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Madison slammed into his back when he stopped suddenly at the bottom of the stairs He turned around to steady her "Are you okay?"

She didn’t hear hiether "What is that sound?"

Chapter 27

"Crying and by the sound of it so it" He kneho it was of course The scent of cheap perfume that tainted the air told him

He beelined for the closed parlor doors and yanked the at a loss while she watched Candy sob theatrically into her hands

"Mama, I need to cos just went a little badly"

"Eo badly for you It’s all over town that he found you in bed with another man," she said in a strained voice

"But what did he expect?" Candy wailed "He left ot lonely"

"Work, Emma It’s called work That’s where he went If you had kept your job then you wouldn’t have been so bored"

She sniffed "They fired ht stealing again"

E They simply miscounted"

"I really don’t knohat you expect fro exhausted

"Well, I was hoping to come back here for a little while I just need time for myself to refocus and find et in touch ho I a with my life"

"You really expect to coh and dry? You didn’t even care where their next meal came from For all you knew these last fivefor food"

"Ohso ridiculous I knew you would never let thery"

"I’htly

E she’d won "I’ll just go get my stuff Since those people moved out I’ll take a room at the other end of the house, you know so I can have so your things" Ephraim’s deep voice echoed in the small room

Both women turned to look at him Eleanor looked erily Neither woainst the wall and trying to reign in her teue ran over her fangs, trying to send the With each word that left Candy’s ood," Candy purred The red in Eleanor’s face deepened