Todos os capítulos de Too late, dear husband; Mrs Grant is done: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 20

MIREYA SARAI GRANT“Excuse me?”The man across the table looked at me for a long moment. His gaze traveled over me slowly—taking in my face, my clothes, the way I was standing there with my bag still in my hand. It wasn't a slow, appreciative look. It was assessing, measuring like he was deciding something.Then something shifted behind his eyes, and the corner of his mouth pulled sideways.“Never mind.”“Never mind? You just called me ‘the daughter’ and now you’re saying never mind?”“Sit down.”I didn’t move. “Don’t tell me what to do.”He leaned back, one arm draped over the armrest, watching me with a stillness that felt less like patience and more like certainty — the kind of man who didn’t repeat himself because he’d never had to.“You’re late,” he said, after the silence had gone on long enough to make his point for him.“I know I’m late. Traffic was terrible, and a car ran straight through a puddle and soaked me before I even got in the door. So forgive me if I’m not thrilled

MIREYA SARAI GRANT The car slowed to a stop outside the venue, and for one second before the door opened, everything went quiet — just the engine, my own breathing, and the crowd noise muffled behind the glass.Then the door opened and the noise hit all at once.Flashes went off before I'd even gotten a foot on the pavement, so many at once that the world outside looked like it was flickering. Reporters were shouting my name from every direction, and somewhere above the crowd a boom mic swung into view."Mireya! Over here, one look this way!""How does it feel to be nominated tonight?""Is it true you're expanding into Europe?"I kept walking, chin level, not stopping for any of them."They're feral tonight," Elena muttered beside me, close enough that only I could hear it."They're always feral.""Someone in the back just elbowed a man for a better angle.""Good for her." I whispered and that got a short laugh out of Elena, more breath than sound, and then we were through the doors

MIREYA SARAI GRANT The white didn't last, and once my eyes adjusted I understood it was only headlights, close enough to blind me for a second before my hand closed around the back of her dress and I hauled her backward with everything I had left in my arm. The car screeched past us, close enough that I felt the wind off it against my face, and I went down hard on my knees with the girl still caught against my chest, neither of us moving for a long second while my heart slammed loud enough that I could feel it in my throat and my ears at the same time.I looked down at her, expecting tears, but she wasn't crying and she wasn't making any sound at all. Her whole body was shaking instead, small tremors running through her shoulders, her hands balled into fists against my collarbone, her breath coming in short silent hitches like she was trying to cry and something in her wasn't letting the sound out."Hey, hey, it's okay." My own voice wasn't steady either, and I ran my hands quickly

MIREYA SARAI ORLOV"If the two of you finally got married."My knees actually went numb for a second. I felt myself rock back on my heels, one hand finding the bed rail and for a moment I just stood there staring at him like the words hadn't fully landed yet."August." My voice came out thinner than I wanted. "Where is this even coming from?""What? You went on a date. You're my two favorite people in this room. I'm simply saying what I see.""No. August, you're not fine. You had a heart attack a few hours ago. You cannot be thinking about this right now.""Please. I know exactly what I'm saying."Nikolai stepped in beside the bed. His voice coming out low in away I haven’t heard before. "Granddad, please just go to sleep, you’re not thinking straight.""I'm thinking perfectly straight," August said, though his voice had worn thin from all the talking."You are not." I crossed my arms, mostly to stop my hands from shaking. "This is not a normal thing to say to two people right after

MIREYA SARAI ORLOV “She won’t stop,” Nikolai said, his voice flat, worn thin at the edges. “I’ve tried everything.” I stood frozen in the doorway, watching him rock Cyril against his chest. Her whole body shook with the crying, small fists knotted into his shirt like she thought letting go would make him vanish. Her face was red, her breath coming out in short, broken hiccups. He rocked her slow and stiff, like he doesn’t fully trust his own arms to do it right and I moved towards them causing him to look up at me when the floor creaked under me. I didn’t answer right away. I was watching Cyril’s face over his shoulder, her eyes squeezed shut, tears sliding down in a steady track. Then she opened them and immediately she saw me, something in her small body changed. Her cries hitched, then dropped to shaky whimpers. Her fingers loosened from Nikolai’s shirt. She twisted in his arms, straining sideways, both hands stretching out toward me like I was the one thing in the roo