I swallowed.
Maybe he didn’t need words.
I felt it too—the weight of the moment, the unspoken possibility humming between us. My heart raced. I lifted our joined hands to my midriff, unconsciously leaning closer, my lips parting as if pulled by gravity rather than intention.
“Mama!” Lucas called. “I don’t want to go to sleep alone!”
“I’m coming,” I replied quickly, the spell breaking abruptly. The warmth faded, leaving behind a dull ache that had nothing to do with my heart condition. “I’m going to bed too,” I said to Caleb. “He sleeps better if I’m there.”
He slowly let go of my hand. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Still tingling, I slipped back into the bedroom, changed into mypyjamas, and curled beside Lucas. I found myself eager for the sun to rise—not for the day ahead, but for the chance to see Caleb again.
At around fourin the morning, I woke up gasping for air. Sweat soaked my skin. I forced myself to breathe slowly, deeply. I reached for Lucas. Feeling his small body beside me calmed me instantly.
The dream had been too real.
Jeremy had found me.
He had taken Lucas hostage.
He was going to hurt him.
I turned on the bedside lamp, checked the cameras in my apartment through my phone, then got up to recheck the windows and door.
Everything was locked.
In the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face and stared at my reflection.It’s time for another lesson with Tyrone.
After breakfast,Lucas and I joined the family as they volunteered at the church, feeding the homeless and less fortunate.
Eleanor eyed me with open contempt as I scooped mashed potatoes onto plates. She moved down the line and stopped beside me. “So, you did like the gifts after all?” she said with a smirk.
“Yes,” I replied. “They were all lovely, thank you.”
My legs trembled. Why did she make me feel like this? As though I had done something wrong—when I hadn’t.
“With the speech you made,” she said with a snort, “I thought you’d return them.” She dumped cake onto a plate, handed it off, and walked away.
I clenched my jaw, watching her retreat.
No one else had seen it.
Should I tell Caleb? Should I just leave?
The rest of the family had been kind. Warm. Welcoming. But Eleanor mattered to him. He loved his mother. He spoke of her often, of everything she had done for him.
With a heavy knot in my stomach, I continued scooping mashed potatoes.
A Christmas lunchwith all the trimmings was waiting for us when we returned home. I listened while everyone else chatted animatedly, laughing and reminiscing about past Christmases and childhood memories.
“So, Nyah,” Eleanor asked suddenly. “What was Christmas like for you when you were younger?”
A memory slammed into me without warning—being locked in the basement. Cold. Dark. Punished because Jeremy had seen me talking to a boy in the grocery store on Christmas Eve.
My scalp prickled. I shifted in my chair and forced a smile. “Nothing compared to this,” I said graciously.
I caught Eleanor narrowing her eyes at me.
