de the private, bilingual Montessori school, forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths. The
playground, the frantic beat of her hea
the monkey bars, his laughter echoing across the yard. Mason, her quiet obse
hing himself at her legs like a miniature cannonball. "The
p him up, but a wave of exhaustion from the long hours m
of fatigue in her eyes. He wordlessly took her heavy handbag, a
ons, the way Mason's brow furrowed in concentration, it was all him. The ghost she had run from w
now," she said, her v
ake, letting Miles argue about chocolate brioche and letting Mason quietly correct the
t for emergencies, began to ring. It was Dr. Coleman's line again. She hesitated, then, not
irector's obsequious tone. It was deep, resonan
urn to the hospi
quest. The voice of a man
ill had the power to stop her heart. The air thickene
th his cube. His sharp eyes darted from th
oth boys watching her. She lowered her voice, softened the edges, and wrapped
his is not a life-threatening emergency, ple
n't wait, Doctor. You have thirty minutes. If you value your position at th
he wheel. "Ownership of shares
who can remove every
he hu
silent for a
g blue eyes wide in the rearview mirror. "Wa
reassuring smile. "No, sweetie. No one is g
knuckled grip on the steering wheel, his small brow furrowed in that famil
nected call on the phone, his face a thunderous mask. The sh
to be suffocating. "Ster, don't be angry. Some women love m
's jaw h
ng wounded and admiring, "I would never be able to see a doctor like t
ession softened. He put an arm around her, his focus shiftin
promise you, by the end of the night, that doc
en's over Kara's shoulder. He gave a su
t. It was time for
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