Chapter 14. A Heavy Burden

He took a long pull from his glass, the amber liquid sloshing against the cold sides of the tumbler. “It’s been more recent than I thought,” he admitted, voice low and guarded. “I guess I didn’t want to believe the things people were saying—rumors about what he can do, about the things he’s already done.” He dropped the glass back onto the table with a soft clink and rubbed the back of his neck, the tension in his shoulders telling me how much those rumors had weighed on him. “But I’m older now,” he continued, eyes distant, “and it would be pure folly to ignore all the evidence right in front of me. Especially the way he’s been treating you.”

I stared at him, my mind a whirlwind of shock and confusion. His words hit me like a slap, but before I could respond, a different distraction drifted over—a waitress weaving through the scattered tables toward our booth.

She slid in beside us with the confidence of someone who knew how much her presence mattered. Mid-thirties, I’d