Imogene Scott I swallow hard as I turn to Keith. “Can we…erm…talk at the office tomorrow?”Keith is able to understand the situation and he nods before disappearing into the elevator. As soon as he’s gone, Elinor takes a step closer to me, her heels clicking against the linoleum floor.“What’s your hot landlord talking about just now?” Elinor asks calmly even though I can tell she’s pissed from how tight her voice sounds.I gulp down. “I…kinda didn’t tell you the whole truth.”“About…”“The Tech Con project.” I finally say.Shit, I should’ve told her immediately. I was just scared of how she would react. She never wants to hear anything that has to do with amien.“Which is?” Elinor says.I lean against the wall again. I want to ask her to let us discuss this inside, but Lily is asleep and I don’t want to disturb her. Especially since Elinor doesn’t know how to keep her voice down at pivotal moments like this.“Damien is also on the team.” I finally say. Elinor takes a deep breat
Imogene Scott For the next few days, Elinor completely goes ghost on me. She isn’t returning my calls or my texts or emails! I’m gravely affected by it since she’s the only friend I have in LA. It’s all my fault for keeping the details from her. Shit!I’m turning into an irrational mess, and I hate it. I can’t let her absence bother me when I have important decisions to make. Like now, in this conference room.“So, our booth is ready. I was wondering if we could all go check it out to determine the digital mural arrangement.” Keith says, gesturing at me.“Definitely.” I reply halfheartedlyDamien is seated at the edge of the table. He’s glancing at his phone screen. He finally looks up. “Y’all can go on. I’ll meet you at the site.”He rushes out of the room and I exchange a confused glance with Keith. “What was that about?” he asks.“I don’t know.” I say. “We should get going?”Keith nods and we both walk out of the conference room. We drive in silence to the site in his car. I’m
Imogene Scott But instead of a shadowy figure or some deranged person, I see Damien standing there, a flashlight in hand. The relief is so overwhelming that I almost drop the bat.My mind doesn’t stop to think about how and why he’s even here. Sure, he left earlier than us but he didn’t have to come right ahead if we were all heading to the same place. Right?“Damien?” My voice is shaky. “What the hell are you doing here?”He raises an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by my reaction. “I could ask you the same thing,” he says, lowering the flashlight. “I got here early because one of the contractors mentioned the restrooms need to be renovated before the convention. I had to check it out myself.”I blink. He’s gotta be kidding me. “You came all the way here… for a restroom?”That makes literally no sense.His mouth quirks into a wry smile. “I like to be thorough.”No kidding.I lower the bat completely, still holding it just in case. “Well, I don’t care about your thoroughness right no
Imogene Scott Just as Damien’s lips are about to brush against mine, the sound of Keith’s voice cuts through the air, sharp and clear.“Imogene, are you in there?” Keith yells from the other side of the door.I jerk back as if I’ve been burned, and the spell is broken. Elinor warned me, being around Damien would be no good for me. He’s manipulative, knows the right time to say and do things. Knows the right time I might crack under pressure.Shit!“I’m here! The door’s jammed!” I shout, my voice trembling.There’s a brief moment of silence, followed by a series of bangs as Keith forces the door open. The metal groans and then swings wide, flooding the cramped space with light and fresh air. I scramble to my feet, shrugging off Damien’s jacket as I do.“Thank you,” I say to Keith, my voice shaky. I don’t dare look back at Damien as I step past him, out into the open space of the site.Damien follows, his expression unreadable. “What took you so long to find us?” he asks Keith, his
Imogene Scott My head throbs as I pace back and forth my bedroom cradling Lily in my arms. She was asleep a while ago after Breonna left, but now she’s suddenly awake ten minutes later and wailing. She isn’t hungry, I tried giving her food. She doesn’t want to play either because she keeps tossing the toys aside. I can’t seem to figure out what she wants.Her small body is warm and squirming against me and her cries grow more frantic with each passing second. I try to soothe her, whispering soft words, bouncing her gently, but nothing seems to work. Her face is flushed, her tiny hands gripping at my shirt, and I can feel her tears soaking through the fabric.“Shhh, baby, please,” I murmur, but my voice is barely audible over her cries. My throat feels raw, the result of the cold I caught at the site earlier today. It has only gotten worse since I got home. Every breath feels like I’m dragging it through sandpaper, and my head is pounding so hard it feels like it might split in
Imogene Scott The morning sun filters through the window in my room, painting the walls in soft, golden light. I blink slowly, letting the warmth seep into my bones. I sit up and take a moment to register how I feel. My head no longer feels like it’s stuffed with wet cotton balls and molasses. As much as I hate to admit it, the chicken noodle soup Damien brought me last night must’ve done the trick. The thought of him in my apartment last night lol ast night, makes my stomach twist, but I push it aside. I stand up carefully. The room doesn’t whirl around me. Feeling optimistic, I stretch my arms above my head, feeling the tension in my muscles ease slightly. But then, the memories of last night flood back in.Damien was really here, in my apartment. He held Lily, comforted her like it was the most natural thing in the world, and even served me food. My heart constricts painfully, a mix of anger, confusion, and something else I can’t quite name.What was I thinking? He’s my ex-husb
Damien Shaw No one beats Imogene when it comes to pretending like nothing happened. She’s a master at it. Right now, she sits across from me in the conference room, her posture straight, her face impassive, her attention seemingly focused on the meeting that just ended. Her pen taps rhythmically against the table, and she makes notes in that neat, precise handwriting of hers. There’s not a single hint in her demeanor that suggests she cares.I’m seething inside, watching her act like everything is perfectly normal. How can she do this? How can she act like I didn’t take care of her when she was sick, like I didn’t hold our daughter in my arms for the first time in what feels like forever? That night—it wasn’t just about soup or care. It was a glimpse, into something I’ve been longing for. A family. My family. Our family. The way Lily clung to me, the way Imogene softened, just for a moment... It made me feel complete in a way I haven’t in years. But now, sitting here in this
Imogene Scott Damien doesn’t show up for meeting for the next few days and I conclude he’s hurt by my words. It’s a good thing. He needs to fucking understand there’s no place for him in mine and Lily’s life.I don’t let his absence bother me so I make sure to keep my schedule tight. I also hop on occasional video calls with Lily and Breonna every now and then. Then later, I meet Mrs Rita Phineas for a late brunch.“Dessert?” Mrs Phineas ask, raising an eyebrow at me.We just finished having brunch at Junior’s, a well-known tourist trap restaurant that actually has some of the best cheese cakes in the city. “Of course.” I study the dessert menu for an eternity. “I can’t decide between the raspberry swirl, Oreo, or red velvet.”“Get them all,” Mrs Phineas says. I love the way she acts when she’s around me. It’s like she’s my best friend and we’re the same age. “A sampler. We don’t have to finish them.”I slap my menu down on the table. “Speak for yourself. Inever leave desse