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I also don’t think her days would be any worse than what they are if I didn’t coht, and as long as she can ht, she’ll be fine I sure as shit ah I need these nights too much It may be selfish of me, but at the moment, I don’t care

I stay hovering over Abby for another thirty ive et up to leave

Kissing the back of her neck, right over the mark I left earlier, I murmur, “I’ll see you tomorrow, baby” Reluctantly, I cliainst her, anda washcloth, I wash away theanother cloth ater and walking back out to Abby Very carefully, I wipe away the cu out of her I always make sure I clean her before I leave Not because I worry she’ll see the evidence left behind of h that should be a worry I do it because a man should take care of his woman in that way She moans in her sleep, but doesn’t wake up, still too doped up on the drugs

After depositing both washcloths in the haet dressed I choose to dress as close to the bed as possible, so I can keep ering around longer than I should All too soon, I’ainst her lips, before leaving the woman behind that I love beyond all reason

I don’t go hoht for the office There’s no sense in going to et up in a few hours anyway I have a stash of suits in my office, and a shower in the bathroom that’s connected to my office When I first started my own business, I was at work more than I was at home I had the bathroohts and early s for me Over the years, my workaholic ways have lessened, so my need to use the en suite shower has lessened Or it has until this week The last night I’d slept in s off Since then, I only go ho to come

straight here after I leave Abby, shower, and catch a couple hours of sleep on the sofa in my office My routine leaves le second of lost sleep

I drop ht to the bathroo the dial on the shower to war down my back and shoulders Ten minutes later, I walk out of the bathroom in a towel, slip on so crew has already been through the office, so I don’t worry about anyone walking in ondamn near naked on the couch

Lying onbefore exhaustion takes over and I’ht

I wake to an irritating buzzing sound and reach over blindly to grabmy eyes open, the screen shows Tera, and I sit up

“Where in the fuck have you been?” I growl intoyou for days”

My sister sounds tired, and not her usual bitchy self when she replies “I’ on I… I needed time to think”

“And you couldn’t tell me and Mom that?”

The day after Abby broke up with me, I went to my mom’s house to talk to Tera, only to find she left earlier that , and my mom didn’t knohere she went

“No,” she sighs “I just wanted to be left alone and not talk to anyone”

I lean over and runmy elbows on my knees Tera tends to run off when she encounters a proble it She’s always been that way, even as a child If not for knowing that was her usual behavior, and the couple ofshe was okay, I would have worried