Chapter Thirty-Four
LOGAN
The new job was demanding. At any other point in my life, its weight would have felt like a heavy burden, one I’d have shouldered with grim determination.
Now, everything was different. No matter how bureaucratic, challenging, or difficult the work became, I tackled it with a profound sense of peace—the peace of a man who was utterly, completely happy in his personal life.
I had been in the new position for a month, which meant my original agreement with Evelyn had officially expired.
And absolutely nothing changed.
She continued living with us, though she’d spent the first two weeks supposedly “apartment hunting.” We’d visited three or four places, but she found a fault with every one—and, I confess, I quietly agreed with every single one. Eventually, we just stopped talking about it.
What we had might seem rushed to an outsider, but for us, it was perfect. I couldn’t imagine a life where I didn’t wake up next to that incredible woman every morning, after making love to her the previous night.
In fact, I never imagined I’d ever use the phrase “make love” in my vocabulary. Now, it was the only term that fit.
With the stability of our new life, Evelyn’s focus shifted from finding an apartment to building her professional dreams. Using the money from our deal, she began planning her own language school in New York.
Beyond Spanish, she wanted to offer Portuguese, French, German, and Italian.
Most importantly, she was determined to establish a robust ASL program.
Together, we were also researching local daycares for the girls to start in the fall, a dedicated ballet school for Aurora, and a swimming school for Anna—who had decisively announced that was her calling.
Everything was falling into place, a feeling solidified by the legal recognition of my paternity for both girls. As for the press, we’d become old news. Luckily, the world forgets easily.
It was just past seven when I got home that day.
Evelyn had her back to me, sitting at the dining table, absorbed in her laptop—likely reviewing another design draft from Camila for her school.
On the rug, Anna and Aurora lay on their stomachs, deeply focused on a puzzle.
Aurora, who was facing me, looked up and immediately scrambled to her feet, running over. I scooped her up into my arms.
“How’s my princess?” I said.
Evelyn turned, her face lighting up with a smile the moment she saw me. Anna also stood and came over, though at a walk, not a run like her sister.
Excited, Aurora began signing, her small hands flying as she recounted her day.
“Easy, sweetheart, slow down,” I laughed. “Or I won’t be able to understand.” My sign language was improving daily, but I was still learning.
Anna then launched into her own tales of the day’s incredible adventures. The two of them chattered and signed simultaneously as I did my best to keep up. Evelyn just watched us and laughed.
I finally managed to reach her, stealing a quick, soft kiss before Anna pulled me by the hand toward the half-finished puzzle.
“Wow, you two are really going for it.”
“And it has a hundred pieces!” Anna declared proudly. “A hundred! Right, Evy?”
“That’s right,” Evelyn agreed. “But now it’s time for a dinner break. Go wash your hands.”
They complained, desperate to finish their mission, but they obeyed. I set Aurora down, and the two of them scampered to the downstairs bathroom, where a small stool waited by the sink.
The moment they were gone, Evelyn stood, and I finally kissed her properly—a deep, lingering kiss that held the promise of the night to come, long after the children were asleep.
We ate dinner as a family, the four of us around the table. Afterwards, we all sat on the floor, pretending to help with the puzzle until it was time for bed.
We took them upstairs together.
I tucked Aurora in while Evelyn got Anna settled. After pulling the covers up to my daughter’s chin, I leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Goodnight, princess.”
She gave me her sweetest smile and made the sign I now looked forward to more than any other in the world.
Good
Night
Daddy.
Daddy ...
It was the first time she had ever called me that.
I froze, sitting on the edge of her mattress, staring at the little girl I loved so completely. Her smile faded as she noticed the tears welling in my eyes, her small face clouding with concern.
“I love you, you know that?” I whispered, my voice thick.
Her smile returned, and she signed the words back to me. I love you, too. I tucked the covers around her once more, pressed another kiss to her forehead, and stood to switch places with Evelyn, moving to Anna’s bedside.
“I love you too,” I told Anna, brushing the hair from her face.
“Whatever,” she mumbled, before rolling onto her side and closing her eyes.
Things with her were still a slow, gentle progression, and I was learning to respect her pace.
Only when Evelyn and I had quietly closed the bedroom door behind us did I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Did you see that?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Evelyn’s eyes were shimmering with shared emotion. “Yes, I saw, Daddy.” She reached up, her thumbs gently wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I saw.”
“I never imagined I could become this… emotional. Overwhelmed by two such tiny humans. But they… God, Evelyn, I love them so much it physically aches.”
“I know,” she said softly. “I feel it, too.”
I nodded, about to pull her into an embrace, when the sound of my phone cut through the quiet.
“No work coming home, remember?” Evelyn teased, pointing a finger at me in a gesture that was only half-joking. It was a promise I’d worked hard to keep.
“It’s not work,” I said, pulling the phone from my pocket. “It could be someone from Los Angeles.”
“Alright then…”
She smiled, and I gave her a quick, reassuring kiss before she turned toward our bedroom. I glanced at the screen. It was Janet, the family’s lawyer.
“Janet? Is there a problem with the company?” It was my first thought, even though I was rarely involved in the architecture firm’s day-to-day affairs.
“No, Logan. I’m calling about that other matter.”
It took me a moment to shift gears. “The investigation into Ellie? Did the detective find something?”
“More than that, Logan. Are you near the children? If so, I recommend you find some privacy for this.”
“They’re asleep. You’re worrying me, Janet. What is it? Was she found? Does she want no contact? Or is she trying to take them? I’ll fight her for custody, I swear she won’t—”
“Logan, please, just listen.” Her voice was firm but gentle. “Eleanor won’t be taking your daughters from you.” I sighed in relief, but the feeling was short-lived. “She’s dead, Logan.”
The world stopped.
Dead.
Eleanor was… dead.
“That… that can’t be right,” I stammered. She is young. She is my age. “The detective must be mistaken.”
“There’s no mistake. There’s a reason we couldn’t find her. She didn’t have health insurance, so she entered a marriage of convenience with a friend to get the treatment she needed. She changed her last name. We only found her through her mother’s name on the death certificate.”
“When?” I managed to ask. “When did it happen?”
“The date of death was two weeks ago. She’d been in treatment for almost a year, but she was admitted the day after the girls showed up at your hotel.”
“The girls said a man took them there.”
“He did. Her husband, George Jones. He’s missing now. Insurance fraud is a serious crime, and he’s been caught.” She let out a heavy sigh. “That’s it, Logan. The search is over.”
“Thank you, Janet.”
“You’re welcome. And… I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.”
I ended the call and stood motionless in the hallway, the silence pressing in on me. The joy I’d felt just minutes ago now felt like a distant memory.
My God… How am I ever going to tell the girls?
Evelyn stepped back into the hallway, her smile fading the instant she saw my face.
“Logan?” Her voice was laced with alarm. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
I could only nod, words failing me. I reached for her, pulling her into a tight embrace, burying my face in her hair.
And she held me, her steady presence a small, comforting anchor in the sudden, devastating storm.