ESSENCE When Lucian looked at me with eyes full of emotions, he asked, “Are you okay?” I nodded, but the truth is...I wasn’t. My head was spinning, my heart couldn’t keep up, and my mind was trying to untangle so many lies from a single thread of truth. Still, I nodded, because it was all I could
Sara’s eyes softened. “You did. You were so full of life. Wait...I’ll show you your husband’s social media. Maybe it’ll help.” She tapped on her phone and turned the screen toward me. Lucian’s profile loaded. My breath caught. There I was...my picture, smiling brightly, serving as his profile
ESSENCE As I hugged Danny again, my heart kept replaying the words Lucian had told me earlier....“I’m your husband… Asher needs a doctor… you were pregnant…”...like a broken record I couldn’t turn off. I let Danny go, sank onto the bed and closed my eyes. Everything inside me felt twisted. Lik
ESSENCE I held Danny’s face in my hands and looked at the tears still clinging to his lashes. His eyes...so big, so full of emotion...searched my face like he was scared I would disappear if he blinked. I wiped my tears as I smiled at him. This little boy… he must have loved me fiercely. He must
ESSENCE I didn’t understand why it hurt. One minute, Lucian was standing, staring at me like I was his entire world, and the next, his body slumped to the floor. Just like that. As though the weight of everything finally crushed him. The panic in everyone’s eyes made my heart twist. I stood
Or maybe I was the one dreaming. My mind couldn’t tell the difference anymore. Was she really here? After everything? Was I about to wake up and realize I’d imagined all this? That she was still gone? That Asher never came? I didn’t want to blink. I didn’t want to breathe. Because if I