“The law doesn’t always line up with justice,” Dad philosophically stated.
“No,” I said. “But Ephram didn’t dismiss me. He listened. He believed me. And he’s being careful.”
Mom reached for my hand. “That matters.”
“It does,” I said, my voice firmer than I expected. “And I won’t have him blamed for something Gavin engineered.”
Meri finally spoke. “It might be easy to be angry at Ephram but he’s just as powerless as us in this situation.”
The tension eased slightly, shifting from sharp anger to shared frustration. It didn’t fix anything, but it changed the shape of it. We were all holding the same problem now instead of passing it back and forth.
Mom squeezed my hand once more before letting go. “This whole thing must have been very difficult for you.”
I nodded, the words landing deeper than I expected.
“I need a minute,” I said.
Jane started to object, then stopped herself. “We’re right here.”
“I know.”
I stepped away toward the hallway, drawing a breath that felt like the first full one I had taken all afternoon. For the first timesince leaving town, I didn’t feel like I was carrying everything alone.
I heard Collin’s voice before I saw him walking down the hall.
“Ah. Just the person I was hoping to see.”
I closed my eyes briefly.
Of course he was.
I turned slowly, already tired, and saw him approaching with a bright smile. He held a small gift bag in one hand, the kind with tissue paper and the faint promise of something scented.
My body reacted before my brain finished processing. A small tightening in my chest, a tug of annoyance behind my eyes. Not fear. Not even embarrassment anymore. Just the deep, bone-level fatigue of someone who had spent the afternoon being manipulated and did not have the patience to be managed again by a different man.
“Were you,” I replied dampeningly.
“I noticed you were gathered in the lobby,” he said, lowering his voice. “A family meeting. You all had very serious faces.”
“Yes. I really should get back to them,” I improvised, heading straight to the lobby, ignoring the fact that he was following me.
Collin smiled, confident. “No matter. I am glad I caught you at a moment when everyone is present.”
Oh no.
Lucy’s eyes met mine for a single second. Her look was clear.Do you want me to remove him?
“Collin,” Jane began, already attempting to steer the moment away from the cliff edge, “we were discussing something important as a family.”
“Yes and so am I,” Collin replied brightly. He lifted the little gift bag. “I brought peppermint bark. I had it shipped from aspecialty place in the city. They do it properly, not like those gritty squares you find in grocery stores.”
Mom blinked. “That is… thoughtful.”
“It is festive,” Collin agreed. Then he angled his shoulders toward me. “Lydia, may I speak with you?”
Meri took a breath, then smiled abruptly. “Lydia has to help me with something. Immediately.”
Kitty nodded far too vigorously. “Yes. There is an emergency.”
