All Chapters of Too Late To Apologize, Mr. CEO: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Adrian's house was on the edge of town. It had a big yard surrounded by tall trees, the perfect place for a child to grow up. Adrian greeted me at the door, Ethan peeking at me from behind his legs.“This is Ethan,” Adrian said. “He’s a little shy.” “I don’t mind shy,” I said, crouching down so I wasn’t towering over the boy. I’d read up on his condition since Adrian told me about it. Traumatic mutism wasn’t an uncommon response to witnessing a violent death, and Ethan had had a front-row seat for his mother’s accident. He’d managed to call emergency services, but that was the last time he’d spoken.To anybody. Ethan was a slender boy with Adrian’s gray eyes, along with high cheekbones and dark hair he must have inherited from his mother. His gaze darted away the instant I smiled at him and he clutched at the hem of his father’s shirt like a lifeline.“Nice to see you, Ethan,” I signed. “Emma says hi.” He shuffled his feet and looked down, embarrassed.“She says she’s seen you a

Adrian leaned closer to Claire, murmuring something I couldn’t hear. She laughed softly, the sound slicing through me. His hand brushed hers. My jaw clenched.Savannah noticed. She tilted her head, and a look of calculation flashed through her eyes. “You two seem close,” she said brightly. “It’s so nice to see you happy, Claire.”“Yes, we are close,” Claire replied. She picked up her fork and resumed eating. Adrian exerted himself to make polite small talk and Claire relaxed slightly. The atmosphere lightened. Anyone who walked in would think we were a normal, happy group. They’d be wrong. When Claire excused herself to go to the restroom, I acted on instinct and got up to follow her.She was already inside when I entered, washing her hands. “Are you following me now?” she said without looking up.“I need to talk to you.”“About what? Dinner etiquette?”“About this,” I said, stepping closer. “You showing up with him.”She raised her eyebrows. “I beg your pardon?” I caught her arm.

I sat in the front passenger seat of Adrian’s car, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. My heart was still pounding from my confrontation with Derek. And I couldn’t imagine what Adrian was thinking. My face flushed with embarrassment; thank God he couldn’t see it in the dark. “You okay over there?” Adrian asked, his voice gentle and humorous. “I’m sorry for putting you in the middle of that ridiculous scene,” I said, twisting my hands in my lap. “You didn’t deserve that.” “No worries.” He glanced at me briefly before returning his eyes to the road. “I didn't mind. I liked getting to know you better.”“Yeah?” I said, feeling a little less self-conscious. He smiled. “You were standing up for yourself. That was good to see.” I swallowed through a suddenly tight throat. “Ummm…” I said. He was being so nice and understanding. I hope that didn’t change. “I lied to Derek about you.” “What about?” He still sounded amused.“I told him you were my boyfriend.” There. It was out.He l

I couldn’t believe it. Nowhere was safe from my sister, not even Emma’s school. And Savannah wouldn’t have been able to do it without Derek’s help. He must have used his influence, all so his precious Savannah could stay close to our daughter… and keep twisting the knife. It was working too.I knelt beside Emma and wiped the tears from her little face. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” I asked softly.Emma sniffled, refusing to look at my sister. “Auntie Savannah said I should sing in front of the class,” she signed. “And then what happened?” I asked. “I… I couldn’t sing good.” Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. “Everybody laughed.” I clenched my teeth. “She made you sing by yourself?” Emma nodded, tears dripping off her chin. “She said my hearing didn’t matter and I needed to try harder.” I’d heard enough. “Just a minute, sweetie,” I signed. Then I stood up so fast I nearly got dizzy. A quick step and I had my hand wrapped around Savannah’s arm. Another step and I’d dragged her

I stretched, twisting cautiously back and forth, trying to work out the knot in my lower back. Spending the night in the ICU waiting room had not been good for it. Now Claire was in a private room, but the chairs were just as uncomfortable. Claire whimpered in her restless sleep. She looked so small, so fragile in that hospital bed. “Shhh,” I said, stroking her hair. “It’s okay. You’re safe.” She quieted down under my hand. I studied her face, once so familiar. It was nice to see it without the expression of hostility she always seemed to wear when she looked at me now. She’d lost weight over the past weeks, bringing out the fine bones of her head and face.I traced a delicate blue vein in her temple. How had I never noticed how beautiful she was? The angle of her cheekbones, the soft pout of her mouth. Those freckles on her nose I always teased her about. “I almost lost you,” I whispered. The memory slammed into me. Finding her crumpled in the parking lot, lying in a pool of blo