Especially my lovers.

Creed knew Callie was listening. And fuming. After dinner, they met up in his limo, a block away, as planned.

“Sorry you had to hear all that,” he said.

“You handled yourself well.”

“I was afraid you’d be pissed.”

“I am. But you had a worse time than me.”

“Talk about awkward.”

“Let’s don’t.”

“Good idea.”

What Callie didn’t say is she left the restaurant ten minutes after Creed arrived. It’s not like her to leave her post, but something came up. Something crazy. Something she has no plans of sharing with him.

She saw someone.

Walking down East 52nd.

Someone familiar.

A woman.

It was…Creed’s former lover, Miranda Rodriguez. Miranda, who’s supposed to be traveling in Europe for a year. Only she’s not in Europe, she’s in Manhattan.

And she’s…

Pregnant.

Could Creed be the father?

Yes, of course he could. In fact, it’s a certainty. Eight months ago Miranda agreed to come work for Creed, but insisted on taking a year off so she could travel Europe.

Now Callie realizes what the year was for.

She raced down the street to confront Miranda. Wanted answers, and wanted them badly. But something stopped her in her tracks.

Some unseen force.

She was completely conscious, completely alert, but her feet seemed stuck to the pavement. She saw Dr. Box’s former nurse, Rose, staring at her.

Glaring at her.

Miranda looked concerned, but it didn’t matter.

Callie couldn’t move.

She heard thoughts in her head telling her to forget what she’d seen. The thoughts were powerful. Persuasive.

But Callie’s dealt with mental demons her whole life. She knows how to isolate unwanted messages. She simply puts them in folders in her brain, to be opened in the future, or kept locked away forever.

When Rose and Miranda hurried away, Callie was unable to follow them.

At first.

Her field of vision was limited, so she couldn’t tell if others noticed her predicament. Those who passed by her on the sidewalk seemed unaware of her presence.

Was she invisible?

A minute passed before the feeling came back. Callie took a few shaky steps, then raced to the corner where she last saw Miranda and Rose. Turned and ran several blocks, then retraced her steps, searching the stores. When she got back to the restaurant she realized what seemed like a half-hour was closer to three.

Though it wasn’t easy, Callie survived the assault Rose made on her mind. And came away remembering Miranda’s in Manhattan, pregnant, on the verge of giving birth.