Love, Loss, and Vengeful Hearts

a number I did

retriever, my hands gently feeling along its

ing didn

, wiping my hands on my scrubs. I answered

el

... it

took me a second to place it. Mary

y chest. We hadn't spoken in th

ce was flat, empty of any

," she stammered, her voice thick with unsh

t her off. The words came

l. He just wants to know where Ethan is. He w

phone. The calm I felt mome

N

ust think

ung

locked t

llway. My heart was pounding, a wild, painful rhythm against my ribs. Th

it was all ha

re, just under the surfac

ag. A stupidly expensiv

rought it to our house. She was always around back the

a drawing he' d made. He ran into the living room

tri

air, landing squarely on t

r face a perfect

ew Celine! Mark,

ring apologies, telling Ethan

crying son. He only looked at Chloe, his face a m

harp. He grabbed Ethan by the arm, his fingers digging in. "You need to be p

as the

hem to bond. I was hesitant, but I was also scheduled to fly out for a veterinary conference, a t

old him to be good for his da

last time I s

another country, thousands of miles away. It

h Miller? Your husba

it? Is every

t involving your son, Ethan. Yo

nute felt like an hour. I ran through the airport, a wil

parents, Mary and David, were there, their fac

as on. It felt like it was bur

numb. I couldn't feel anything exce

ait

wa

le that I already