Mandy
Okay, but look, I would call that bitch and tell her you have a good job and a place to live now, and that you want your son back. Any court would side with you. She has no evidence of you drinking, right?
Sloane
No. She smelled it on me that night we had that work party and she thinks I was the one drinking.
Mandy
Oh my God, I remember that. Well, I’ll be your witness if you ever need me.
Sloane
Thank you. I’ll call you later.
Mandy
All right, tell my brother-in-law I said hi.
It takes me a moment to realize she meant Kirill.
Sloane
We’re not getting married!
Mandy
Not yet, you’re not.
Shaking my head, I slide out of bed, every muscle in my body aching after what Kirill and I did last night. Slipping into a loose T-shirt and lounge pants, I start toward the door when a thought stops me.
Maybe Mandy is right. If I tell my sister that I have a place and a job, I don’t see why she wouldn’t let me take Milo. He’dhave his own room. Stability. A backyard. Lev and Kirill. He’d be happy here.
Hope creeps in before I can shut it down.
I grab my phone and call her.
She answers quickly. “What?”
Hello to you too…
“Hey…I wanted to talk to you about Milo.”
She snickers. “Oh, yeah? What about him?”
“So, I…uh…I started a new job as a nanny and I have a place now.” I pace across the bedroom, my heart hammering. “It’s a big house with plenty of space and?—”
“Wait, you’re living with some rando? Who is it?”
Shit. “Well, he’s a businessman who works a lot, and he’s a single dad, so he needs help with his?—”
She laughs briskly. “I’m not letting you bring my nephew to some stranger’s house. Someone you’re probably screwing for money and lying about it.”
My chest squeezes. “It’s not like that.”
“Oh, please.” She lets out a sharp breath. “I know you. I know what kind of person you are. I know the kind of scum you used to hang out with.”
I’m so sick of her shit.
