HAVEN As soon as I hit my knees, I knew I had made a mistake. I could feel Ben's eyes on me, but they had never felt like this before. The rage and disgust were coming off him in waves, and I quickly tied his shoes before standing and rushing down the hall, expecting him to follow. He didn’t disa
HAVEN “Excuse me?” I asked, stunned as I stared at him like he was crazy. The nerve of this man! He had no right, absolutely no right! “It’s not a difficult question, Haven. All those years ago, why did you leave me?” Ben asked, holding my stare unashamed. Was he really going to gaslight me i
BEN No right? I had ‘no right’ to know about it? The machine’s rhythmic humming usually put me to sleep as the robotic voice guided me on when to breathe in and out. Only this time, I was too busy fuming. Even the doctor had to note that my blood pressure was higher than it should have b
HAVEN “These look good. Let’s take lunch, and then we can review the scans together.” Dr. Mendez said, and I smiled at her with relief. I needed to get away from Ben Evans, far away, even if it was just for half an hour. Having him near had me wound so tight with anger and hurt that I was worri
BEN “I thought you were going on a walk,” Haven said as she ducked her head to let her hair slide forward to cover her face. “I will,” I said, gesturing to a chair for her to sit as we waited for our food. There were several other people in the dining hall, some of whom I had met and others who
BEN “So, she’s the one?” Giana asked as we walked around the parameter of the campus slowly, arms linked together. She kept leaning her head on my bicep, and I knew it was because she was tired. She worked hard to maintain her toned physique but had always had trouble managing a healthy diet, res
BEN Giana was right. I had pulled up Haven’s I*******m account, only to find I was blocked. It was almost as insulting as it was suspicious. She had to have a reason to block me after she dumped me, as if she didn't want me trying to contact her or as if she were hiding something. So, instead, I
HAVEN I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe. I had been right. He was here to take my daughter from me. A DNA test? A lawyer? I didn’t have the money for a decent lawyer. “Haven?” Ben said, and my hand tightened around the ring, the chain biting into the back of my neck. “Haven?” The roo
HAVEN The second I walked into the break room the next day, Bonnie and Calum jumped from their seats, asking if I was okay. Suzie had sent me home yesterday for the rest of the day unpaid, and while I wasn’t expecting my badge to work this morning, it did. “How are you?” Bonnie asked, and I shr
BEN Bailee gently hit his arm with the back of her hand as she walked by him to a cabinet to grab a glass, and I laughed. “It was a week ago. Where is Brinley?” I asked, looking around for my adorable niece. She would probably love to hear my news with them. “She said she had to go find her train.
BEN I wasn’t sure when I decided to return to the city. Still, I found myself pulling up to Alex’s house five hours later, my back irritated from being in the car for so long, and only one text from the manager of the rehab center checking in and asking if they could get me anything since I missed
HAVEN “Hey, have you guys seen my…” Calum said as he trailed behind the security guard who stormed past us, but he stopped in our way when he saw my face. “You’re crying?” “Not now, Calum.” He ignored her, but I didn’t want to discuss this with him. We were just co-workers, not friends. He fli
BEN My hands were sweaty, and a chill went through me. I couldn’t trust anyone. Not my parents, staff, or even Haven after her repeated lies over the past week. If she had told the truth this time, I would be in serious trouble. My staff had access to everything that controlled my life. I wou
BEN My heart twisted in my chest. After seeing her picture, I knew in my gut that Siri was mine, but Haven had lied so many times that even hearing what I had wanted to hear, I wasn’t sure I could believe it. “There wasn’t anyone else?” I repeated. If there wasn’t anyone else, then Haven hadn’t
HAVEN “That’s not possible,” I said, shaking my head back and forth. This room was too small for us to hash this out now. I felt like I couldn’t breathe with Ben so close, and his body heat made me uncomfortably warm. “Look at me, Haven,” Ben demanded, and I ripped my eyes away from the stack o
HAVEN I had resented Benjamin Evans for many things over the years, but the feeling of dread that now bubbled in my gut when I drove to work was the cherry on top. This job was finally something I had outside of my home that I had worked hard for, and that made me happy, and he made me not want t
BEN “Haven, like your old assistant Haven?” Bailee asked, and I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “The one and only,” I grumbled in response, rubbing my temples as I tried to fight the headache that was rapidly coming on. “That’s great! Did you guys talk?” Bailee asked, sounding as excited