“Stop,” I say, scootching forward across the couch now so that we sit close together. “Calvin, you have nothing to be embarrassed about –“ He huffs a laugh, looking down into his lap. “I was ready to leave my wife, Ella,” he murmurs, “to leave my entire country behind-“ “No,” I interrupt, an
Ella The next day, Cora and Roger come over early. Roger and Sinclair head out, their faces solemn, to speak with their aids and their advisors regarding how to respond to the news we know is inevitably coming. Our reconnaissance teams told us that the Atalaxian delegation did indeed return hom
“So?” I say, turning a little to look at Sinclair, finding his eyes already on me. “Is it done?” “It is,” he replies with a little sigh. Then he reaches for the remote and presses a few buttons, turning on the television that hangs on the far wall. The channel immediately turns to a news venue,
Ella While we spent the rest of the day that war was declared between Moon Valley and Atalaxia quietly together, Henry joining us for lunch and then a peaceful dinner, the three months that followed? They flew by at a baffling pace. A lot of it was Roger and Sinclair working their tails
“Mostly,” I say, trying to be casual. Because I know what she’s getting at here and it’s not something I’m ready to chat about. I haven’t even told Sinclair what I’m trying to do, let alone Cora. “Sometimes I breastfeed before bed – helps him sleep.” It’s a lie, though. I stopped doing that a fe
Ella The door opens then, Roger and Sinclair coming through. “No!” Cora calls, pulling the pillow out from behind her back and flinging it at Roger. “Not you, who did this to me! The source of my misery!” Roger just grins as he snatches the pillow out of the air. “And how is my gorgeous
“Seriously, Ella?” Roger says, leaning forward to look at me with eyes full of doubt. “You’re telling me that if you had a beautiful little girl with rose-gold hair and a sweet little angel face, you’d want to ship her away to a military academy?” I hesitate, because I know that if I had a littl
Ella I’m groggy, a few hours later, when I wake up because I honestly haven’t gotten much sleep. But still, I’m instantly aware that I’m awake because something in my body is…different. s my eyes crack open, I have absolutely no idea what it is, and no real interest in finding out. Because n