Eve’s hands trembled around the phone. She was crying now, silent, terrible sobs that shook her chest. Ryan moved to her, took the phone from her, and slammed it down onto the couch, the sound loud enough that even the thin walls seemed to falter.
He could feel how small she felt, how raw. He’d seen that softness shut down in people who had been ground under other people’s greed. He remembered every night she’d fallen asleep like a thing to be moved aside.
He remembered the way she’d stood in front of her father that morning, brave and defiant, accusing him.
Ryan had promised her he would protect her, and a promise to Eve was like a covenant.
“Don’t worry,” he said low, his voice a hard cloak. “I won’t let him ruin us. I will not let him ruin our child.”
Eve wiped at her face with t
