And I felt it in my bones that he wasn’t ready to let go of me yet.
“Shouldn’t I get official notice? Of the parole?” I squeaked.
“Yes. You’ll likely get it this week. But I wanted to warn you. And make a plan.”
I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. But not with my kids right outside. So instead I froze.
“Celine,” my sister urged. “We will get through this. Whatever you need.”
I got up and made a beeline for the junk drawer in the kitchen, then handed her the card.
“Shit.” She gasped. “When did you get this? Who delivered it? Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked without giving me time to respond. “We need to go to the police right now. What the fuck, Celine?”
A numb sensation crept through me, my fingers and toes tingling as they lost feeling.
It figured that the moment I experienced a fucking second of happiness and peace, Donny would ruin it.
“I planned to tell you. I just wanted to enjoy the weekend first,” I admitted. “And not feel like a charity case or some fragile soul you and Gus have to protect.”
“You are not fragile,” she snapped. “You’re doing amazingly well. And we had a wonderful visit. But if you receive threatening mail from your violent ex-husband in prison, I need to know about it.”
“The handwriting on the envelope.” I pointed to it. “That’s Phyllis.”
“Fucking Phyllis.” Chloe rolled her shoulders. “I will murder her. I own several commercial-grade woodchippers.It’s actually quite easy.”
Not even her dark sense of humor could lighten my mood. “Chloe.”
“No. I should have done it when she filed that bullshit grandparent lawsuit. Fuck her and her entitled asshole son.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped the screen furiously. “I’m reaching out to Parker Gagnon. She’s Chief of Police in Lovewell, but she has connections with the staties too. See what we can to do keep Phyllis quiet.”
“It’s not worth it,” I said softly.
“Yes it is. You are worth it. Your safety is worth it. Those kids are worth it.” She clutched my shoulders and shook hard. “You’ve got to fight this.”
“Of course I’ll fight it.” I scoffed. Did she really think I’d slip back into defeated victim mode so quickly? “But I need a minute to process. This card is evidence I can submit to the parole board, yes?”
She nodded.
“And the lawyers will handle most of it. I know I’m not alone in this.”
“Have you thought about security?”
“There is a system here. I’ve got the app on my phone. And Josh has cameras all over the farm for wildlife,” I told her. “I can talk to him. Learn more about it.”
Chloe’s lips quirked, her expression holding a hint of humor for the first time today.
“What?”
“I’m not sure the guy who’s blatantly in love with you should be the one doing an objective security sweep.”
“Please be serious,” I begged.
“He’s seriously in love with you. And I suspect you’re into him as well.”
Unease threaded through me. “It’s not like that.”
“Did you see the way he looked at Julian after they crossed the finish line yesterday?” she asked.
I’d pretended not to, but of course I had. He’d been bursting with pride and affection, swinging a gleeful Julian—who hated to be touched—around and carrying him on those broad shoulders. Standing by his side as he tried new things and faced his fears.