My hand felt empty without Claire's, and the cold metal of the ring box in my pocket was a stark reminder of the promise I had made. I took a deep breath and walked inside, the sound of my boots on the hardwood floor echoing through the house. The television was playing in the background, and I could hear Evie's footsteps as she approached the door. "Dad?" she called out, her voice had a hint of anger. I turned to face her, trying to put on a calm face. “Evie, I am so glad you are home. I have been worried about you.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Where were you?." "Out of town," I replied, trying to keep my voice even. "I had some work to take care of." It was a lie, but one I hoped she would believe. Evie looked at me skeptically. "On a Friday night?" She knew my work schedule better than anyone. "It was unexpected," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "A last-minute emergency." "Yeah, sure," Evie said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "And I bet this 'emergency' was
It has been an hour since I texted Rawls and I haven’t heard back from him. I've been pacing back and forth in the bedroom, trying to calm down. The ring on my finger feels like a weight, a reminder of the secrets we've been keeping. The sudden knock on the door sends my heart racing. "Claire, honey, are you okay?" It's my mom's voice, filled with concern. I quickly shove the ring into the drawer, my heart hammering in my chest. "Yeah, Mom, I'm fine," I call out, trying to sound as casual as possible. "Just unpacking.” Mom opens the door, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "You've been in here for ages," she says, her eyes scanning the room. "Is everything okay?" "Yeah," I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. Mom steps into the room, her eyes searching my face. "You seem a bit... flustered," she says, her smile fading into a concerned frown. "Is everything okay?" "I'm just tired," I lie, hoping she'll buy it. "It was a long weekend." Mom nods, her gaze lingering on
Having to block Claire hurt me to the core. I can only imagine what she is going through. She doesn’t understand right now, but I am doing this to protect her, protect us. I am in my study, thinking about my weekend with Claire. The faint scent of her perfume still lingers on my jacket, and I can't help but think of the passionate nights we shared. It feels like a lifetime ago. My thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door. It's Evie, her eyes red from crying. She looks at me with a mix of anger and hurt. "We need to talk," she says, her voice cold. I swallow hard, knowing that this conversation could change everything. "Okay," I reply, gesturing for her to sit down. She remains standing, her arms folded tightly across her chest. "I know you're seeing someone," she says, her voice filled with accusation. "Who is it?" “Evie, we are not discussing this again. I am still your father and I do not need to give you any explanations. What needs to happen now is to get some hel
I haven’t heard from Rawls in almost two weeks. I feel like I am a shell of the person I was. I don’t have an appetite and I am exhausted. I am doing my best to focus at work, but I feel like I am not doing it effectively right now. I have done my best to just keep to myself at work. Thelma was not going to have any of that. She put a note on my desk saying we were going to lunch, she had cleared my schedule. The very thought of food made me want to throw up. Thelma looked at me with a motherly frown. "You can't keep going like this, Claire," she said firmly. "You need to take care of yourself." I nodded, unable to argue with her. The truth was, I felt like I was falling apart. The secret of my weekend with Rawls was eating away at me, and the fear of losing him was like a constant knot in my stomach. I knew I couldn't keep pretending everything was fine much longer. As we sit in the busy restaurant, Thelma looks at me with a knowing expression. "Is there something you want
I sit there for what feels like hours, staring at the phone, willing it to ring. But it stays silent, a piece of technology that holds the key to my future. Finally, unable to take the suspense anymore. I am just going to go to Rawls’ house and talk to him. He is not going to avoid me today. When I arrive, the house looks dark. Maybe he isn’t home from work yet. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the confrontation to come. I knock on the door, my heart hammering in my chest. Evie opens the door, her eyes widening in surprise and anger when she sees me. "What are you doing here?" she spits out, her voice filled with accusation. I stand there, my heart racing. "I need to talk to your dad," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "It's important." Evie's eyes narrow, her arms crossed over her chest. "What could possibly be important enough for you to come here?" she asks, her voice dripping with skepticism. I take a deep breath, my mind racing for an excuse that won't
Hearing Claire’s voice on her message opened up the wound in my heart even bigger. I haven’t talked to her in weeks and I miss her so much. I rush home as soon as work is done, maybe Robert and Mary are at work and I can talk to Claire. When I pull up to the house there is an ambulance in the driveway. Oh my God, Evie has tried to hurt herself. I ran up to the house and they were working on her. As I got closer, it wasn’t Evie, it was Claire. What had happened? Had she been attacked? I wasn’t here to protect her. And where is Evie, had she been hurt too? "What happened?" I demand, panting and out of breath. A medic looks up at me, his face a mask of professional calm. "She fell," he says, his eyes flicking to my face and then back to his work. "Looks like she hit her head pretty hard." My heart sinks as I see the blood trickling from Claire's forehead. "What about the baby?" I blurt out, the words tumbling from my mouth before I can stop them. The medic's expression flickers,
The nurses come in to take Claire down to surgery. Mary and Robert were down the hall when they came in. Thankfully, so. No awkward questions to be answered. The wait feels like an eternity. I really didn't know what to say to Robert and Mary. I know they have so many questions. Questions that I don't want to answer or ready to answer. The minutes stretch into hours, each one heavier than the last. Finally, the doctor returns, his expression hopeful. He pulls the curtain around the bed, giving us a semblance of privacy. "The procedure went well," he says, his voice low and soothing. "We were able to remove everything safely. She'll be moved to a recovery room shortly." Mary's eyes search mine, desperate for answers I don't have. "What did they have to remove?" she asks, her voice trembling. I take a deep breath, feeling the weight of my secret threatening to crush me. "They had to remove...uh...some internal bleeding caused by the fall," I improvise, hoping it sounds convi
I am thankful Rawls did not tell Mom and Dad about the baby. I feel completely empty; no baby and no Rawls. I feel like my heart has been shattered into a million tiny pieces. After the nurse ushers Rawls out, I lay in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing with so many questions. How could Evie have done this to me? And why? My hand absently touches the bandage on my forehead, feeling the dull throb that's a constant reminder of the fall. But it's the pain in my heart that's unbearable. The nurse returns with a tray of food, but the sight of it turns my stomach. "Miss Edwards," she says gently, "you need to eat something. You need to heal from what happened today." I nod, my eyes still glued to the ceiling. She sets the tray down on the rolling table beside the bed, and the smell of food fills the room. I don't know if I can force anything down, but I know I have to try. For myself. For whatever is left of my shattered life. As I push the tray away, unab
The next morning, Rawls drove me to work, he was being so protective. I tried talking him out of walking me in to my new office but he was not taking no for an answer. The new office was small but cozy, with a large window that let in the early morning light. It was on the opposite side of the building from where Jonathan worked. The move had been pretty quick, and it was clear that Thelma had pulled some strings to make sure everything was taken care of. The sight of my old office, now occupied by a new face, was a reminder of what had happened. Thelma had come through for me, as she always has. She had managed to get all of my cases reassigned to a new benefits rep without a single problem. “Rawls, honey, you can head to work. I will be okay. Thelma is right next door. She is as much of a guard dog as you are." Just them Thelma walks in. “So this must be the man responsible for putting a smile on this girls face. I’m Thelma. It is so good to finally meet you.” Rawls’s handshake
I had trouble sleeping most of the night. I am worried about Rawls doing something to Jonathan after what happened yesterday. I love him dearly for wanting to protect me, but I don't want him to do something that will land him in jail. Claire: Thelma, I need to meet with you before we get started with work. Thelma: What's up sugar plum? Claire: It's about Jonathan. Something happened and I really need to talk about it. Thelma: Ok. Meet me at the office at 730 and we can have time before anyone else gets in. I don't know what I would do without Thelma. She has been my rock and confidant through so much. Rawls wasn't going into later to the office, so I snuck in and gave him a quick kiss before I headed out the door. I thought he was asleep, but he was just pretending because he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me down on the bed. "Where do you think, you are going to so early, my love." He was kissing down my neck and his facial hair was rubbing on my neck and g
I had trouble sleeping most of the night. I am worried about Rawls doing something to Jonathan after what happened yesterday. I love him dearly for wanting to protect me, but I don't want him to do something that will land him in jail. Claire: Thelma, I need to meet with you before we get started with work. Thelma: What's up sugar plum? Claire: It's about Jonathan. Something happened and I really need to talk about it. Thelma: Ok. Meet me at the office at 730 and we can have time before anyone else gets in. I don't know what I would do without Thelma. She has been my rock and confidant through so much. Rawls wasn't going into later to the office, so I snuck in and gave him a quick kiss before I headed out the door. I thought he was asleep, but he was just pretending because he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me down on the bed. "Where do you think, you are going to so early, my love." He was kissing down my neck and his facial hair was rubbing on my neck and g
It took everything in me to not go to Claire's office and beat the hell out of Jonathan Cramer. How dare he try to lay a hand on my woman. Makes me wonder how many other women he has tried this with. The image of Claire's tear-stained face and her trembling voice recounting the assault played over and over in my mind like a horror movie. I know I had to be smart about this. I couldn't just go in there and start throwing punches. That would only make things worse for Claire. But the urge to protect her was burning a hole in my chest. I couldn't sit around and do nothing while that scumbag was out there, breathing the same air as her. I had to come up with a plan. As the day dragged on, I found myself unable to focus on anything but the rage simmering just beneath the surface. The office felt like it was closing in on me, each tick of the clock a reminder of the injustice that had occurred. I knew I had to channel this anger into something productive. After a restless lunch,
When the nurse came in this morning, I was feeling a little bit better. They were cutting back on my meds. I was going to have a group therapy session today. Guess they want me to be lucid in order for me to bare my soul. The therapist, Mrs. Hennessey, reminded me of a grandmother. She had a gentle way about her that made it easier to talk about the darkest moments of my life. But today, she was going to get more than she bargained for. The group therapy was small, only five of us, all young women with sad eyes and no smiles on their faces. We all had our reasons for being here, our own demons to face. I was the quiet one, the one who didn't say much. But today, I had to tell them. I had to get this secret off my chest. Mrs. Hennessey, the therapist, sat in the circle with us. She had a gentle smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, like she had seen too much pain in her career. "Let's start with you, Toni," she said, turning to the girl with short hair that was dyed blue.
As soon as I heard the backdoor, I was so happy Claire was home. "Baby, I'm in the kitchen. How was your day?" As soon as I look at her, I know something is very wrong. Her eyes are red and puffy, and she is visibly shaking. I rush over to her, wrapping her in my arms. "What happened? Are you okay?" "It was Jonathan," she whispers, her voice trembling. "He...he attacked me in the parking lot." I pull her closer, my heart racing. "What? Are you okay?" "I...I think so," she says, her voice shaking. "I kneed him and got away. But he's so angry, Rawls. So much angrier than I ever thought he could be." My protective instincts flare up, and I hold her tighter. "You're safe now," I murmur into her hair, trying to soothe her. "Let's go into the living room and you can tell me everything." We sit down on the couch, her voice shaking as she recounts the incident. I listen, my jaw clenched, as she describes how he grabbed her and tried to kiss her against her will. The room fee
As soon as I walked into work, I see Thelma. I can't wait to tell her about my weekend. "Claire, you are in bright and early this morning. And that is a pretty big smile on your face." Thelma looked up from her a big smile on her face. She had been my confidant through all of this, and I could tell she could see the change in me. "I have something to tell you," I said, my voice filled with excitement. "Rawls and I are back together, and we are going to make it work, no matter what anyone says." Thelma's eyes widened, and she immediately stood up, rushing over to give me a hug. "Oh, Claire, I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed. "But what about your parents?" "It's complicated," I sighed, taking a seat at my desk. "They're still upset, but I can't keep living my life to please them. I need to do what's right for me and for Rawls." "Let's go to the park for lunch and you can fill me in on all of the details." "Yes, ma'am. I can't wait." Today was one of those days
I decided to visit Evie before heading to work. The mental facility had suggested that she was more lucid and calm in the early hours, and I did not want to miss the chance to see her in a calmer state. I wanted her to know how much i missed her, but I also wanted her to understand the necessity of her being there. The drive to the hospital was quiet, the early morning traffic was light. My mind was racing with thoughts of Evie, wondering what she would say, how she would react. I missed my little girl, and the ache in my chest was a constant reminder of her absence. I hoped that with time and the right help, she would find peace and come back to me. When I arrived, the receptionist checked me in, and I was escorted to Evie's room. The halls were painted a light shade of blue, designed to ease anxieties, but it did not do much for my own racing heart. I haven’t seen her in days and I was not sure what to expect. When I walked into her room, she was sitting up in bed, staring o
The evening began with lighthearted conversation. The dining room table was set with my mother's fine china. The aroma of roast chicken and vegetables filled the air, mingling with the faint scent of my mother's favorite candles. Mom and Dad sat at the table, their faces beaming with pride as they watched me bring out the plates of food. The clink of silverware and the murmur of their approval as they tasted the meal I had so painstakingly prepared filled me with a warmth that was bittersweet. I knew that the revelation we were about to share would change everything. The conversation flowed easily. The laughter was genuine, the kind that fills a room and makes you feel like everything is right with the world. But beneath the surface, I felt the tension coiling in my stomach, tightening with every passing minute. I have never been so scared in my life. Mary looked over at me, her eyes filled with love and admiration. "Claire, this meal is simply delicious," she said, patting h