AbigailConrad patted the boy's head and calmly said, "No, I'm not her husband." Then he pulled his arm out of Susanna's and tried to take my hand.I took a step back to avoid his arm. Conrad looked confused and asked, "What's going on? What happened?"The officer explained what had happened, white the boy was still shouting loudly, "Aunt, you know this woman? She's a thug, she touched and hit me!"I saw Liliana’s face shift ever so slightly as she processed the details."Oh, Harry, stop." Liliana stopped the boy, Harry, from accusing me and then turned to me.“Oh dear,” she said with a gentle laugh, turning all her attention to me. “It seems there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding. We’re all family here, aren’t we? I’m sure it wasn’t anything inappropriate. Perhaps Harry was being naughty, and Abigail tried to discipline him? Boys can be such a handful at this age.”Her words were sugar-coated, but the implication was razor-sharp. My hands clenched at my sides as the officer’s frown
Abigail“Abigail’s right.”Conrad’s agreement caught me off guard, so much so that I almost didn’t believe my ears. The surprise must have shown on my face, but I quickly masked it.Apparently, Susanna didn’t believe her ears as well, as her face twisted into a picture of wounded disbelief. She looked as if she'd just been betrayed by her most loyal supporter.“What?” she said, her voice high-pitched.“Abigail’s right,” he repeated firmly, turning to Susanna with a seriousness that had only been directed at me before and never her. “Harry is at an age where recklessness can lead to disaster. What if it had been y
AbigailThe house was quiet when I heard the soft creak of the door to the game room opening.Conrad stepped into the room, his tie loosened and his jacket draped over one arm. His face was shadowed with exhaustion, but there was something else there—maybe remorse? He hovered near the doorway, looking at me as though he wasn’t sure if he was welcome.“You’re up,” he said softly, his voice carrying a note of surprise. I don’t know why he would be so surprised. It was almost ten at night and he hadn’t been home. How could I sleep?I shrugged, placing another card down on the table. “ How come you're back? Don't you need to stay with Susanna?”He hesitated for a moment before stepping closer, his movements uncertain. “After all this, you must need me. I just want to make sure you're okay. Abigail... earlier today, at the station—were you hurt?”The question caught me off guard. “No,” I said simply, “I’m fine.”Conrad exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “Good. Harry’s be
AbigailThe robins outside my window chirped cheerfully as I got out of bed and stretched my tired body, but I was immune to their happiness. It was as if ice had settled over my heart as I realized Conrad was still not home. My night had been full of restless sleep and scattered thoughts, and now, as I padded toward the kitchen to make a cup of tea, the sharp ring of the study phone cut through the quiet.It rang once. Twice. No one answered.With a sigh, I turned toward the study. Conrad usually never left the house this early without checking in, but he wasn’t here now. Pushing the door open, I crossed the room and picked up the receiver.“Hello?” I said, clearing my throat so I didn’t sound sleepy.The man on the other end exhaled audibly, relief clear in his tone. “Thank goodness, someone answered. This is Daniel. Are you Abigail? Do you know where Mr. Conrad Remington is? I’ve been trying to reach Mr. Conrad all night on an urgent matter, but he hasn’t returned any of my calls to
AbigailMarcy’s expression didn’t falter, and for a moment, I wondered if Liliana had promised her something.Liliana sighed like the drama queen she was turning out to be. “This is a misunderstanding, I’m sure. Why don’t we calm down and figure out where the jewelry is?”“Don’t patronize me,” I snapped. “This isn’t a misunderstanding. It’s manipulation.”“Abigail,” Conrad said, his voice low, “let’s not escalate this.”I rounded on him. “Are you seriously questioning me right now? After everything?”“I just—” He hesitated, running a hand through his hair.“You’re right to hesitate,” I said sharply. “Because if you side with them, Conrad, I will not forgive you.”I leveled a mocking glance at Liliana. She stood there as if this entire charade wasn’t her doing. The anger in the chest begged for release, and I let it fist my words with venom. “Is this what you wanted, Liliana?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “To embarrass me like this? Tell me, was this little performance Susan
AbigailThe air in the room shifted the moment Marceline entered. Her presence commanded the kind of attention no one dared ignore. She stood there, sharp and commanding, her gaze sweeping over us like a storm about to break. Her eyes landed on Liliana, lingering with the kind of intensity that could make even the boldest person stop in their tracks. Marceline’s lips pressed into a thin line as she turned to Conrad."And who, may I ask, is this?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the tense silence.Conrad cleared his throat, stepping forward. “Mother, this is Liliana. She’s Susanna’s sister and—”Marceline cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand, her gaze never leaving Liliana. “I didn’t ask for her life story, Conrad.” Her tone was ice. “Our family’s been very busy lately, and we don’t have time to take in Susanna’s relatives.”I bit back the urge to grin as Liliana stiffened, her practiced expression faltering for a split second.Conrad, ever the peacemaker when it suited him
Abigail****Marceline’s fork paused midair, and she looked at Conrad with an arched brow. “Well,” she said, setting her silverware down with practiced grace. “If you insist.”But the conversation didn’t die there. Marceline switched topics easily and launched into a tale about her close friend Penelope and her heartbreak over her children’s refusal to settle down.“Imagine,” Marceline said, her voice carrying an undercurrent of disapproval, “both the boy and the girl, as successful as they are, are nearing forty and still have no spouses. No grandchildren. It’s shameful, really. I told her just the other day how fortunate I am that my Alexander and Conrad never gave me such grief.”I forced a smile, nodding in hopes of keeping the conversation alive. “Penelope must be worried,” I offered, my voice carrying the pity I knew my mother-in-law would want to hear.“She is,” Marceline agreed with a dramatic sigh, launching into more details. She was particularly fixated on how Penelope’s dau
AbigailThe next morning, I dressed quickly and headed straight to the police station. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going; I didn’t need any interruptions. At the station, I requested to speak with the officers who had been called to the house. It took some convincing, but eventually, they agreed to sit down with me. After I’d explained my desire to see the progress they had made with the case, one of the officers – Lieutenant Barnes – was surprisingly cooperative after he’d heard me out.He took a folder from the other officer and slid it across the table to me. “We’ve made some progress,” he said. “First, the jewelry didn’t have your fingerprints on it.”I frowned. “Jus
SusannaI was still lost in my daydreams of what I would do to the server when the car slowed to a stop and the driver glanced back at me. “We’re here, ma’am.”I looked up from my laps and looked out the window. A multi-storey building rose before me, all chipped paint and faded brick, like it had been built decades ago and then forgotten by time. No shine, no polish, no class. I sneered. So this is where he lives?What an absolute joke. The sheer nerve of that man to lay a hand on me, when the ring on my finger could pay his rent for five years and furnish the entire building. Yet he’d acted like a vigilante, like he had the right to involve himself in a matter that didn’t concern him. Like I wasn’t the Susanna Remington.
SusannaI leaned back in the plush reclining chair, sighing as the warm water bubbled around my feet. The spa always smelled like lavender and citrus, and that familiarity made it soothing. A soft towel was draped over my legs, and the nail technician was diligently filing the nails on my left hand while my right held my phone just above the water. I was watching a video of some influencer's vacation in the Maldives, my eyes half-lidded in relaxation.Then my phone vibrated in my hand. It was a call from an unsaved number. I didn't recognize it, and I didn’t care to. Without hesitation, I hit decline and went back to the video, rolling my eyes.The phone buzzed again almost immediately; it was the same unsaved number. I frowned.Twice in a row? What kind of idiot… My finger hovered over the decline button again when a thought struck me. Was it Harry’s father?He used to do this sometimes, calling me from random numbers, burner phones, maybe. He hadn’t done it in a while, but I also ha
Liliana I stared down at my lunch, the delicate aroma rising from the bowl doing nothing to stir my appetite. It was my favorite meal, carefully prepared and beautifully plated but today it tasted like nothing more than ash in my mouth, bitter and dry. I set my spoon down with a loud clatter, the sharp sound slicing through the silence of the room. Harry was out playing baseball with his friends, so I was all at home today, which made my annoyance even worse. My chest felt tight, suffocated by a fury I was barely managing to keep contained. How could I eat happily? How could I pretend everything was fine when it wasn’t? I let out a harsh loud breath, pushing my plate aside so forcefully it nearly toppled over the edge of the table. Enough. It had been months of enduring this slow descent into chaos. I had been an angel to tolerate it for this long. What other woman could have withstood the humiliation and the pressure of everything that had been thrown my way lately? First, ther
AbigailI meant to wait until later to tell Alexander about the meeting. I had every intention of acting cool, composed, someone who didn’t need to rush and blurt everything out like an overeager intern.But the second I promised to see Mr. Hayes back at the office and stepped into the elevator and the doors slid shut behind me, all my resolve crumbled. My fingers itched for my phone, and before I knew it, I was pulling it out of my pocket, rapidly typing out a message. I crushed it, I wrote, my heart beating a little too fast. Conrad’s project is dead. You should have seen his face, Alexander. It was glorious.I stared at the screen, grinning like a fool. And then, reality caught up with me.I was being ridiculous. Maybe even downright immature. This wasn’t the dynamic we had. I was supposed to be professional and reliable, not someone who acted like they were texting a secret crush after acing a test. Groaning quietly under my breath, I erased the entire message and typed a much s
AbigailI froze mid-sentence, lifting my head slowly to look at him. He was still at the front of the room, but now his arms were crossed loosely over his chest, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.“And here I thought,” he added, dripping with false politeness, “that only those formally invited had something to contribute.”A few people shifted in their seats. A few glanced at me. I could feel the weight of their eyes, the tension coiling in the air.Conrad was trying to embarrass me and put me back in my place.I leaned forward, pressing the button on the microphone in front of me. My voice was cool. “I have nothing to say to you, Mr. Remington.”I started t
AbigailInternally, I whooped and punched the air in victory. But outwardly, I gave Mr. Hayes a serene, practiced smile, the kind that said I'm glad to be here, not desperate to be here. “Thank you again,” I said politely, then stepped out of his office before my excitement bubbled too far to contain.Ten o’clock was only forty minutes away. Not enough time to start anything new, but just enough to make myself useful. I returned to my office, where Elle was already tidying up the documents on my desk.“Anything urgent?” I asked as I approached.She handed me a printed memo and gave me a quick update on a postponed meeting. “Only thing worth noting is
AbigailThe smell of the food filled the entire room, and something about the presence of Alexander beside me dulled the tightness I’d been carrying all day. The tension behind my eyes had started to fade as I picked at the grilled fish, letting the flavors roll across my tongue, my limbs slowly unknotting with every bite.“I’ve been getting calls from Liam,” I said, my voice tired but audible. I didn’t know why I chose now to bring it up; maybe because I finally felt safe enough to say it out loud.Alexander’s hand stilled mid-motion, his chopsticks hovering above the container of scallops. “Liam?” His eyes flicked to mine, sharp. “How long?”I nodded and swallowed. “It’s been a few times now. He says he’s changed and keeps asking to see me.”His brows drew together, and I could see him piecing something together. “He’s been coming to me too and asking to see you.” He paused. “He’s not been released from Ridgewell officially, but this is part of the treatment program; they release so
Abigail I didn’t know where I was going, I just kept driving. One street turned into another and headlights flashed past me in a blur. The city was quietly winding down while something restless stirred in my chest. My fingers were clenched so tight around the steering wheel, they ached. I told myself I would find a hotel. Or maybe I would go to Roxy’s, even though it was too late and she’d worry. But the truth was, I wasn’t thinking clearly at all. I wasn’t thinking at all.I just didn’t want to go home.And somehow, without meaning to, I ended up here. The car rolled to a slow stop in front of the tall, glittering building before I fully realized where I was. I blinked up at it, dazed and slightly breathless, my stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot. I knew this place; it was the high rise I had met Alexander before we went to Ridgewell to see Liam. The lights shimmered against the glass like stars in a city that forgot what the real ones looked like. But I wasn’t looking at
AbigailAfter work, I found myself walking to the park instead of driving straight home.I told Roxy I’d leave early today, mostly because she looked ready to duct-tape me to my chair if I didn’t. But now that I had, I didn’t know what to do with myself. My body wasn’t worn down enough, and that small sliver of energy still lingering in me made me restless. If I’d had my way, I would’ve stayed in the office till one a.m., working until even my thoughts couldn’t keep up with me anymore. But Roxy had been especially worried lately. So, I’d smiled, packed up, and walked out like someone who had a life waiting for her outside those walls.I didn’t.So, here I was, wandering through the park with my coat still buttoned, my shoes making soft sounds against the path. The air was crisp but not cold, and the faint scent of blooming grass and wet earth filled my lungs. It was peaceful, in a way that made the ache in my chest feel sharper.To my left, I noticed a picnic spread out on a checkered