When Esther reaches her parents’ house, she’s relieved to discover that Davis no longer has been instructed to hold her up at the door. After greeting her kindly and taking her coat, he guides her toward the living room, where Mom and Dad are sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Dad’s reading th
The confusion ebbs from Mom and Dad’s faces. They know about Edward, and the horrors he’s responsible for. Thea continues to be perplexed though. We’ve all shielded her in our own ways, me as well. She has her own dark memories, she doesn’t need mine on top of them. “The past is best left where it
I’m not angry that Miles went to see Edward at this event. Surprised, certainly, and I’m not a fan of him having done it behind my back. I fully plan on chewing him out for even attempting that. But. He says he’s met my monster. It’s difficult not to focus on that. “What did you think?” I ask.
It’s cheesy so I laugh a little. He swallows it with a kiss. When we break for air, I suggest, “Maybe we should practice.” “Good idea,” Miles says and lowers me down onto the bed. When I’m with Miles, the bad memories are pushed so far away, it’s like they happened to someone else. When I’m
Hugo watches Mr. Carpenter like a hawk, so he notices the way Mr. Carpenter immediately stiffens at Edward Zimmer’s name. Good. Hugo wants to make him uncomfortable. But he also wants Mr. Carpenter to think they might be in the same boat. Zimmer likely has dirt on Carpenter. Why couldn’t he have d
That night, Miles and I have our third and fourth round from the privacy of my bedroom. My body is pleasantly sore and sated. I’m ready to drift off to dreamland. I’m fairly certain Miles is already there, wrapped around me protectively. I feel safe and happy here beside Miles. Despite everythin
I fly out of the backseat of the car and rush up the driveway. “Garnar!” Thea wails. Some of the neighbors turn their lights on. Eyes start peeking through the windows. The door opens a crack. “Go home, Thea!” Garnar shouts. “Before I call the police!” “You wouldn’t do that to me! You love m
“You have no right,” Dad says, his own face twisting with anger. “I have every right, as someone who cares about Esther, to speak up when I see her being mistreated. And you, sir, are mistreating her.” “How dare you!” Mom gasps. “Is she or is she not your daughter?” Miles asks them both, shift
“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