The Bound Between Us

Chapter 821

The Next Day

Herman was gone. He'd actually left for Willowbrook by himself-not even Nelson or Dailey went with him.

Anastasia drove him to the airport. She watched him go through security, standing there as his figure faded into the crowd, swallowed up by the sea of travelers. It felt like losing him all over again.

She stood there for ages, lost in her thoughts, until Salma called-Emmie had choked on her milk. Anastasia snapped out of her daze and rushed home, her heart pounding.

The nanny had been careless, and Emmie ended up choking. By the time Anastasia arrived, Katelyn was already there, holding a now-okay Emmie while giving the nanny a piece of her mind and firing her on the spot.

Emmie was fine, but the poor nanny was beside herself, apologizing nonstop. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry. It was my mistake. I promise it won't happen again. Please, don't fire me. I really need this job."

Katelyn wasn't having any of it. "You let my granddaughter choke! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? What if something worse had happened? I'll give you an extra month's pay, but that's it. Pack up and go."

Blushing and flustered, the nanny gathered her things and left.

Katelyn kept muttering under her breath. "Honestly, I pay her twice the going rate and this is what I get? So careless, so irresponsible. You can't be sloppy when it comes to kids."

"Mom, I'll take her," Anastasia said, taking Emmie gently into her arms. Emmie, still so little, just looked around with wide, curious eyes, blissfully unaware of the chaos.

didn't say a word-she wasn't the one paying the nanny, after all, and since this was

I up, and Liana was new sure how much Pattie was really learning. She did her best, but for now, it was mostly textbook stuff, not

downstairs but kept to her role. She was the tutor, not

lesson, Pattie gestured shyly. "Ms. Liana, can I go play

course, you can have a twenty-minute break. Next up, we'll go over some classic poetry," Liana replied with

nodded and

Ana, why didn't you stop him? What if that fox Sandy lures him away again? Herman

that too, but she

noticing Anastasia's troubled expression, stepped in to comfort her. “Katelyn, he wouldn't. He's got three kids now—he's not going to mess

was really saying it for Anastasia's sake, hoping

"Did he

said he'd be back in about three days," Anastasia answered softly. "Mom,

return. What she couldn't be sure of was whether his heart would ever belong to her alone

Willowbrook

She was afraid Herman would come looking for payback, or that Anastasia would show

passed, and

bit more at ease, she finally went