LOGINHe studies me, waiting for the rest.“I kept my mouth shut because you were happy,” I continue. “And it wasn’t my place to blow up your marriage just because I thought she was two-faced.”His jaw tightens and silence settles over the table, but for once, Noah actually listens instead of snapping bac
ADRIAN.I walk into the private whiskey lounge after dropping Sierra at home, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still riding that high, especially when I remember her beautiful smile.This has been our favorite place for years. Inside, warm amber light washes over dark mahogany walls and deep leat
“Inhale through your nose,” she continues. “Slowly. Deeply. Let your ribs expand.”I breathe in.“For four… three… two… one. Hold. And release.”The room fills with the sound of synchronized exhaling and honestly, it’s strangely powerful.We move through gentle stretches, supported child’s pose with
Then I see it. A low, cream-colored building tucked into the greenery. Large windows. Wooden accents. A stone pathway leading up to double glass doors. There’s a small wooden sign near the entrance with delicate script burned into it.Willow Grove Prenatal Wellness.I blink at it.“Adrian…”He parks
“I got you a lawyer. He’ll be in touch before the end of today,” Lilly says on the other end of the line.“There’s no need.”“What do you mean there’s no need?” she demands. “We absolutely need a lawyer.”I wedge the phone between my shoulder and ear while wrestling with my flats.“I already have on
Silence settles between us.She looks at me. I look at her. Then we both look at the bracelet as it catches the light and scatters tiny rainbows across the room.“It costs around a hundred thousand dollars,” she adds calmly.I choke on my lemonade. It goes down the wrong pipe so violently I start co
Sierra. I wake up feeling disoriented, like I’ve been dropped into someone else’s dream. The sheets smell different and it takes a few seconds before memory clicks back into place. I’m in Noah’s house. For a moment, I just lie there, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, my mind wandering back to yes
Sierra.I wake up with a heaviness in my chest, the kind that sits right behind the ribs and makes breathing a little bit difficult. I blink up at the ceiling for a long moment, trying to understand why I’m still here. Why I agreed to stay. Why Noah wanted me to stay, because nothing makes sense.My
“But what if it does happen?” she echoes. “You’re telling me that after everything, after all these years, you don’t feel anything for him? Even a tiny bit?”“I got over the love I had for him, Lilly.” I say quietly, forcing the words out even though they scrape against something raw inside me.Ther
It’s subtle, barely noticeable to anyone else, but I feel it. The quiet inhale he takes. The way his arm pauses in midair for half a second longer than it should. Almost like the jolt hit him too.My heart stumbles painfully in my chest, and suddenly the kitchen feels too small, too warm, and too ch







