Miles presses his lips hard together but doesn’t argue. “I’ll have my phone on me. Call if you need me, and I will be there.” I believe him. That helps give me strength, as later, I race through the city streets back to our sleepy suburban neighborhood. I drive straight by my own house, going deep
I drive as quickly and safely back to the house and then usher the girls inside. They are startled by my panic, I can tell. Iris keeps asking me what’s wrong. Violet watches me like she wants to cry. For their sake, I try to calm myself down, but it’s difficult. Every time I blink, I’m back in tha
“Of course your Dad will protect you,” I tell Violet. What else can I say? Little girls should expect their fathers to defend them. I will simply have to have a proper talk with Garnar, then everything will be fine. “Why don’t I make dinner,” I say. “What are we having?” Iris asks. And for a whi
For the rest of the evening, Miles stays with us. His mac and cheese is divine. The girls are in heaven, as this is already their favorite meal. To have it be that much special, helps ease all of our ruffled nerves. Miles does his best to lay on the charm tonight too, making all of us laugh. After
“I was shocked to see you again the other night, Esther. It’d been so long. Too long. Truly,” Edward says. He’s using his ‘charming voice,’ all buttery smooth. I hate everything about it, just like I hate him. He’d always use this tone of voice right before he snapped. “How shocked I am then, to dis
They came closer to us, boxing us in, that uncomfortable hunger in their eyes, the kind I had grown horribly familiar with. Frightened, Daphne and I ran back into the orphanage. Edward was waiting for us in the hallway. “Never question me,” he said. “Don’t you see that I’m the only one keeping y
Miles offers to let me go home early, but I refuse. I’ve had too many setbacks already, so many almost exclusively handed to me by Edward Zimmer. I’m not going to let him win by cowering any longer. It’s past time that I start advocating for myself. After righting myself in the chair, and assuring
The day of the debate, Miles stands in my bedroom, changing into the suit he’d left hanging on the door the night before, so it wouldn’t get wrinkles. I’ve already taken my daughters to my parents’ house. The kids were not thrilled about the arrangement. They think they’re grandparents are stuffy
“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