Page 59 of His to Protect
Watching him work was frustratingly, dangerously attractive.
He didn't notice the effect he had. Or maybe he did and simply refused to acknowledge it—just like I did.
"Goodnight," I finally forced out, because staying longer felt reckless.
He looked up, those gray eyes meeting mine. "Goodnight, Mireya."
My heart plummeted at the sound of my own name in his voice.
I bit my lip and went back to my room before I could overthink it, closing the door to separate me from the unnamed emotions I was feeling.
I opened my laptop again and stared at the resignation letter. It looked exactly the same as it had an hour ago.
Except now I hated it.
My phone buzzed, startling me. Mom’s name lit up the screen.
I answered immediately. "Hey, Mom."
"Mireya! How are you, sweetheart?" Her voice bubbled with warmth through the phone.
“I’m good. How’s everything going?”
"Everything is wonderful. Evelyn has been so welcoming—I've really missed spending time with her."
"That's great, Mom."
"How are you? How's the live-in position?"
There it was. The question that made my throat dry. I picked at a loose thread on the blanket.
“Actually… I found an apartment.”
There was a small silence. “An apartment?”
“Yeah. I signed the lease today.” I sat straighter, forcing my voice steady. “It’s two bedrooms. Small, but affordable. We can move in anytime.”
“Oh, Mireya.” Her voice went soft with relief. “That’s wonderful! After everything that happened. Losing our place, and all that stress. You worked so hard for this.”
“We both did,” I said quietly.
“When were you thinking we’d move?”
“I don’t know yet. Maybe two weeks? I need to give proper notice."
"I'll start packing our things from Evelyn's. She'll be relieved to have her space back." Mom laughed. "Three kids plus me crammed in there. Your aunt is a saint for putting up with us.”
“She loves having you there.”
"Maybe. But everyone's ready for their own space again. Including us."
We were both quiet for a heartbeat. “Are you sure you’re ready to leave the live-in position? Is everything alright with Dr. Cross?"
“Nothing’s wrong,” I said. Another lie. Or maybe not a lie. Just not the truth. “It’s just time to move on.”
“Of course. You need your own space. Your own life.” She hesitated. “You sound tired, sweetheart.”
“Just a long day.”
