Standing in front of the door leading to Max's office, Maryanne pauses to try and calm her racing heart. The butterflies that appeared the day before are still within her stomach, fluttering around. Swallowing her budding emotions, she knocks on the door. When she hears a rough grunt from within, she eases her way in."Max?""Yeah," he responds, his eyes glued to the paperwork in front of him. He tilts his head toward her, listening."I'm sorry that it's such short notice. With everything going on, I completely forgot. The girls from work are planning to come over today for our normal weekly book club meeting. We have put it all off for the last few weeks because of the move and Riley." She rushes through her explanation, unsure of how it will play out.Max remains quite for a moment, his eyes not leaving his desk. He slowly nods, "Oh, okay that sounds fun."He doesn't say anything else and Maryanne feels an awkward tension rising in the air."I wanted to ask a big favor." She slo

Maryanne tries to force her shoulders to relax. Jessica saved the day by asking for a tour of the mansion. This way they are all split up and intrusive questions can be forgotten.She is lagging behind Jessica and Veronica who are arm-in-arm swaying along together. They both continue to look up at the walls and ceilings with awe.Maryanne can understand their reaction. It is the same as hers when she first arrived. This house is much more than any of them could have ever imagined themselves living in. The front door is surrounded by columns, and the staircases themselves are grand, swooping around in the air with golden inlaid bannisters. The steps are made out of marble similar to the main floor, but at the top of each landing are large red carpets contrasting the golden hue of the railings.Walls are covered with beautiful, serene wallpaper of flowers and it causes a sense of home to fall over Maryanne."It feels very homey, even if it is a mansion," Jessica states, bringing to l

The next day Maryanne enters work with dread filling her chest. She does not want to face Shelley or really any questions about what had happened. She is emotionally exhausted after her talk with Max and the pressure of the woman's constant nagging only causes the stress to weigh down on her shoulders. Max has refused to talk to her since then, but every time that she caught him looking at her, he would smirk. It causes irritation to be her constant companion. He is toying with her; he has to be.Why does he decide to be nice only some of the time? He buys her a car, and yet ignores her. He is too complicated for Maryanne to figure out.It technically is her fault for using him in the first place, but his reaction is unnecessary. Maryanne was only trying to protect him from Shelley, right? What other reason would she have?She reaches her desk and sighs, placing her rugged purse next to her chair and taking off her jacket. The winter cold still bites at her bones and she finds herself

As Maryanne pulls away from the woman, the stranger's nails drag across her flesh, slicing deep. She releases a whimper, almost tipping over a chair. She bites any retort she might have back as the woman continues to advance.The terror pulsating through Maryanne's body has her vision wavering. She remembers that Riley is in her grasp and she tries to build the confidence to protect her."What do you want," Maryanne shouts, glancing around in hopes that someone will intervene. Some of the other families are watching in horror, while a waiter runs across the floor into the back of the restaurant. She tightens her grip and shifts so that Riley is not close to the woman. She looks around, searching for a way out. Her arm throbs in tune with her racing heart. She can feel the warm blood dripping down her skin, but ignores it as her attention is tuned in on the crazed stranger in front of her.The woman's face is distorted, and her eyes are sunken into her face. "I want Riley. I should

Riley giggles and dances around the room, throwing tassels up in the air.Maryanne smiles as she watches the young girl. She is untangling some string lights as Max is resituating the evergreen in their large living room, making sure it isn't tilting. He is wearing a tight t-shirt that hugs his muscles, his body rippling with the effort of his task. He grunts as he almost loses his grip on the tree.Maryanne presses her lips together briefly to hold back a laugh. Frustration builds in her chest as the lights only become more tangled. She sighs and drops her hands, "Remember, you agreed, we're on a budget." She rubs her arm that has only just recently healed from Caroline's attack. She has faint pink scars zipping across her flesh. They are only noticeable when the light catches them at the right moment."Yes, yes, I know," Max sighs, standing back. He cocks his head to the side to eye his work. Satisfied, he pivots toward Maryanne and grabs the lights from her grasp, untangling them