LOGINMom 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
“And where do you want to belong?” Charles asked, his eyes narrowing just slightly, the smirk softening into genuine curiosity.I hesitated. The question was a loaded one, but the man asking it had always seemed more reasonable than the others. Less performative. More... aware. I leaned forward, res
“I’m going to Tokyo in a few weeks. Covering the latest food trends. Would you ever want to go?”I turned to him, surprised. “To Tokyo?”“Yeah. With me. I mean, only if you want to. No pressure. But I think you’d love it. The energy, the food, the night markets…”My heart fluttered. “I’ve always wan
“So,” I said, turning back to her, “what do you get up to on weekends now? Still going to those underground poetry slams or have you switched to glitter raves?”She grinned mischievously. “Neither, actually. There’s a party this weekend, and then I’m going shopping with my roommates. I need a new dr
Damian’s POVThe office had gone quiet hours ago, but I was still there, seated at my desk like a statue made of anxiety and caffeine. The screen in front of me glowed with a spreadsheet I had not updated in over an hour. My thoughts were a carousel, spinning between work, my grandfather’s sudden ou







