Chapter 5 - The Glass Fortress
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I didn't have the strength to fight him anymore.
James carried Chloe, who had fallen back asleep against his shoulder, while I walked silently behind him in a state of absolute, hollow shock. We returned to the warm, leather interior of the SUV, and Marcus drove us away from the only home I had known for three years.
We didn't go to a hotel.
The SUV climbed the winding roads of the hills overlooking the city, finally pulling through massive, wrought-iron security gates. We parked in front of a sprawling, ultra-modern mansion made of dark stone and floor-to-ceiling glass.
“Welcome to my home,” James said gently, opening my door.
The interior of the house was breathtaking. It smelled of pine needles and woodsmoke. A massive Christmas tree stood in the center of the living room, glittering with thousands of white lights.
An older woman in a neat uniform hurried down the grand staircase, tying a robe over her clothes.
“Mr. Whitmore, I wasn't expecting you to bring guests,” she said, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at me and the sleeping child in James’s arms.
“Martha, this is Grace and Chloe,” James said, his voice returning to its commanding corporate tone. “They will be staying in the east guest suite. Please draw a warm bath, find some clean clothes for them, and turn the heat up.”
“Right away, sir,” Martha nodded, rushing back upstairs.
James turned to me. I was standing awkwardly in the foyer, my cheap, wet shoes dripping melted snow onto his pristine marble floor.
“I don't know how to repay you for this,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around myself. “I can clean the whole house. I can cook.”
James stepped closer. He reached out, his long fingers gently lifting my chin so I was forced to look into his intense, stormy eyes.
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“You are not a maid in this house, Grace,” he said, his voice dropping into a register that made a strange, sudden heat bloom in my chest. “You are my guest. Tonight, you just rest.”
He turned and carried my daughter up the stairs, leaving me standing in the warm, glittering light of a Christmas miracle I was absolutely terrified to believe in.
