should have, even though all it contained was a simple change of clothes and my phone which was all I had to pack here. As I stepped out of the bedroom, I almost collided with Conrad.“Abigail,” he said, his voice happy. His face was lit up as if he had just won some prize. Before I could step back, he wrapped me in a hug, his arms firm around me. “Are you ready to leave?”I nodded, the gesture small and noncommittal, but it was enough for him.“I can’t tell you how glad I am to have you coming back home,” he said, stepping back but keeping a hand lightly on my shoulder. “The house has been… empty without you. It’s lost