FAZER LOGINThe Harringtons in Custody
I sat across from the lawyer in his sleek downtown office, the city stretching out behind him through floor-to-ceiling windows. My hands rested calmly in my lap. No shaking. No racing heart. Just a cold, steady resolve I didn’t even know I had until this moment.
“They’ve been formally charged,” Mr. Reynolds said, sliding a thick folder toward me. “Multiple counts
The Harringtons in CustodyI sat across from the lawyer in his sleek downtown office, the city stretching out behind him through floor-to-ceiling windows. My hands rested calmly in my lap. No shaking. No racing heart. Just a cold, steady resolve I didn’t even know I had until this moment.“They’ve been formally charged,” Mr. Reynolds said, sliding a thick folder toward me. “Multiple counts — fraud, conspiracy, attempted murder, child endangerment. The evidence your husband’s team put together was… overwhelming. Rachel and her mother are already in custody. Your step-brother is next.”I nodded slowly, flipping through the documents. Photos. Bank records. Communication logs. Everything that proved just how far they were willing to go to keep what they thought was theirs.“Good,” I said quietly. “
Dr. Sandra's EndingI read the article in the quiet of the living room while Loise napped and Eliana rested.Fletcher had sent the link to my phone without any message. He didn’t need to explain. The headline was enough: Disgraced Pediatrician Loses All Medical Licenses, Faces Multiple Investigations.They had stripped her of everything. Every license, every certificate, every hospital that once welcomed her with open arms. Her connections on the medical board had been dragged into the light too — bribes, favors, quiet deals that went back years. The Harringtons had paid her well, but not well enough to stay hidden once Fletcher’s people started digging.I scrolled down slowly.There was one final interview. Sandra had given it from some undisclosed locatio
Fletcher and NicoleWe were not even close to being perfect, but we had each other.Some days were easier than others. There were still moments when I caught Fletcher watching me like he was scared I might vanish again. And there were nights when the nightmares dragged me under, making me wake up shaking and covered in sweat.Like tonight.I jerked awake, heart pounding, the taste of fear still thick in my throat. Before I could even sit up, Fletcher was already there. He pulled me into his chest without saying a word, his big hand rubbing slow circles on my back. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t try to fix it. He just held me until my breathing slowed down and my body stopped trembling.“I’ve got you,” he whispered against my hair.That was all he ever said. And somehow, it was always enoug
The Days That CountSix weeks had passed since Eliana moved in, and our house — once cold and echoing — had become something entirely different.It was loud now. Beautifully, chaotically loud.Loise’s laughter rang through the halls every morning as she dragged Eliana’s wheelchair to the garden for “butterfly patrol.” Fletcher no longer disappeared into his study the moment he got home. He lingered. He laughed. He let himself be needed. The man who used to command silence now sat on the floor helping Loise build Lego castles while Eliana watched with a knowing smile.I stood at the kitchen window one golden afternoon, watching them. Fletcher had rolled up his sleeves, his injured shoulder finally free of the sling. Loise was explaining something very seriously about why the princess tower needed to be taller. Eliana sat under the
LoiseHaving a grandmother is very different from having a mommy or a daddy.Mommy and Daddy are loud and warm and always there. A grandmother is quieter. Like a secret you’re not sure you’re allowed to keep yet.At first, I was careful.I stood at the door of the east wing room every morning for three whole days, peeking in with one eye. Grandma Eliana looked soft and tired in the big reading chair, sunlight making her hair look like silver threads. She smiled when she saw me, but I didn’t go in right away. I needed to watch. To make sure she was real.On the fourth day, I brought my best drawing.It was a picture of all of us — me, Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma — standing in the garden with butterflies everywhere. I had drawn Grandma with strong colors so she wouldn’t look sick. I held it
Three MonthsThe words hung in the sterile hospital air like a death sentence wrapped in clinical politeness.“Three months,” the doctor had said gently. “Maybe a little more if the treatment responds well. But we need to be realistic.”I stood frozen beside Eliana’s bed, my mother’s frail hand in mine. Three months. After everything we had already survived — the fire, the years apart, the surgery, the lies — we were being given three months.“No,” I said immediately, my voice sharper than I intended. “She’s coming home with us. Today.”Eliana let out a tired laugh that turned into a cough. “Nicole, sweetheart, stop. I’m not burdening that man’s house with a dying woman.”“You’re not dying,” I snapped, ev
Xavier's POV It's difficult to explain this feeling that's deeper than nostalgia. How much she reminds me of Loise, how often the memories of the both of them overlaps. It's so consistent to the extent that uts vexing. Hpw did I not notice this when for 6 years and now that she's been missing fo
The Money GrubberFletcher's POVFletcher watched from his office window as Nicole crossed the lobby below, an envelope clutched in her hand. The same kind of envelope Margaret used for petty cash disbursements and overtime payments. The same kind of envelope he'd seen Nicole accept at least three
The NecklaceFletcher's POVThe morning after their argument, Fletcher arrived at the office before dawn. He'd barely slept, his mind replaying Nicole's words about her mother, about desperation, about choices that weren't choices at all. The photograph from his desk drawer had kept him company thr
Nicole's blood ran cold. Nobody knew she was here. Nobody except...Rachel Fletcher.Had Xavier's mother been having her followed? Was this some kind of test to see if Nicole would really stay away?Before she could process this new complication, a soft sound from the bed made her look up. Her moth







