I couldn't do this anymore. Not if it put Zoe at risk.
My first job was as a mother. I had to put my child first.
But doesn't putting your child first mean doing your best to provide for her? Doesn't it mean making sure she has food and shelter and stability?
No. It means protecting her. Protecting her heart. Making sure she doesn't learn to trust people who will eventually disappear.
I barely slept that night. Zoe was still feverish, restless, calling out for me in her dreams. I held her close, stared at the ceiling, and tried to figure out what came next.
The next morning, I dropped Zoe off at Dani's. She was still too sick for school, but Dani had offered to watch her, and I couldn't miss work. Not when I was about to blow up the only thing keeping us afloat.
"You okay?" Dani asked, studying my face. "You look like you didn't sleep."
"I didn't."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Not yet." I kissed Zoe's forehead, promised to be back soon, and headed for the door. "Maybe later."
The drive to the office felt longer than usual. I rehearsed what I would say. Firm. Final. No room for negotiation. I would march into Xavier's office, tell him the arrangement was over, collect whatever was owed to me, and walk away with my dignity intact.
I expected him to be solemn. Apologetic. Maybe even desperate, trying to convince me to stay so he could keep his precious inheritance.
I'd seen that desperation before. Different man, same script
I was prepared to shut him down. I had choice words ready. Pointed, cutting words that would make it clear exactly how badly he'd messed up.
What I was not prepared for was Xavier Dubois grinning at me like he'd won the lottery.
He was standing by the coffee machine when I walked onto the executive floor, cup in hand, hair still damp, looking insufferably cheerful. Like yesterday hadn't happened. Like I hadn't walked out on him with my sick daughter in my arms. When he saw me, his whole face lit up.
"Kim! Good morning!"
I stopped short. Blinked.
"Good morning," I said slowly, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?" He fell into step beside me as I walked to my desk. "Did you sleep well? You look great. That color really suits you."
I was wearing gray. The same gray blouse I'd worn a dozen times before.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Walking. Talking. Enjoying the company of my favorite secretary." He smiled, wide and warm and completely unbothered. "Coffee?"
"No."
"Suit yourself." He wandered back toward his office, humming something under his breath.
I stared after him, my carefully prepared speech dissolving into confusion.
What the hell was happening?
The morning passed in a haze of irritation. Every time I looked up, Xavier was smiling. Every time I passed his office, he waved. He was acting like yesterday hadn't happened, like I hadn't walked out on him, like everything was perfectly fine.
It was infuriating.
Around eleven, I had to bring him documents to sign. I walked into his office with the folder clutched like a shield, braced for... something. An apology. An explanation. Anything that acknowledged the disaster of yesterday.
