2026-09-16 18:13:24
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CHAPTER 21 PART 2
Derek's stomach tightened immediately. A woman at the station asking to see him by name. His first thought went straight to Erin. She had found out where he worked, which was hardly a secret. She had probably driven over here to continue the argument from last night. Or worse, she had come to make some kind of public scene in front of his crew to force him into a conversation he did not want to have."Did she give a name?" Derek asked with a cautious and guarded voice."She did, but I forgot it already," Brett admitted with an apologetic shrug. "She was well dressed. Very polite. She had some kind of framed gift with her. She is waiting in the dorm building.""The dorm building?" Derek repeated with a confused expression. "Why did you put her there instead of the common room?""Because she said it was personal," Brett answered with a knowing and slightly teasing smile. "I figured you would want some privacy. Do not worry, I told the guys to stay out of there until you were done."Dere
CHAPTER 21 PART 1
The divorce agreement arrived on Erin's desk by early afternoon. Two copies. Printed on heavy legal paper. Forty seven pages covering every detail of asset division, property rights, and the formal dissolution of their five year marriage.Erin flipped through the pages slowly. She signed her name at the bottom of every section that required it. Her handwriting was sharp and steady. Not a single line trembled."Is the car ready?" Erin asked Kitty without looking up from the final page."It is parked downstairs," Kitty confirmed with a careful and obedient voice."Good," Erin replied, placing both copies of the agreement into a stiff leather folder. She stood up from her desk and straightened her blazer. The bruise around her eye was still visible beneath the makeup, but she carried herself as if it did not exist. "I am going to the fire station.""Do you want me to come with you?" Kitty offered with a hesitant and worried expression."No," Erin answered with a cold and precise tone, wa
CHAPTER 20 PART 2
The office door opened at exactly nine in the morning. Kitty walked in carrying two cups of coffee and a thin manila folder tucked under her arm. Her own bruised cheek had been carefully covered with concealer, but the swelling was still visible beneath the makeup."Good morning, boss," Kitty greeted with a careful and professional voice, placing the coffee on the desk."Did you find it?" Erin asked immediately with a tired and direct tone, not looking up from the papers spread across her desk."Yes," Kitty answered quietly, opening the manila folder and placing a single printed page in front of Erin. "I tracked down the information you requested last night."Erin picked up the page and read it slowly. The document showed a rental agreement for a room at Riverside Motor Lodge on Elm Street. The name on the lease was Derek Moss. The rental term was listed as month to month. The agreement had been signed two days ago."He rented a room," Erin said with a very still and controlled voice,
CHAPTER 20 PART 1
Erin stood beside the bed and listened to his footsteps fade down the hallway. She heard the office door open. She heard it close. She heard the quiet click of the latch and then nothing at all.She waited. She waited for the door to open again. She waited for his heavy footsteps to come back down the hall. She waited for the sound of his voice saying something, anything, even if it was just goodbye.The silence stayed.Kitty appeared in the bedroom doorway a few moments later. Her swollen face was still marked with the red handprint from the club. She held a glass of water in one hand and a small first aid kit in the other."He left," Kitty said quietly with a careful and gentle voice."I know he left," Erin snapped with a sharp and broken tone, turning her back to the doorway.Kitty placed the water on the nightstand and opened the first aid kit without saying another word. She cleaned the cut above Erin's eye with a cotton pad and applied a thin adhesive strip over the wound. Erin
CHAPTER 19 PART 2
Derek stood in the doorway of the hidden bedroom for a long and heavy moment. The suspicions burned through his tired mind like hot embers landing on dry wood. Every question led to another question and every answer led somewhere darker than the one before it.Then he stopped himself.It did not matter. None of it mattered anymore. Whether she had used this room alone or with someone else was a question that belonged to a marriage he had already decided to leave. Chasing the truth would not change Monday morning at the courthouse. It would only add more weight to a bag he was already carrying out the door.Derek let the thought go. He released it the way a man drops a heavy stone into deep water and watches it disappear beneath the surface without reaching down to pull it back."Kitty, make sure she drinks water and gets some rest," Derek instructed with a calm and practical voice, turning away from the bedroom door. "I am going to leave now.""Wait," Erin called out quickly from the
CHAPTER 19 PART 1
Derek drove the silver sedan through the quiet city streets. Kitty sat in the back seat beside Erin, gently pressing a cold water bottle wrapped in a cloth against the swelling on her face. Nobody spoke for the first several minutes. The only sounds were the hum of the engine and the soft clicking of the turn signals.Erin broke the silence first."Do not take me home," Erin said with a quiet and careful voice from the back seat.Derek glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Where do you want to go?""My office," Erin answered, looking down at her bruised hands folded in her lap. "The foundation building on Crescent Avenue. I do not want to go back to the house tonight.""What about Mike?" Derek asked with a flat and neutral tone, keeping his eyes on the road."I do not want to see Mike right now," Erin replied with a very small and tired voice. She paused for a moment before continuing. "I know what has always bothered you, Derek. I know it was never just about Mike. It was abou
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