After guiding the child through another bout of sleepwalking and tucking him back into bed, it was already around three in the morning—almost exactly the same time as the night before.
M Suthend made a mental note of the time, then dozed for a couple more hours.
The next day, M came downstairs with a touch of anxiety fluttering in her chest. Thankfully, Forrest Whitmore greeted her just as warmly as always, his face betraying no hint of anything unusual.
Only then did M allow herself to rx a little.
At breakfast, though, Forrest brought up the topic of the share transfer again-but this time, there was a subtle shift in his tone.
"Whenever you''ve made up your mind, just let me know. I''ll be here, ready to sign the papers."
M forced a polite smile and let the conversation drop.
She''d always known what she could ept and what she couldn''t. In her mind, there was a clear line.
The whole morning, M was absorbed in sketching out new design drafts.
Julian Pembroke sat quietly beside her, working on his own drawings. Autism might have closed one door for him, but it had opened another; he had a remarkable talent for art and could lose himself in it for hours.
The only thing was his drawings were...hard to describe. Very abstract.
But M stuck to encouraging him regardless. With a bit of recognition, children always seemed happier.
He was still so young; there was plenty of time for him to grow and find his way.
She had talked to friends in psychology about Julian''s situation. It wasplicated: as a little boy, he''d witnessed a murder-the victims were his own parents. Theck of care, encouragement, and proper guidance afterward had led him down this path.
The good news was, he still had people he trusted. There was hope-still possibilities for change.
They yed together for a while.
After lunch, M took Julian, with Howard apanying them, to Sunnybrook Elementary.
Given Julian''s current state, there was no way he could attend school; M was there to arrange a leave of absence.
When they arrived, the parking lot was packed and lively.
Using the pass Nathaniel Pembroke had given her, M entered the school. It was only after asking a few parents that she learned today was the school''s open house-a day for parent-teacher meetings and activities.
She stopped in her tracks, immediately thinking of Adrian Montgomery.
Julian''s father was still in the hospital-did anyonee to be with him for the parent meeting?
As she stood lost in thought, Julian tugged softly at her hand, peering up at her with wide eyes. "Mom, why did you stop?"
"Oh-sorry, sweetheart. Let''s go."
M pushed her worries aside and led Julian toward the administration building.
Nathaniel had already called ahead, so the process was quick and seamless. Julian was granted a six-month leave from school.
While they waited for the paperwork, Howard noticed M''s distraction and offered, "Ms. Suthend, if you need to take care of something, I can watch Julian for a bit."
"I..." M hesitated, then nodded.
...
Down the hall, M walked to the ssroom and paused at the door, peeking through the back window.
She spotted Adrian instantly. Sitting beside him was a beautiful woman with long, wavy hair-her back graceful and poised.
The two of them sat close, heads together, deep in conversation.
The ssroom was buzzing with chatter until the teacher managed to quiet everyone down and began calling names.
When Adrian''s name came up, the woman beside him raised her hand and answered brightly, shing a radiant smile as she turned her head.
It was Giselle Harvey.
The teacher spoke for a few minutes, then asked the parents to help push aside
the desks and form a circle in the center of the room.
Next up was parent-child activity time.
M watched silently as Giselleughed and yed with Adrian in the circle, both
of them clearly enjoying themselves. Strangely, M felt nothing at all-no jealousy, no sadness.
Her gaze never left Adrian.
It was obvious how happy he was, his smile lighting up the whole room. Seeing
that, M finally felt a weight lift from her heart.