finally pried Theo from her arms. He was limp, hot to the touch, but breathing. The moment his weight left her, Maisy collapsed into the grass. I fell with her, gathering both my children into a heap of terrified limbs. “What happened?” I demanded, smoothing the hair from her bruised face. “Where are Grandma and…
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“Maisy!” I screamed. She didn’t answer. She just kept walking, her eyes fixed on a horizon I couldn’t see. When I reached her, I saw the extent of the damage. Scratches crisscrossed her arms. Her lips were cracked and bleeding from dehydration. A dark bruise was blooming on her cheekbone. And Theo was silent. “Give…
“North Pole Emergency Hotline. This is Santa’s helper, Owen, speaking. Who am I talking to tonight?” Silence. Not dead air—I could hear something on the other end. Breathing. Soft and quick, like a small animal hiding in tall grass. I waited, counting seconds. Five. Ten. Some children needed time to work up the courage. “Hello,” I gentled…
I pulled up the volunteer manual on my computer screen, not because I needed to review it, but because staring at something felt better than staring at nothing. Three years. One thousand and ninety-five days since I’d worn a paramedic uniform. Since I’d felt the weight of someone’s life depending on my decisions, my speed,…
“Not my problem.” I recoiled. “It is your child! Our child!” “My child?” He laughed again, viciously. “I doubt it. knowing where you come from, you probably let some lowlife from your old neighborhood touch you. You’re trying to pin your mistake on me to secure a payout.” The accusation was so vile I couldn’t…
He began throwing silk shirts into his leather valise. “I thought I could mold you. I thought I could polish you up, teach you how to hold a fork, how to speak to senators. But you can’t polish trash, can you?” I sank onto the edge of the king-sized bed, the site of our intimacy…
Nothing you say matters,” he spat, brushing past me toward the bedroom. He knocked his shoulder against mine, a deliberate physical slight. “I found someone who actually deserves to be with a man of my stature. Someone who isn’t…” He paused at the door, turning to look at me with a sneer that curdled my…
Once my mother and her belongings were safe in my car, I drove a short distance away, pulling over to a quiet, tree-lined side street with a view of the house. I gave my mother a bottle of water, held her trembling hand, and promised her justice. “It’s going to be okay, Mom,” I said,…
I didn’t argue. I didn’t scream. I saw the utter, soul-deep exhaustion and shame on my mother’s face, and my own white-hot rage solidified into a cold, precise, and infinitely more dangerous weapon. Ben wanted a scene. He wanted hysterics. He wanted to feed on our pain, to watch us break. I would not give…
aid it’s his now. He said I have one hour to get my things and go before he calls the sheriff.” Ben turned, his face hardening as he recognized me. He was wearing an expensive, arrogant suit, a clear and deliberate costume of his newfound confidence and power. “Stay out of this, Anna,” he snarled,…