MasukMom claps. “See? Good sense.”Dad groans, drops into a chair, and rubs his forehead. “Fine. Sparklers. But I get to choose the color.”“Deal,” I say, leaning over to kiss his temple. He pretends not to smile but I see it anyway.I never thought I would have this again—a father who tries, really trie
Maya’s POVFrance changed me. I did not expect it to. I thought all I wanted was revenge, a reckoning, a balancing of the scales that would make everything feel right again. But standing at the kitchen window of our townhouse with the late-morning sun warming the old stone, watching Oscar toddle aft
After a few minutes, Emma sits beside me, nudging my shoulder. “How are you really,” she asks, her voice softening.I smile. “Good. Really good. For the first time, everything feels... quiet.”“You deserve quiet.”I nod, my eyes warming. “He is different now. Softer. Present. You should see him read
Emily’s POVSix Months LaterI wake before the alarm, before the morning light even filters through the curtains, to a soft flutter beneath my ribs. A tiny kick, gentle but unmistakably there. I smile into the pillow, pressing my palm over the swell of my stomach. The baby is awake, stretching, gree
Damian’s POVI do not think I exhaled until the plane door shut behind us.No reporters.No blinking notifications.No family emergencies.No corporate disasters waiting like open jaws behind every email.Just Emily beside me, fingers loosely threaded with mine, her head resting on my shoulder as if
Emily’s POVThe morning light over the farm looks unreal, soft as milk, drifting across the grass in wide strokes that make everything glow. It is the kind of light you only see on days you remember forever. A gentle breeze carries the smell of lilac and fresh earth, the decorations swaying slightly
Barrett’s POVThe car was silent, tense like a drawn wire ready to snap. I sat between Maya and Charlotte, a wall of expensive cologne, perfume, and pride keeping us all in separate orbits. Neither of them looked at each other, and frankly, I preferred it that way. Maya, in a sleek dark emerald gown
Charlotte’s POVThe string lights above the terrace twinkled like distant stars, casting a soft, amber glow over the garden that had been transformed for Grandfather’s birthday. I stood by the fountain, my fingers wrapped tightly around a flute of champagne, watching as the guests trickled in, their
Barrett's POVI had heard the shouting. Not unusual in this house, no. Emotions ran high, and the Barrett mansion had always been a place where drama echoed off the marble floors like thunder. But this—this was different. This wasn’t the irritated bickering of cooks or the clipped tones of Charlotte
Charles’s POVLyla’s voice sliced through the stillness of our bedroom like a jagged piece of glass, sharp and trembling, trembling not just with rage but with years of swallowed tears and disappointment. I could barely look at her, but I couldn’t look away either. Her eyes, red-rimmed and glistenin







