Your Waiting Arms

My blood seemed to freeze for a moment, and my clenched palms turned slick from my nerves.

"Are you changing the subject, Mr. Rivera? Is it because what I said was too on-point to refute?" I held my head high, trying to cut off Ewan's absurd line of thought with a sharp jab.

He was silent for a few seconds. Those few seconds stretched my heart taut.

"You're not wrong. I am." He let out a soft snort, sounding like he was mocking himself. With that, he turned and walked away.

The next day, everything at work ran as usual. When Ewan showed up, he didn't spare me a single look, as if nothing had happened.

Near the end of the day, his secretary, Adam Johnson, came out of his office, looking troubled. He muttered, "What's with Mr. Rivera? Why does he suddenly want me to look up a college classmate?"

The words "college classmate" drifted into my ears, making my heart surge like a tsunami.

I forced myself to speak. "Mr. Johnson, who's Mr. Rivera asking you to check on? Maybe I know them."

"Oh, right. You're all from Walden College. It's a woman whose name is Rowena Colson." He even helpfully flipped the printed photo over for me to see.

The young woman in the image wore a pale layer of powder, but a dark birthmark clung to her skin like a monstrous claw, impossible to ignore.

Ewan was looking for me! The thought lodged in my chest like a thorn, making me increasingly uneasy.

So, when I was called into Ewan's office the following noon, I was still a little out of it. While I made his coffee, I could feel the chill in his gaze, threaded with heavy scrutiny.

"Ingrid, you're from Walden College, too? Which school? I feel like you look familiar."

My whole body went rigid. I gripped the cup hard, my breath shaking slightly as I answered, "Journalism and communication. I did some volunteer events in college, so maybe we crossed paths then."

"Oh, yeah?" He took the cup, fixing his gaze on the rippling coffee. Then, he smiled with an unreadable edge. "Do you know Rowena Colson from the school of economics and management?"

"I think I've heard the name, but I don't have much of an impression of her." I forced a smile as I answered.

Luckily, Ewan didn't seem to care about the hedge in my words. He just gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

I quickly dealt with the files on his desk and hurried out of the office. I didn't notice Ewan's gaze shift from my retreating back to his desk. He picked up the two photos lying there and tried to overlay them.

After work that day, my email—one I almost never logged into—randomly received a message. It was supposedly from my former advisor, saying my thesis was up for auditing and asking for my phone number so I could be contacted.

I was listening to the doctor list pre-op instructions for Louisa, so I didn't bother to verify anything. I quickly replied with my phone number and locked my phone, listening carefully.

After leaving the exam room, I walked down the hallway to Louisa's ward. Then, I stopped short at the sight ahead.

In the distance, Louisa was holding Ewan's hand and waving at me. My fingers locked tight around the door handle; my whole body tensed. I shut my eyes, took a deep breath, and hurried over.

Louisa's head was tilted up, and she was talking to Ewan. As I approached, her voice grew clearer. "I'm not afraid of pain. I'll be like Mommy. Mommy had a huge monster on her face that she had to fight, and she won. I'll definitely beat the demon inside my body."

Kids talked in loops; Ewan didn't seem to understand her and paused. Then, he asked her something. I broke out in a cold sweat and rushed over to cut Louisa off. "Lulu!"

A passing nurse greeted me and said, "Ingrid, Lulu looks just like her dad. She's almost a carbon copy of him."

"He's not. Her father passed away long ago."

No one could hear the panic pounding in my chest—the force of it almost shattered my eardrums. Even my voice came out dry and rough.

The young nurse slipped away, looking embarrassed.

Ewan nodded at me, his gaze calm and indifferent. He looked like he hadn't taken the nurse's words to heart. I let out a breath. I took Louisa's hand and thanked him.

…

It was less than two days until Louisa's surgery. I was struggling over how to ask Ewan for leave when Adam came out looking troubled.

When he met my gaze, he hesitated, sighed, and said, "Ingrid, be honest with me. Where did you do your undergrad? You can't fake something like this."

My hand trembled; sweat beaded at my temple in an instant. I could only feign confusion and smile. "What do you mean, Mr. Johnson? I graduated from Walden College, didn't I?"

"Mr. Rivera had me look into you. Walden College's school of journalism and communication doesn't have any graduates named Ingrid Landeau."

It felt like something exploded in my head. In that moment, my mind went blank.

"Think about how you're going to explain this to Mr. Rivera," Adam warned.

I froze in place, unable to move. A full minute later, my clogged brain finally sputtered back to life. I drafted a resignation letter at top speed, cleared my desk, and marched straight into Ewan's office.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rivera. I admit I didn't graduate from Walden College. I lied about my credentials and deceived you. Lulu's surgery is in two days.

"I can't do this job anymore, and I'm not shameless enough to continue. Thank you for your care this past month. I'll leave my resignation letter here."

I couldn't give Ewan the chance to keep digging. Otherwise, he would find out that five years ago, Ingrid Landeau was still called Rowena Colson.

I gritted my teeth, lowered my head, and stepped forward. I was ready to toss the resignation letter on his desk and bolt, but a large hand closed around my wrist.

I looked up and met a pair of eyes where a storm was gathering. When he spoke, his words were measured, and his tone was certain. He easily dragged me back to the past I least wanted to face.

"Rowena, how long are you going to keep playing me?"