Jane

“Okay, you can do this. You can do this. You can do this.”I repeat to myself, staring at the phone in my hands with utter trepidation.

The pups are sleeping soundly in their bedroom, and I’m getting ready to sacrifice my dignity in their honor.

I’m not sure how Ethan will respond to my phone call, if he’ll even answer when he sees my number on the screen. I’m half tempted to go find a pay phone and calI from a number he won’t recognize, but I decide to try this first. Taking one last deep breath, I dial and hit the send button, raising the device to my ear.

It seems to ring for an utter eternity, but eventually the line clicks, and Ethan’s deep voice sounds in my ear.

“Jane?”

The familiar sound sends a shiver down my spine. “

Hello Ethan.”

“I thought I told you not to contact me.” Ouch, I know l expected failure, but that seems harsh, even for Ethan.

“Actually you just told me to leave, you didn’t say I couldn’t ever reach out.”I correct him hoarsely. It’s only been four weeks, but it feels like an eternity since we last spoke. Those early days after l left with the pups had passed in a haze that still haunted me, and it feels so surreal just to hear his familiar voice.

“Well I should have.” He growls. “I didn’t realize I had to spell everything out letter by letter. I thought you were smarter than that.”

“Wil you just listen for a moment.” I beg, hating how cruel he’s being.

He pauses for a moment. “Is something wrong?

“Well that depends on how you define wrong.” I snap. “Your pups are absolutely heartbroken without you. They don’t understand why they can’t see you, they’re completely traumatized from the Southern lsles – every other night they’re having nightmares and begging for you instead of me, and yesterday they attempted to run away to the North Pole so they could ask Santa to bring you back to them for Christmas.”

of the line. I wait impatiently for a response, wondering if he’s even still there. “Ethan?” I prompt after

that all?

not believing my ears. “Is that all?! Ethan they could have been killed, they stole a horse-drawn sleigh and were taking off into the mountains.

snaps, sounding even

think I told them that you’d abandoned them, do you?” I hiss. “I took the blame for you so

“It is your fault. If you’d done what you were supposed

believe how badly it hurts to hear him speak to me this way. He wasn’t even this cruel when Eve staged her attack all those years ago. I can’t believe how badly I misjudged him, and

l have to stand up for my children. “So you don’t even care that you’re

completely innocent and they worship the ground you walk on

you’re complaining?” Ethan counters. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? You were planning

was before!” I burst out, loosing hold of

what?” He

made me love you again!”

did you do that? If you cared this little about the children, why did you fight for me the way you did, why did you make

“You owed me for faking your

You deserved to pay.”

maternal rage bubble up inside of me. “It’s one thing to punish me, to break my heart, but it’s another to punish

maybe I snuck a lesson in there for you along the way, but this was your dream ending. You made your bed, now go

hangs up before I can say another word, and before I can stop myself I hurl my phone against the wall, flinching when it strikes and bounces off again, clattering to the ground. I follow suit, sinking onto the floor and wrapping my arms around

I fell

bought to match my eyes. It was the first gift l’d opened, and already it

He grinned. “l

I insisted. “Girls like me aren’t meant for jewels and finery,

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