로그인"Please don't burden yourself with the idea that you must reciprocate my feelings. All I did for you was out of my own free will. Rejection hurts, but... I am happy when you are happy.""I like you, John."I forced the words out."Like?"He asked.I nodded."Really, really like you.""How much?"He whispered huskily."A lot...but... my heart belongs to someone else. I am sorry".I clenched my fingers.He scoffed."You still in love with that bastard, Marcus?""No...I am talking about someone else, his name is Leo."I said shamelessly.A married woman inlove with her ex?What would he think of me?He was silent, then he burst into a laughter that felt uncomfortable."What?""His name sounds funny," he replied.I frowned, offended. "No, it doesn't. He is a very nice person, and he is—""Handsome?" he asked."He is the first man that ever made me feel like I was worth some love..." I felt my eyes pooling.He went quiet again."Where is he now? Leo?"He asked."I don't know. Probably mo
I ordered the food do dinner and took Angel to the bathroom for a bath, but mostly to check if there were any changes in her body. “Mommy, bubbles!” she said in delight as she relaxed in the bubble bathtub. “You sure are enjoying your bath time,” I said with a smile, applying hair conditioner to her hair and combing it with a detangling brush. I wasn’t the one who bathed her back home; it was the maids. They always complained that she never cooperated. But the girl I was seeing right in front of me since we left home had enjoyed bath time. Always. Soon, I heard the doorbell, and John went to answer it. “Must be room service for the food,” I murmured. “Yeah! Food!” Angel squealed, shaking happily in the tub. “Stay still,” I instructed, trying to get her cleaned up. After the bath, we walked to her room and got her into comfy pajamas. “Food, food, food!” Angel sang as she walked to the living area. I sighed and settled down on the bed. “Can I kiss you again… really kiss you…
What are you doing?The voice in my head asked, and I immediately ripped myself backward, breaking the kiss with a force that made me stumble.My hand flew to my lips, which still burned with the phantom pressure of his.John stood frozen, his arms still slightly raised where I had been. His lips were parted, his eyes wide.The air in the room turned to ice.“I…” I stammered, my voice a hoarse whisper. “I’m… what did I do?”I wasn’t just asking him.I was asking myself.What the hell was that, Charlotte?I looked up at John.He looked shocked.His arms fell to his sides, fists clenching and unclenching.I accused him of being a creep, yet I acted like this—without consent?“I’m sorry… I—”“Don’t apologize,” he said gently. “It’s been a highly emotional day. You acted because you were overwhelmed. It’s not your fault. And honestly—I kissed you back… so you have nothing to apologize for. I enjoyed it.”Then he lifted a hand and stroked his lower lip with his thumb, a smirk appearing.“D
“Angel? Is that really you, baby?”It was less a word than a disbelieving breath.She nodded.A raw, guttural sound tore from me—half sob, half laugh—as I crushed her to me in a tight hug, rocking back and forth on the floor.“Mommy,” she sobbed.I covered her face in kisses, my hands frantically patting her face, her back, her arms, assuring myself she wasn't a ghost, she was real.“You’re here, you’re here, baby, you’re here,” I chanted into her hair.Then I loosened my grip on Angel just enough to look at her.I reached out with trembling hands, touching her face—her cheeks, her forehead, her hair. Then her arms. Her shoulders. Her back. Her legs.“You’re sure you’re okay, my love? Nothing hurts?”“I’m hungry,” she said, with the sublime, devastating normality of a child.I blinked.I didn’t expect that answer at all. A hysterical laugh bubbled in my throat.“That is not a problem. I will order food for you, okay? I am so happy. I am so, so happy. I can’t believe it.”I burst into
“I was scared,” I sobbed. “How was I supposed to know you are a good person? People can hide their real image and pretend just to get what they want. I am not God… to see your heart.”“And I’m not allowed to be hurt by that?” he asked. “I’m not allowed to feel rejected? Accused? Dehumanized?”He placed a hand over his chest.“I am human, Charlotte. I feel anger. I feel pain. And yes—I felt it every time you looked at me like I was a monster in disguise.”I couldn’t say a word anymore.“I followed you because I was afraid,” he continued quietly. “Afraid that your distrust would put you exactly where it did tonight.”I covered my face with my hands.“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” I cried. “I never wanted Angel to suffer because of me.”“I know,” he replied, softer now. “But intentions don’t undo consequences. If you keep letting fear make your choices, it won’t just hurt you. It will hurt the people you love.”The words pierced straight through me.“You’re right,” I sobbed, my shou
John exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.“Take accountability for once, Charlotte!”I blinked.“What?”“You think I don’t hurt, Charlotte?” he asked quietly. “You think I don’t feel anything?”I swallowed, but the lump in my throat refused to go down.“You look at me like I’m some monster hiding behind a smile. Like I’m waiting for the right moment to hurt you,” he continued, his voice tightening. “Do you have any idea what that does to a man who has done nothing but protect you?”I pushed myself up slowly, my knees weak.“So now it’s my fault?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Blame it all on me, right?”“Yes,” he said immediately. “This—this part of it—is.”The words hit harder than any slap.I pressed my lips tightly.He noticed, and his voice changed.“You don’t get to walk away every time you’re scared,” he said softly. “You don’t get to ignore warnings, run straight into danger, and then act shocked when the worst happens.”Tears spilled freely again.“You expect me t







