Cox

eside me, his small body a warm anchor in the storm of my thoughts. I finally drifted into

eak of the floorboards outside our bedroom door. H

r Leo. I was a ghost in my own home. When Jonathan finally appeared in the kitchen door

e need t

oatmeal. I noticed it then, a faint reddish-pink

lked over to the table and placed a new set of docume

Eve," he began, his voice str

o look at him, my

' ve been seeing each other for a few months. And... she' s preg

necting the final, horrifying piece of the puz

to protect the woman who had killed his own father. The sheer, monstrous absurdity of it was so profound, a h

matic reaction he likely expected, he grew flustered

r, more pleading. "But Dallas... she' s just a kid. She' s terrified. She made a

me, the daughter-in-law of the

across the table. "It' s very generous. You get the house, full cus

silence. He was trying t

iratorial whisper, "is that you sign the settlement agree

, the promises he' d made, the life I thought we were building. It

as I picked up the pen he' d placed beside them. I flipped to

to be just E

other papers, the settlement agreement that would brand my father a

" I

, then rage. "What do you mean,

parents' money. Leo is my son. And as for the settlement... I can' t sign it." I met hi

pure, animalistic fury. He thought I was playi

e grabbed the heavy ceramic sugar bowl from the table and hurled it against the

my throat. But before he could touch me

add

ay, his little face pale, his eyes wi

coming in ragged gasps. The rage in his eyes was replaced by something

"This isn' t over," he hissed. "You

f the house, slamming the door s

ed his face in my neck and began to sob. I held him

my kitchen, a cold fire ignited in my ches

as about t