Chapter 20

On Wednesday, Jalen arrived at the Horner property bright and early, already mentally prepared for the long day ahead. The guest house was so close to completion, and with Heidi’s situation growing more urgent, he was determined to wrap it all up today no matter what. His team, however, wasn’t exactly thrilled about working longer hours.

“Bruh, I get it,” Marcus, one of his main guys, said, rubbing his hands together against the morning chill, “But an extra five hours, though? We usually wrap by five, and you talkin’ bout workin’ till damn near ten?”

Jalen nodded, already expecting the pushback. “Look, I know it’s a long day, but I’m throwing in a bonus for everybody. Y’all know me, I take care of my people.”

His crew exchanged glances, still skeptical.

“How much extra we talkin’?” Terrance asked, arms crossed.

Jalen gave a small smirk. “Enough to make it worth your while. I need this done today, and I trust y’all to help me get it there. I’ll personally make sure everybody leaves here happy. What do you say?”

The team grumbled, but when Jalen gave them the numbers, their moods shifted real quick.

“Aight, man,” Marcus finally said, shaking his head. “For that price? Yeah, we can grind it out.”

“Yeah, let’s just get it done,” Terrance agreed. “Ain’t nobody tryna come back here on Thursday anyway.”

Jalen clapped his hands. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Let’s get to work.”

As the sun moved higher in the sky, the team went to work at full speed. Painting, flooring, finishing electrical work, every detail needed to be perfect before they called it a night.

Jalen barely took a break, moving between the different sections of the house, making sure everything was coming together exactly as planned. Heidi stopped by briefly around noon to check in, but per their secret agreement, they kept their conversation short and professional to avoid drawing attention.

The hours stretched on, but as the evening crept in, the finish line was finally in sight. By 9:45 PM, Jalen stood outside the completed guest house, sweat on his brow, hands on his hips, looking at what he and his team had accomplished.

It was done. Every detail was in place and perfect. Tim Horner had agreed to meet him at 10 PM to do the final walkthrough and sign off on the payment if he felt everything was satisfactory. Jalen waited near the front of the guest house, watching as Tim walked up.

Tim was looking like he had just come from some kind of social event, button-down shirt, dress pants, smelling like expensive whiskey.

“Well,” Tim said, glancing up at the completed guest house. “I’ll give you credit. You got it done sooner than expected.”

Jalen simply nodded, keeping his face neutral. He wasn’t about to give Tim any reason to second-guess paying him. Tim walked through, inspecting the work with a critical eye, checking all the details. Jalen already knew the work was flawless, so he stayed quiet and let him do his thing. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, Tim exhaled sharply and turned to Jalen.

“I’ll admit,” Tim said, giving a small nod, “you did good work.”

Jalen didn’t smile, didn’t relax. He just held out his hand. “Appreciate it. Now let’s settle up.”

Tim smirked, as if amused by Jalen’s bluntness, but he didn’t argue. He pulled out his checkbook, signed off on the agreed amount, and handed it over. Jalen took the check, checked the numbers, then nodded.

“Good doing business with you,” Jalen said flatly.

Tim narrowed his eyes. “Likewise.”

There was a brief moment of tension, like Tim was trying to size him up. Jalen held his ground, keeping his expression unreadable. Then, without another word, Tim turned and walked back to his house. Jalen stood there, watching as he walked off. Only when he disappeared inside of the house did he exhale. It was done. The contract was fulfilled, and most importantly, Tim no longer had any leverage over him. Jalen pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Heidi:

Jalen: “It’s done. I got paid. You’re free to leave whenever you’re ready.”

At 8:00 AM sharp, Jalen walked into his bank and deposited the full amount from the Horner property job. The money was in, his team had already received their cuts through Zelle, and now, he could finally breathe a little. The Horner job was his biggest payday yet by far, and despite all the complications surrounding it, he got out unscathed, paid in full, no drama. Well ... at least up to this point.

Because now it was Heidi’s move to come clean about her pregnancy before moving out for good. Her parents had no idea that she was pregnant, and once they found out, all hell would surely break loose in that house, and if they found out the baby was Jalen’s then it truly would be a cataclysmic event.

At 9:15 AM, Jalen received a text from Heidi:

Heid: “Money’s in? Everything cleared?”

Jalen: “Yeah we’re good. All handled”

There was a long pause before her next message came through:

Heidi: “Okay then I guess it’s time.”

Jalen stared at the text for a second. This was it. Once Heidi told them, there was no going back.

Jalen: “You sure you’re ready?”

Heidi: “No but I have to do it anyway.”

Jalen smiled a little to himself. That was so Heidi. Always blunt, practical, and never afraid to do what needed to be done.

Jalen: “You got this. Call me after”

Heidi: “I will. Love you”

Jalen: “Love you too”

At 6:45 PM, Heidi sat across from her parents at the dinner table. Leslie sat next to her. Heidi’s stomach wasn’t showing yet, but she knew that would change in the coming months. She had to get ahead of this. Her parents were already suspicious. If she didn’t take control of the narrative now, they’d dig until they found out the truth, including who the father was, and that could not happen.

Her mother, Sylvia, was talking about some neighborhood drama. Her father, Tim, was unusually quiet, his eyes occasionally narrowing at Heidi like he was waiting for something.

He knew. Maybe not the ‘what’, but he definitely knew something was up. She placed her fork down and cleared her throat.

“I have something to tell you all.” She said.

Her mother instantly stiffened. Her father folded his arms across his chest.

“I’m pregnant.”

When the words left Heidi’s mouth, her mother let out an audible gasp, covering her mouth in shock. Tim’s face darkened. Leslie, who already knew, of course, pretended to look surprised. Tim’s expression didn’t change, but eyes did. They turned cold, sharp, calculating. Heidi could see that Tim had been expecting something bad coming from her, at least something he considered bad. He just hadn’t expected this.

“What?” Sylvia’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“I’m pregnant.” Heidi said it again, this time stronger, firmer, with no hesitation.

“By who?” Tim demanded immediately, his tone sharp and unforgiving.

“Stay calm. Stick to the plan.” Heidi thought.

Heidi looked down, playing up the regretful daughter act.

“It was a mistake,” she said softly. “Someone I was seeing for a little while, but it didn’t work out.”

Silence. Her mother’s face was already red, her hands shaking slightly. Tim was still. Too still. That was worse than if he had started yelling. Tim’s eyes locked onto hers, and Heidi could feel him trying to read her.

Heidi hated saying that it was a mistake. Truthfully, she didn’t view her pregnancy as a mistake at all. She had deliberately chosen to have unprotected sex with Jalen and had no regrets about the results of that. The fact that a good man like Jalen was the father made her feel so much better about having her baby.

“Dad doesn’t believe me.” Heidi thought.

He didn’t have proof, but Tim knew her too well. She could practically hear his thoughts: Heidi isn’t reckless. She isn’t stupid. She doesn’t just ‘make mistakes’ like this.

All this was true of course. Tim was clearly digging in his mind, trying to connect dots, and then...

“It’s him, isn’t it?” he suddenly said, his voice eerily calm.

Heidi’s stomach clenched.

“Shit.” She thought

“What?” Heidi feigned confusion.

“That damn contractor,” Tim said, his voice sharp. “Jalen Moss.”

Heidi forced herself not to react.

“What? Dad, no. This has nothing to do with him.”

Tim wasn’t convinced.

“You think I’m stupid?” he shot back. “All your strange behavior started not long after he started working here.”

Her mother suddenly turned to her, eyes wide with horror.

“Oh my God.” Sylvia’s voice trembled. “Heidi, please tell me it’s not true.”

Heidi kept her expression calm. She had expected this.

“This baby isn’t his.” Heidi lied, looking her father dead in the eye. “Jalen and I talked some while he was working here, but we were never involved in that way. The father is someone I knew from college who I reconnected with recently, but he has left town permanently, and I can no longer reach him.”

Tim’s jaw tightened. Heidi could tell that was still suspicious of her story, but without proof, he had nothing to stand on.

The rest of dinner was a disaster. Sylvia cried. Leslie remained quiet the whole time. Tim stared at her like she was a puzzle he couldn’t solve. Her parents threw every argument at her.

“What about your future?”

“How could you be so reckless?”

“How are you going to raise a child on your own?”

“You need to tell us exactly who the father is.”

Heidi refused to divulge any name. She stuck to her story. It was a mistake with a guy she isn’t with anymore, and whose whereabouts are unknown; end of discussion. She is keeping the baby and prepared to raise it. Eventually, she excused herself from the table, went upstairs and locked herself in her room. She pulled out her phone and texted Jalen.

Heidi: “It’s done. They’re pissed as predicted. My dad had a suspicion that it was you, but I denied it and fed him a story about a guy from college who’s no longer in the picture. I think they’re buying that story for now.”

Jalen’s response came instantly.

Jalen: “Are you okay?”

Heidi: “Yeah just exhausted. But it went as well as it could’ve I think.”

There was a long pause before his next message.

Jalen: “I’m proud of you”

Heidi stared at the words, and for the first time that night she smiled.

Unfortunately, the situation only got messier. Three days later, Jalen was in the parking deck of his apartment complex and was about to get in his truck to go grocery shopping when he suddenly saw a middle-aged man aggressively approaching him. Jalen’s eyes widened when he quickly realized who it was.

“Mr. Horner, what are yo-”

“Have you been seeing my daughter?!” Tim said angrily.

Jalen stared. He was still processing seeing Tim Horner at his apartment complex like this. Jalen didn’t know how he found out where Jalen lived unless he was simply that well connected to have someone dig up his address for him.

“Excuse me?” Jalen responded.

“My daughter, Heidi! She’s pregnant. Is that baby yours?” He said a little more aggressively this time.

Jalen composed himself taking a deep breath. He had no desire to lie. He wanted to say that the baby was his and that her daughter can make her own decisions.

What he actually said was, “I don’t know what is going on between you and your daughter, but you have no right to come to me accusing me of something you have no proof of. I completed your guest house as I was contracted to do. I was professional and polite to you and everyone in your family, and quite frankly, I find this extremely disrespectful what you’re doing right now. Especially someone of your stature.”

Jalen didn’t exactly lie. He just put the onus back on Tim since all he had to go on was a suspicion and nothing more.

Tim’s expression darkened. He was clearly used to power and people folding under his authority. He clenched his jaw. It was obvious that he had expected Jalen to stumble, panic, or confess. Instead, Jalen stood his ground, composed and unshaken. That pissed Tim off even more.

“Don’t play games with me, boy.” Tim’s voice was low and dangerous. “I know my daughter, and I know damn well this isn’t just some ‘mistake’ with some random guy, that she’s trying to sell me on.”

Jalen clenched a fist. When Tim uttered the word “boy”, it hit a nerve, but Jalen fought to maintain his composure.

He crossed his arms before saying, “Then maybe you should talk to your daughter instead of confronting me in a parking lot.”

Tim stepped closer, his eyes burning with restrained rage.

“You listen to me, Moss. If I find out you’re lying to me..., if I find out you had anything to do with my daughter’s situation? I will ruin you.”

Jalen didn’t blink.

“Mr. Horner, I run an honest business. My work speaks for itself. My reputation speaks for itself. If you try to come after me without proof? That’s called defamation, and I don’t think a man in your position wants to be caught in the middle of a lawsuit over false accusations, do you?”

Tim’s fists clenched. Jalen kept going.

“You think you’re the first powerful man who’s tried to intimidate me? You think I don’t know how this game works? You have nothing. No proof. No leverage, and frankly, no right to be standing here mouthing off to me like this.”

Tim’s nostrils flared. This wasn’t how he thought this would go. He had expected Jalen to crack, to slip up, or to show some kind of guilt. Instead, Jalen was looking him dead in the eye, unshaken. Tim had no proof. Heidi had covered her tracks too well.

Tim stepped even closer, now chest to chest with Jalen.

“You stay the hell away from my daughter.”

Jalen didn’t back down. He met Tim’s cold, entitled gaze with pure, unshakable defiance.

Then he did the one thing that sent Tim over the edge. He smirked. Not a full smile, but just enough to let Tim know he wasn’t intimidated. Tim’s hands balled into fists. For a split second, Jalen thought the man was actually going to swing.

“Go ahead, motherfucker. Give me a reason.” Jalen thought.

But Tim knew better. He let out a slow, furious breath. Then he stepped back.

“This isn’t over.” Tim’s voice was sharp, seething.

Jalen shrugged. “If you say so.”

Tim turned on his heel and stormed off, fists clenched, his entire body radiating pure rage. Jalen exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he watched the man disappear. That was close. Tim was dangerous.

Jalen got in his car and dialed Heidi’s number before heading out.

“Hey. Everything okay?” Heidi asked when she answered.

“I know we’re supposed to be together today, but we should probably keep our distance from each other for now until you’ve moved out.” Jalen responded.

“Why? What’s going on? What happened?” She asked nervously.

“Well, let’s just say, your father and I had an interesting little chat just now...”

Jalen heard Heidi’s sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.

“Oh god ... What did he say to you?”

Jalen stared out the window of his truck, watching the parking lot where Tim had just left.

“Your dad somehow found out where I live and confronted me in my parking deck when I was about to head to the store. He straight-up demanded to know if I’ve been seeing you and if I’m the father of your baby.”

Heidi shut her eyes.

“ ... Shit.” She thought.

“ ... I didn’t tell them anything about you the other night. I was careful.” She said to Jalen.

“I know, but your dad isn’t dumb. He has connections, and he sure as hell strongly suspects that I’m the guy behind this whole situation with you.”

Heidi sat down on the edge of her bed, gripping her forehead.

“ ... What did you say?” She asked.

“I didn’t confirm or deny anything. I just pushed back and told him I didn’t appreciate being accused of something he has no proof of.”

Heidi exhaled, feeling a brief wave of relief.

“ ... Okay. That’s good. That’s really good.”

“Maybe. But listen, Heidi, your dad is going to keep digging.”

She already knew that. Tim Horner was a bulldog. He wasn’t the type to just accept what she told him at face value, and if he was pulling up to Jalen’s apartment, that meant he wasn’t letting this go. Heidi bit her lip, her mind racing.

“Then we just have to stick to the plan. I move out this weekend, and then it doesn’t matter what he thinks.”

Jalen nodded on his end. “Yeah, and until then, we don’t see each other. We don’t text. We don’t call. No contact at all until you’re out of that house.”

Heidi hated it. She hated the idea of spending the next few days feeling completely alone and pretending like Jalen didn’t exist. She knew Jalen hated it too, but he was right. Her father would be watching her. Waiting for her to slip up to reveal what was really going on. She wasn’t going to give him anything to use against Jalen.

“ ... I hate this.”

“I know, I hate it too. But it’s just a few more days. Then you’re out.”

“ ... And then what?” Her voice was small.

“Then we’ll deal with whatever comes next. I, for one, am not going to hide forever. He’ll confirm the truth eventually and if he wants to come after me and my business, then I say bring it on.”

That was all she needed to hear. Even through the fear, the pressure, and the uncertainty ... Jalen was still hers, and in four days, she would finally be free.

The following Saturday morning, the house was tense at the Horner Residence. Heidi had spent the entire week dodging her father, avoiding prolonged conversations, and making sure there was no trace of Jalen in her life. She had scrubbed her phone, deleted every text, every photo, every call log.

She could feel it, though. Her father knew. He didn’t have proof, but he knew. Now, as she rolled her final suitcase to the front door, he was standing in her way.

“Heidi, I need you to think about this.”

Her mother, Sylvia, stood behind him, wringing her hands. “Honey, maybe we should talk a little more before you—”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Heidi’s voice was firm as she cut her mother off. “I already told you. I’m moving out, and that’s final.”

Tim’s jaw clenched.

“I don’t accept this.”

Heidi swallowed the lump in her throat. She expected this, but hearing him actually say it still made it sting.

“You don’t have to accept it,” she said. “But you will respect it.”

Tim’s nostrils flared. “And where do you think you’re going?”

“I already told you. I got a place in Sandy Springs. It’s done. It’s signed. I move in today.”

“And how exactly do you plan to pay for it?” His voice was sharp. “You think your little teaching assistant job is going to cover rent in Fulton County?”

There it was. The condescension. The disrespect. Tim Horner had always viewed Heidi as his little girl and possession, and now that she was making a life choice without his permission, he was doing everything in his power to shake her confidence, but it wasn’t going to work.

“I have savings. I have a job, and I don’t need your money.” Heidi said flatly.

“Really?” His eyes darkened. “You’re doing all this without a man supporting you?”

Heidi stiffened. She could see the trap in his words. Her father was fishing to get her to slip up and admit who had helped her and who the father really is.

Heidi folded her arms. “I don’t need anyone supporting me. I’m an adult, and I make my own decisions.”

Tim narrowed his eyes.

“ ... And you’re doing all this alone?”

“ ... Yes.” Heidi said softly this time.

A beat of silence.

Then Tim’s voice dropped into that terrifying, condescending growl. “You really expect me to believe that? That my daughter, the daughter I raised, is out here making decisions like this without some outside influence?”

Heidi stared him dead in the eye. “What you really mean is you can’t handle the fact that I’m not under your thumb anymore.”

Tim stepped closer. “You think I’m stupid? All this started after that contractor showed up, Jalen Moss. Admit it! That’s who this is really about, isn’t it?”

Sylvia whimpered. “Heidi ... please tell me it’s not—”

“You don’t get to interrogate me,” Heidi snapped, her voice louder now. “You don’t get to guilt-trip me for leaving a house that’s suffocating the life out of me.”

“I’m your father,” Tim barked. “I have a right to know who got you pregnant!”

“No, you don’t,” Heidi said, voice hardening. “You don’t get to claim that title if the only way you know how to use it is to CONTROL ME!”

Tim’s face twisted into something ugly. “You’re making a huge mistake.”

“No. The mistake was staying here as long as I did. The mistake was letting you treat me like I was some asset to protect instead of a person with a mind and future of her own.”

Sylvia stepped forward, desperate. “Please don’t leave like this. We can figure this out. We can talk—”

“You want to talk?” Heidi said, turning to her mother. “Then tell him to stop treating me like I’m property. Tell him to stop acting like my choices are sins just because he didn’t pre-approve them.”

Sylvia froze. She didn’t say a word.

Leslie finally stepped out from the kitchen, her voice sharp. “She’s not wrong.”

Tim spun around. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Leslie said, her arms crossed. “You talk about family values, but you treat us like soldiers under your command. Heidi’s not doing anything wrong. She’s trying to live her life.”

Tim’s jaw locked. “This doesn’t concern you.”

Leslie stepped closer. “It does if you think you’re going to bully her into staying.”

Heidi looked at her little sister, heart pounding, throat tight, and mouthed a silent “thank you” to her.

Tim turned back to Heidi. “If you walk out that door, you’re on your own. Don’t come back here looking for help. Don’t expect ANY support. You’ll be cut off.” Heidi stared at him for a long moment. Then she reached for the doorknob, took a deep breath, and said, “The next time you see me, I’ll be a mother. I hope by then ... you’ll remember how to be a father.”

She stepped outside and turned back one last time.

“I won’t be back.”

Tim froze. Heidi met his gaze without flinching.

“I’m not coming back, Dad.”

The room fell into silence. Sylvia let out a small, shaky breath behind him. Tim’s face hardened.

“ ... Then you’re no daughter of mine.”

A stab of pain shot through Heidi’s chest, but she didn’t let it show. She grabbed her last suitcase, pulled it outside with her, and shut the door.

The moment Heidi pulled out of the driveway, she felt a whirlwind of emotions. On one hand, she was finally free of the suffocation of her father and his oppressive bubble. On the other hand, she had basically just severed ties with her family, and by extension, the only world she had ever truly known.

She didn’t cry, look back or hesitate. She was hurt by what her parents had said to her, but she was also done. She hoped that Leslie would be okay now that she’d basically outed herself as someone not conforming to her father’s beliefs. Maybe Leslie would join her one day. Heidi would welcome that if she ever wanted to.

Thirty-five minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of her new apartment complex in Sandy Springs. Jalen was already there, standing outside his truck, waiting. The moment Heidi stepped out of the car, he knew. Heidi walked straight up to him and hugged him burying her face in his chest.

“As far as I’m concerned ... I don’t have a father.” Heidi said into his chest. Her voice was low, but firm and unshakable. “Maybe my mother and I can reconcile down the road, but me and my father are DONE. I hate him.”

Jalen didn’t say anything at first. He wasn’t going to tell her to calm down, tell her “he’s still your father,” nor that she would one day forgive him. He just held her. Let her breathe and feel. He knew better than to try to tell her how to feel about her father. Some wounds weren’t meant to be patched up with words. Some wounds just had to bleed, and right now Heidi was bleeding. She clung to him, her arms wrapped tight around his waist, her face still buried in his chest. All that mattered right now was her.

He kissed the top of her head, his voice low and steady.

“Then he’s done. If you say he’s done, he’s done.”

She pulled back slightly, looking up at him. Searching his face. Jalen held her gaze.

“You’re free, Heidi.” His voice was soft but firm. “No one controls you anymore. Not him. Not anyone.”

Her eyes glossed over. Her breath hitched, and then finally..., the dam broke. She sobbed. Not with little cries or quiet tears. Full-body, years-in-the-making, primal sobs. Jalen just held her through it.

Chris Westward leaned forward in his chair, staring hard at the two private investigators sitting across from him in his office.

“So?” He folded his hands on his desk. “What do you have for me?”

The two men exchanged an uncomfortable glance before one of them cleared his throat.

“Not a damn thing,” the first PI admitted, shifting in his seat.

Chris’s jaw tightened. “Excuse me?”

The second PI exhaled, clearly already bracing for Chris’s reaction. “Look, we tailed Megan. We went through her known associates, her recent movements. We checked phone records where we could. Bank transactions. Any sign that she might’ve left a trail.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “But she’s clean. Too clean.”

Chris’s fingers drummed against the desk.

“And Moss?” he asked, his voice sharp.

The first PI shook his head. “Same thing. The guy’s a ghost. We checked his financials, his business dealings. We even followed him for a few days.”

“And?” Chris snapped.

“And he works. Like a lot. Lately he’s been doing a job at this property up in Bartow County. Some politician’s house, I think. After that, he goes home or to a girl’s place. He seems to keep a few in rotation but never seen him around Megan though. Then he does the same thing again the next day. He’s disciplined. No criminal record, no lawsuits, no shady dealings. As far as we can tell, he’s never even gotten so much as a parking ticket.”

Chris’s eyes narrowed. This didn’t make any sense.

Megan had to be hiding something, and there had to be a connection to that contractor, Jalen Moss.

“Bullshit,” Chris muttered, standing up and walking toward the window, staring out at the Atlanta skyline. “You’re telling me a woman who’s been living under my thumb for years just up and disappears with no money, no resources, and you can’t find out a damn thing? And the contractor, Moss, he’s just some honest, hardworking businessman? No dirt? No history? Nothing?”

The first PI hesitated. “I mean Moss does seem to be fucking around with a bunch of different women, but that’s not exactly unusual for a guy his age. We’re not saying there’s nothing to find. We’re saying that whatever there is, they covered their tracks well. We’ve been watching him and Megan like hawks and they’ve never come in contact with each other since we’ve been on them.”

Chris turned around, his eyes burning with frustration. “So what am I paying you for?”

“We’re telling you the truth,” the second PI said, keeping his tone calm but firm. “If Megan’s got something going on, she planned this well. She’s not leaving a digital footprint. No new apartments in her name. No sudden cash deposits. No irregular spending patterns. And Jalen’s not giving us anything either. The guy plays it straight.”

Chris clenched his teeth. This wasn’t over.

“Keep digging,” he ordered, his voice low and dangerous. “I don’t care how much it costs. Find me something. Anything.”

The two PIs nodded, but the look they exchanged didn’t go unnoticed. They were starting to realize what kind of man they were really working for.

Jalen sat on his couch, mindlessly flipping through the channels on the TV, but he wasn’t really watching anything. His thoughts kept drifting back to Chrysti Oliveira.

Two weeks.

That’s how long it had been since she last responded to him. No texts, no calls, no random messages in the middle the night. Nothing. It made him sad, but he understood.

Chrysti was a fighter, a woman who spent years keeping her walls up for her own protection. Letting Jalen in had been an uphill battle for her from the start, and now it seemed like she was trying to pull away even after everything they’d experienced together. Jalen had thought after their last encounter that maybe she would finally allow herself to give in to her feelings, but it seems he may have been wrong.

Jalen wasn’t angry. He understood it. This life, the one he was living, was crazy. Not many women could handle this, and he never blamed any of them for struggling with it, however, it still didn’t stop the sting in his chest every time he checked his phone and saw nothing from her. He hoped she hadn’t decided to cut him off completely. He didn’t want to believe that.