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.”

wait impatiently for a response, wondering if he’s even

that all?

they stole a horse-drawn sleigh and were taking off into the mountains. They’re desperate to be with you and they don’t understand why you’re suddenly not in their life anymore! And

you?” He snaps, sounding even harsher than

I told them that you’d abandoned them, do you?” I hiss. “I took the blame for you so they wouldn’t develop a complex, and now they think that it’s my fault they can’t see

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

can’t believe him. I can’t 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 I’m furiouş with

to stand up for my children. “So you don’t even care that you’re punishing the pups

don’t care that they’ re completely innocent and they

You were planning to

I burst out, loosing hold of

He

you made me love you again!” I exclaim.

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

owed me for

You deserved to pay.”

to punish me, to break my heart, but it’s another

you decide to play with their fates again.”Ethan snarls. “All I did was give you what you wanted Jane. And yeah, maybe I snuck a lesson in there for you along the way, but this

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

food and gifts for me and mom. I know how I fell in love with him, he’d been sweet, protective and affecti0nate nothing like the monster he was

to match my eyes. It was the first

He grinned. “l picked it out

“Girls like me aren’t meant for jewels and

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