Sorry for the delay, everyone <3 Some days are worse than others, but I'm trying hard to move forward.
“Theo!” I exclaimed, as I practically slammed the door to his room open.Even though Charlie told me he was fine, my worry still convinced me I'd encounter only the worst-case scenarios. I imagined him lying in bed having a seizure, feeling unwell, or even needing to go to the hospital immediately. But what I found was… Well, a mess.He'd certainly played a lot all morning, just as Mae's photos had shown, because several of his toys were scattered across the bedroom floor, especially the ones he'd won on the treasure hunt. However, Theo wasn't having as much fun or smiling as he should have.Instead, he was in the corner of the room, curled up in Mae's lap, his face red and his sobs silent as if he had cried so much he wasn't even able to make noises anymore.“What’s wrong?” I ran to them, my heart clenching as I ran my eyes over his body, trying to find any injury or sign of what could be wrong “What happened, sweetheart…?”“Eden?” He looked up quickly at me, looking shocked for a mo
The ride back to the Mycroft Manor was extremely silent.Not that Connor and I had talked much since I moved in with him, but a part of me was still hopeful that I'd catch at least a hint of what was going on. I knew him well enough to recognize the signs: he was compulsively tapping his fingers against his knee, and his jaw was clenched as he stared out the window, avoiding my gaze at all costs. Maybe because he knew that if I could just catch a glimpse of his gaze, I'd have at least a clue what was going on.I probably shouldn't be thinking so much about Alexander's letters, but I guess I've never been good at controlling my mind. Plus, there was a nagging doubt that had crept into my thoughts and refused to go away. Which was terrible because, as much as Alexander was the brother I never had, he was dead now. And I was no longer his sister-in-law. Nothing good would come of getting too involved in the Mycrofts' problems again. Michael and Connor would probably just find another r
I'd fled like a mouse from a cat's claws, but I didn't care. It was probably a bit of an exaggeration, but still, the relief of being away from George made up for it all. I don't know if it was his fake way of acting like he was truly on my side, when I knew he'd do anything for Michael. Or if it was the imaginary enmity I'd created for him because I knew everything he'd done to Stefana, but…Something about him just made me uncomfortable.With a sigh of relief, I finally spotted the door to my old office, practically throwing myself toward the handle, even though I knew none of the Ellisons would probably make the effort to follow me to the other side of the hospital…“I don’t know if I can keep doing this.” A murmur stopped me the second I cracked the door open. Confused, I peeked t
“You fucking idiot!” Michael started yelling before I even had time to feel relieved “How much longer are you going to allow her to be near my grandson?!” He slammed his hands against the table, standing up as he glared at Connor “If you’re being stupid enough to let yourself be fooled by her again, then I’ll take responsibility and be the one to kick her out…!”“Your grandson?” Connor laughed, but there was no humor in his tone “Are you talking about the child you were making study to exhaustion? With a teacher who abused him? You never think about anyone’s well-being but your own, Michael.”“How dare you?!” his father growled “I would never have put Theodore in the hands of that bitch if I had known she was treating him like that! And don’t you dare act like I’m torturing my grandson by teaching him to be a real man! He deserves the same upbringing I gave my own children…”"Oh, right. And look at what an incredible life Alex and I have had." Connor snorted, his anger beginning to sh
There was quite a hustle and bustle around the hospital, but I could barely pay attention to the chatter of the nurses next to me as we walked up to Stafana's office. That's because, on my phone screen, there was a picture of Theodore playing with the cars he'd won in the treasure hunt the day before. His cheeks were puffed out as if he was still sulking about not being able to accompany me to the meeting as he'd wanted, but he looked adorable making a makeshift track with pillows for his new toys while Mae photographed him.When I left Mycroft Manor years ago, Mae could barely handle the idea of technology, but apparently she'd accepted one of the Mycrofts' offer to get a smartphone as a gift. Which was a relief to me, because that way I could keep an eye on Theo even when he wasn't around. His tachycardia had been under control since the episode at the birthday party, but I felt anxious every time he left my field of vision…God, I was totally acting like a mother watching her ba
Asking if the letter in my hands had been written by Alexander was stupid, because it was obvious. Alex had always been fascinated by antiques and doing things in the old-fashioned way. When Ruth was still alive, she used to say that he had probably been a Victorian gentleman in one of his past lives and had never learned to abandon those customs.God knows, thanks to this, Connor and I had also developed the habit of secretly exchanging letters. All because, one day, a long time ago, Connor had asked him for advice on how to win me over, and Alex had told him that nothing was more romantic than a handwritten confession of love. Many might disagree, but it had certainly worked wonders for me.The only thing that didn't make sense was, although he also enjoyed writing letters, especially on special occasions and Christmas cards, it wasn't as if Alex communicated that way on his daily life. He was as adept at using his cell phone as any 26-year-old man, and his taste in antiques was muc