rescent lights of a hospi
came from just outside
to anything in that sedative. The doctor who presc
aced with perf
an's voice, immediate, unwavering in his protection o
Even now, after I'd nearly died, his first ins
ompromise w
in, his expressio
quite a scare," he said
n," I rasped, my throat still sore. "Ana
re a minor inconvenience. "Ava is very upset. She feels
otional comfort over my
like that
ed me in t
etched into a
ls, no
old, hard fact. His cal
ot for me, but because it was the
grave together. A so
with him, looking suitabl
a bitter tas
d my mother's words to me years ago, "Find a man w
felt like the furthest thing from safet
solemn event with his ongo
laced flowers on Mom's
from the cemet
ground instability, we need to relocate several graves, including your mother's. We
Mom's final restin
ond, Ethan took the
tative. "My wife is obviously too upset to deal w
nodded. "Understood. We'll be
was, for a moment,
ng, a display of his power,
re already at Mom's gra
y and receive the urn containing her ashes befo
cally weak from t
mall, polished wooden
. "Let me help you, Eleanor. You
mpt to "help" w
ed my ar
ipped from
h with a sickening c
ered in the wind, settling on the gras
shock,
crashed
perhaps malice, had l
truction was the u
tic sound tore
nging at Ava, my grief momentarily replaced b
es wide, instantly adopti
was only trying to help!" she
immediate, her false accusations
biased judgment, and I knew, with a si
pair d
ace was t
is fingers digging in
ying to be kind!" he roared, his v
her, instant
bbed, the fight draining out of m
d you have no right to
attered the last vestiges of a
e stumbling
soft, solicitous. "Are you alri
victim, nodded tearfull
they turned back
she deserves to give you a
t, he held my arms
s voice chillingly
ly gone, stepped forward,
me, hard, ac
l from Ethan, the physical pain he enabled, h
complete. His cruelty, a