Mag-log inMom 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
Madelin’s POVWhen I emerged, Becky was gone, but Barrett was there, seated like a king in one of the wingback chairs in the sitting room. He stood as I entered, holding up a white bag that bore the logo of a restaurant I didn’t recognize.“I brought dinner,” he said casually. “Something new. Though
Barrett’s POV The morning light bled slowly through the gauzy curtains of my bedroom, casting long golden lines across the marble floor. I opened my eyes and stared up at the intricately carved ceiling that I had looked at every morning for the past thirty years.The same ceiling, the same bed, but
Charles’s POVThe hospital corridors stretched endlessly, their sterile white walls reflecting the harsh fluorescent lights above. Each step I took echoed with a hollow resonance, a stark reminder of the emptiness that had settled within me since Lyla's accident. Two nights ago, our lives had been i
Barrett’s POVTom turned the wheel smoothly, his gloved hands steady on the leather steering wheel as the car pulled up in front of Emily’s restaurant. The warm amber glow of the morning sun bathed the little bistro’s façade, catching the edge of its elegant signage and making the gold lettering spa







