Lahat ng Kabanata ng Too Late To Apologize, Mr. CEO: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

Savannah sauntered into the ballroom and started looking for me. I let her glimpse me in the distance and led her out into the parking lot. I did not want to take part in a public scene, although she would probably enjoy it. Once we were away from everyone else, I turned around and pretended to spot her for the first time. “Derek?” Her voice was soft, trembling with false vulnerability. “Oh Derek, thank God! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”I closed my eyes for a second, bracing myself. When I opened them, she was standing in front of me, cradling her belly, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. She looked small, pale, and terrified. If I didn’t know any better, I would have rushed to her, enfolded her in my arms, and promised to do anything to make it all better.“What is it, Savannah?” I said. My voice was flat. I wanted to see how far she would go.“It was Claire,” she whispered, her lip trembling. “I went to the ladies lounge to sit quietly for a bit, and she followed me. D

Mrs. Sutton was packing up the last of the vanity, neatly placing Savannah’s expensive skincare serums in a box. She kept her face neutral and professional, but my housekeeper had never liked Savannah. I could see the satisfaction in the way she wrapped the tape around the boxes, sharp and final. I was boxing up Savannah’s clothes, and Emma was standing in the doorway watching the whole process. My daughter was also trying to maintain a neutral face, but her eyes were sparkling with a joy she couldn’t contain. I was just glad she’d come out of her room. She looked up at me and signed, “Is she really going? And not coming back?”“Yes. Us not together anymore,” I replied. My signing was still awkward, but I made a point to practice every day. I was slowly becoming fluent.She bit her lip, nodding seriously. “I’m sad for her.” “You such terrible liar.” I grinned at her. Her solemn expression dissolved into giggles. It was the first time I’d heard her laugh in… weeks. I smiled as I

When I got the email from the DNA lab, I didn’t want to open it by myself; Laura deserved to be there. I drove to her house with a knot in the pit of my stomach. She met me at the door and we sat on the couch together as I opened my laptop. I held my breath as I clicked the email open. RESULT: NO MATCHThe relief was like a weight lifting off my chest. I heard Laura give a sharp exhale, almost a sob, beside me. I could only imagine how she felt. “It wasn’t him,” she said, her eyes shining with relief. “Claire, it wasn’t him.” I hugged her tightly. “I’m so glad,” I said. We smiled at each other, me because it meant someone in my friend circle wasn’t trying to kill me. Her, because it meant she could trust her boyfriend. Maybe.“But then why…” she said, her face falling. “Did he lie to you about where he was that day?” I completed the question. “And it’s not just that one time,” she continued. “He’s been acting secretive, even for him. Something’s up. I ask him where he’s going,

I closed my eyes and stabbed at the keyboard. This was something I had grown to dread over the past few weeks. Every day had become a battlefield as I forced myself to go against my natural inclinations.I took a deep breath and opened one eye, praying it wouldn’t be too bad this morning. It was. I looked at the number in the little red circle. “Noooo,” I whimpered. I had 253 new emails.Sarah, my lead investigator, knocked on my open door. “You okay?” she asked. I was banging my head against the desktop. “I’m fine,” I said. “I do this every morning.” “Remember we’ve got that deposition at ten.” Bang. Bang.She glanced over my shoulder at my computer screen. “I see the problem,” she said. “And I know how to fix it!”I raised my head. “You do?”“Yes! I get that you want to save every penny you can. ‘Use the money for stuff that really matters.’ Blah blah blah…”I nodded. I’d inherited the startup capital, but operating expenses were horrendous. Things had been going well lately—

I stood under the hot lights of the stage, the Steps to Freedom logo projected fifty feet tall behind me. My wrist itched where my jacket rubbed against it. The jacket was expensive and uncomfortable, but Laura said it made me look wise and authoritative when she helped me pick it out.The audience looked up at me, and I was glad for the podium, because it meant they couldn’t see my knees shaking. Another university had asked me to come give a speech. I’d spent the last forty minutes talking about the systemic failures that allowed the most vulnerable to slip through cracks. When I finished, they all rose for a standing ovation. Yesterday I’d done a TV show. They used words like “visionary” and “crusader,” and none of that felt like me. I was just Claire. But if my face on a screen meant more money for the foundation, I’d smile until my cheeks hurt. People were starting to recognize me at airports and restaurants. They wanted to shake my hand or offer donations. While I was grateful