BEN “You’re not serious,” I said breathlessly, glancing at Haven’s tablet on the couch next to me as if it were her. “Deadly serious,” Mason said, and I watched as the court record pulled up on the computer screen. Right before me were our names, with me as the prosecution and Haven as the defen
BEN “Come on, you have to see they are related. Whatever happened that night must have triggered the restraining order nonsense.” Mason said, and I could see he was pushing for more information. “Nothing bad happened that night.” I insisted, pushing off my knees to stand and pausing when there wa
HAVEN “She will be fine. I promise.” Bonnie said as I brushed the hair over Siri’s cheek to get it out of her face while she fought the urge to fall asleep on the break room couch. “I know she will. You are a good aunt. I’m not worried about leaving her with you.” I said, forcing a smile at my bes
BEN “You’re going back up?” Mason said, and I let out a deep breath and nodded. “It would be too hard to see her and not say anything. Plus, if I’m just staring at her, it might scare her.” I said, regretting the decision as soon as I made it, but I also knew that if I stayed down here, I would
HAVEN I had been ecstatic that Ben hadn’t been in the lobby when I left with Siri. Bonnie had gone up before us to check, and when she said he had left, I almost felt like I should thank him the next time I saw him. He had every opportunity to corner me with her and try to push the matter, but
HAVEN I had barely made it to work on time and was panting by the time I ran inside, went down to the lounge to drop off my things in my locker, grabbed my tablet, and got back upstairs to the gym, where Ben was supposed to be waiting. Thankfully, he was there and didn't look angry that I was lat
BAILEEI held my breath as the housekeeper pushed open the hotel room door. The woman gave me a pitying look as I slipped her the cash I had promised in exchange for her help getting into my husband’s luxury suite. Caleb had been so rushed for his ‘urgent business meeting’ that he had forgotten his laptop. Like the loving wife I was, I raced over to grab it for him. I had made it my goal to make his life at home as easy on him as possible by helping where I could with the cooking and cleaning since he worked so hard to provide for us. It was never good enough for him, but little things like bringing him his laptop would surely make him happy.Only I had frozen in horror when I saw the messages popping up on his computer from his phone. The smiling, poorly clad woman stared back at me. I could see her nipps through her lace underwear, and she had one hand down between her legs, covering herself.His assistant. Lorna: I got your gift. I’m at the Rosewood Hotel. Don’t make me wait
BAILEE“Bailee!” Caleb yelled as I threw open the door and rushed down the hall.I needed fresh air. It felt like the walls were closing in on me, and I could hear my blood pumping in my ears.“Bailee, would you stop for a minute?” The sound of my name on his lips as he zipped his pants made me feel queasy, but I held it down. A hand wrapped around my forearm, and I was yanked to a stop just before the elevator. “No!” My scream came out in a hoarse sob. “No! Get off of me, you lying piece of garbage!” The rage and venom behind my words made him release me immediately, but he stayed close as he glared down at me. I took a step back, shaking my head at him. “You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to ever touch me again!” The elevator dinged behind me, and the doors opened, but I didn’t pay any attention to the people getting off until I heard them speak. “Bailee! Lower your voice! That is no way to speak to your husband!” “Mom?” Caleb asked, and I turned to face Helen and Georg
HAVEN I had barely made it to work on time and was panting by the time I ran inside, went down to the lounge to drop off my things in my locker, grabbed my tablet, and got back upstairs to the gym, where Ben was supposed to be waiting. Thankfully, he was there and didn't look angry that I was lat
HAVEN I had been ecstatic that Ben hadn’t been in the lobby when I left with Siri. Bonnie had gone up before us to check, and when she said he had left, I almost felt like I should thank him the next time I saw him. He had every opportunity to corner me with her and try to push the matter, but
BEN “You’re going back up?” Mason said, and I let out a deep breath and nodded. “It would be too hard to see her and not say anything. Plus, if I’m just staring at her, it might scare her.” I said, regretting the decision as soon as I made it, but I also knew that if I stayed down here, I would
HAVEN “She will be fine. I promise.” Bonnie said as I brushed the hair over Siri’s cheek to get it out of her face while she fought the urge to fall asleep on the break room couch. “I know she will. You are a good aunt. I’m not worried about leaving her with you.” I said, forcing a smile at my bes
BEN “Come on, you have to see they are related. Whatever happened that night must have triggered the restraining order nonsense.” Mason said, and I could see he was pushing for more information. “Nothing bad happened that night.” I insisted, pushing off my knees to stand and pausing when there wa
BEN “You’re not serious,” I said breathlessly, glancing at Haven’s tablet on the couch next to me as if it were her. “Deadly serious,” Mason said, and I watched as the court record pulled up on the computer screen. Right before me were our names, with me as the prosecution and Haven as the defen
BEN The tablet in my hand almost connected with the floor as I stared between the closing elevator doors and the little girl in Haven’s arms. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she was Siri. The protective way Haven was holding her and how the little girl had her face in Haven’s neck was a si
HAVEN Somehow, the massage today was worse than yesterday. It might have been the anticipation, but after Ben said that there were things he and I needed to work out, he went silent. I didn’t want to dive into it, so I stayed silent, too, wanting to avoid the conversation for as long as possible
BEN Today was supposed to be an easy day. Low weight followed by a massage… I don’t think I've had such a light-lifting day in years. Haven had me using ten pounds for most of the exercises, which made me laugh when she first told me I would be using them. But I would never doubt her again, not