Something in the way Miles looks at me begs me to stay, even though every logical thought in my brain is telling me to run away and not look back. We can’t do this here, with Selena, bright and beautiful, sitting beside him.All the articles I’ve read, I thought hurt me. Seeing the two of them in th
Feeling embarrassed and abandoned, I push my way through the dance floor and return to Cynthia’s side.“I want to leave,” I tell her, my voice shaking. I’m instantly sober, but I still feel shaky. “I want to leave right now.”Cynthia, without question, flags down the bartender. “Check please.” To me
“Hugo…” I say, looking at him.He must see something in my face that tells him I see him differently than before. He starts to straighten slightly, all while keeping his face open and his smile easy and soft.“If were to ask you…” I lick my lips, nervous.He leans toward me a little. “Yes?”“Feel fr
I have no idea how to answer that question. “Uh…” I say eloquently, searching for the correct words to satisfy my curious child. There is so much about my relationship with Miles that I can’t share with her. Actually, there’s very little that I can share.I guess it wouldn’t be unsafe to share, “It
He is kind and sweet, and I’m quite fond of him.If Miles wasn’t already in my heart, I would have easily fallen for Hugo. I can’t let my attachment to someone unobtainable stand in the way of my happiness now.“Is it difficult… being here with me, when your heart is somewhere else?” Hugo asks.I st
“This is an unusual place to find you, Selena,” Hugo says, deflecting attention away from me.I’m glad for this, as I’m still incredibly unnerved that Selena knows my name. I have been on the news a lot lately. Still, the way she said it, Hello, Esther, like we are old friends… It’s unnerving. She s
Hugo hums, not quite agreeing, but not disagreeing either.Maybe it hurts him to talk about Miles and I like this. I probably should stop. Whatever venting I need to do, I can do with someone who isn’t the man I’m actively trying to date.“I’m sorry,” I tell him. “We were having a good night, and th
At once, a variety of emotions wash over me. Hurt, yearning, a satisfaction that Miles still cares about me, guilt, trepidation.Among all these feelings, however, confusion reigns supreme.This is what Selena wanted to talk to me about.“I don’t understand,” I admit, because Selena seems to be wait
“We should watch the rest,” I tell him, though my voice is shaky. “No,” Miles says, more firmly. I breathe a sigh of relief. For my job, I know we have to hear it. But personally, I would like to go the rest of my life without even thinking about Edward Zimmer again. “The numbers are already u
Edward’s response comes in the form of a video message. Crystal set it up on the television on the wall, while Miles and I huddle closer to the screen. Miles holds tightly onto my hand. “Whatever happens. Whatever he says. We will stand against him and we will win,” he says. I believe him. Last
How could I say anything but yes? A thousand times over, yes, yes, yes. I’ve tried so hard since that first night, sleeping with Miles while thinking him a call boy, to not fall in love with him. Yet, as hard as I tried not to, my heart kept pulling me straight back to him. My love for Miles is so
We hold the press conference in front of the headquarters, setting up a podium outside the double doors. The news media organizations have been notified, so they send reporters and cameramen, who have set up around the podium. The release we sent out already told them that the conference would be
Later, I’m going to have to have a meeting and call in all the employees to discuss this. Their care is appreciated, but I need to be able to do my job. For now, though, it seems as if Crystal gets the hint. With a shallow nod, she continues her report. “Mr. Zimmer has been quiet since the inter
Garnar, knowing I was giving a difficult interview tonight, offered to watch the kids. Since they are at Garnar’s house, I expected the house to be empty when I finally returned. Instead, I see Miles’s car parked in my driveway and the additional security staked out around the premises. It’s a rel
Jean was warned about the story, but she still gasped. My eyes went a little wide. We came here to talk about this, but Daphne’s direct wording leaves me speechless. Daphne didn’t come here just to tell a story. She was ready to reveal her truth, once and for all. “Esther and I were victims,” Da
In the Harbinger HQ, in one of the studio sets arranged to look like a fancy living room, Daphne and I sit side by side on a white couch, facing an interviewer, a woman interviewer named Jean, who sits on an arm chair facing us. The setting is intimate, and Jean is a kind, middle-aged woman, who i
“Miles…” Emotion overflows within my heart. There are so many things I want to say, to express – my gratitude, my own affections, explanations about why this has been so difficult for me to accept – yet in the moment, everything gets tangled up in my throat. “Miles…” My tears fall from my chee