Page 103 of Words We Didn't Say

Her sleepy hand slipped off my knee when I stood up.

Andie stalled in the doorway. “How’s Ed?” she asked, her voice low and eyes glassy with worry.

“Not good.”

I edged past. Andie’s angry scoff stopped me. I turned. Her nostrils flared, and she clenched her fist by her side. She was debating whether to take a shot at me.

“Where the fuck are you going?” she spat.

“I need to go back to work.”

“You son of a bitch. Are you abandoning heragain?Sheneedsyou!”

I ignored Andie and headed for the door.

I needed to go back to work.

27

He said, “It’s always the quiet ones.”

Zach

“Chris is on thebloody warpath,” Sue said, her short legs struggling to totter behind me as I charged past reception and down the corridor to my office.

“Is he,” I said.

“You—Jesus, boss, will you slow down? You missed the mediation for the boundary dispute.”

“Did I.”

“Michaela went instead,” she reassured me. “Chris got pulled out of the partners’ meeting to sort it out. He wasn’t happy.”

“Heaven forbid.”

I kicked the chair out from under my desk and sat down. Sue’s cautious steps stopped at the door, her hands squeezing an old tissue as her gaze skittered around the office, unable to find a safe place to pause. She was anxious. Was I scaring her?

“Boss, i-is everything…okay?”

Guess so.

“Everything’s great.” I forced my lips to twist into a smile.

Sue reared back, her eyes wide.

Just like two years ago.

My smile hadn’t help. Sue’s brows stayed pinched tight, but it was all I could offer when a silent rage twitched through every nerve, my self-control stretched into a thin line, the ends already unravelling, ready to snap.

Chris touched Eden. He hurt her. It’s his turn to suffer.

Another smile crept on my face.

“Zach…hon—”

“Give me a minute, okay, Sue?”

“Y-Yeah.” She inched backwards. “O-Okay.” The glass door snicked shut behind her.

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