Page 44 of Knot Just Their Nanny
She jumps in before I can finish. “Who was it?”
“Some fucker named Eddie. Real piece of work.”
“Figured. How did he find my new number?”
I shrug. “You want to tell me who he is?”
Zara clenches her jaw, looking down at her hands, which are fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth. “My ex. I left him the day I came here. It was only days ago, but it seems like a lifetime already.”
“I see. Clearly, he didn’t want to lose you.”
“He didn’t want to lose his control over me, you mean,” she says bitterly, and I narrow my eyes as this douche canoe is getting worse by the minute.
I watch as Zara takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Her bravery is like a light in the dark, and I admire her strength. But right now, she looks so vulnerable, her guard down, and for a second, I just want to reach out and hold her.
“Please don’t tell Ben. He will freak if he thinks some psycho is tracking me down.”
“And so he should.”
“I know, but… Fuck!”
“What?” I ask, startled by her sudden expletive.
“My email!”
“I don’t follow.”
“He contacted me through a Facetime audio, didn’t he? Through my email address. Fuck! Zara, how could you be so fucking stupid?” She lowers her head to the table, and I wince as she bangs her bump.
“Okay, so he hasn’t stalked you and found out your new number,” I mutter, trying to keep up with this ever-changing scene. “He’s just threatening you into thinking that.”
“What did he say?” she mumbles, not lifting her head.
“You tell Zara that Eddie isn’t done with her yet. She can run, she can block me, she can change her number, but she can’t fucking hide.”
“Wonderful,” she grits out. “Just fucking great.”
“You do know that if he even steps foot near this house, Ben will go ballistic on his ass. Mia is in this house. Does he know about this ex?”
“No!”
“You need to tell him so he can be prepared.”
“Fuck!”
“Yep.”
“I have to be a grown-up, don’t I?”
“I’m afraid so.” I rise and go over to her, crouching next to her. She lifts her head, but I don’t see fear or panic in her eyes. Just a growing determination not to let this asshole beat her.
“I don’t think he would hurt anyone,” she says. “He never hurt me, physically, at least. I don’t think he has the guts. He’s a gaslighting narcissist who found me in a moment of pure grief and vulnerability. I lost my parents in a car crash a bit ago.”
“You don’t need to explain anything to me,” I start.
“Yeah, I do. I don’t want you to think I ran out on a maniac who would come here and hurt Mia. It wasn’t like that. He is all words.”
“Well, you don’t know that for sure.”
