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
Maya’s POVI tidied up the living room quickly, ensuring everything looked untouched and perfect. The SD card and card reader I’d prepared was plugged in the back of the TV. I plucked it out, holding it with triumph, then slipped it into a drawer, placing it gently under a pile of old magazines. The
Maya’s POVThe soft glow of candlelight flickered against the bedroom walls as I nestled against Louis’s chest, savoring the quiet intimacy of the moment. His arm rested possessively around my waist, and for once, the world outside felt distant and unimportant. Just as my fingers traced lazy pattern
Lucy’s POVMaya’s family home was just as I’d expected—squat, with a sagging fence, chipped paint, and a yard barely clinging to life. “Mrs. Whitmore,” Lyla, Maya’s mother, greeted us with a disarming smile. Her golden locks were gathered in a delicate bun, and a modest purple gem sparkled at her n
Damian’s POVI stood in front of my closet, staring at the rows of neatly pressed shirts and perfectly matched ties, as though they held the secret to tonight's success. Dinner with Emily. Just the thought of her name was enough to send a flutter of nerves through my chest. It wasn’t a date, at leas







