MasukWhen we step into the theater, it’s dim but not crowded, that perfect in-between where it feels like the world has stepped aside just for us. Adrian gestures toward the center.“I picked the best seats,” he says quietly. “Middle row, dead center. You get the perfect view with no neck strain.”“Look
He smiles, eyes on the road. “You’ll see.”I narrow my eyes. “I don’t really like surprises.”“That’s unfortunate,” he chuckles. “Because I like giving them.”“I don’t have that kind of patience,” I warn.He laughs, the sound warm and easy. “I’ve noticed and I find that so cute.”I look down, using
Adrian arrives exactly on time.I know this because I’ve checked the clock three times already, pacing from the living room to the hallway and back again like I’m waiting for an exam result instead of a date. When his car finally pulls up outside, headlights briefly washing over the front of my hous
A soft chuckle escapes me. “Well… technically, we’ve only been on one date, but we talk every day, and he told me he wants to build something more with me.”The sadness and despair on her face vanish, replaced by a huge smile that lights her up.“Please tell me you’re not lying, just so I can finall
The picture shows my back, with Noah’s hand resting on my lower spine. It was probably taken while I was admiring the necklace, but what I don’t remember is his hand being there at all.Was I so absorbed that I didn’t even notice where he’d placed it?“So,” Mom says sharply, her eyes burning with an
“I don’t think I heard you right,” Mom says, staring at me like I should be booking a psychiatry appointment. “There must be a mistake.”I get her. I really do. Noah is the last person anyone would ever imagine I’d have a child with, yet here we are and the proof is the very obvious baby bump stretc
Her words send a chill down my spine. If Aunt Ava is already connecting the dots, then it's only a matter of time before the truth is out... I have to do something.I push the spoon through the panna cotta, swirling the berries around. My chest feels heavy. “And then there is Noah. He sat across fro
The words burn as they leave me, because I know the truth: I’m the one to blame. Brook might have given me the match, but I’m the one that lit it and set things ablazeThe image of the angry red marks staining Sierra’s skin sears through me. Those are my marks, made by hand. Those thoughts, that rea
“Please! I’m perfectly fine… I’ll settle down when I find a man that can tame me in all aspects” she winks at me.I chuckle. At least she’s self-aware. With her personality, Lilly needs someone who can match her. Someone she can’t walk all over. She needs a dominant male; otherwise, she’ll continue
By the time I push my front door open, I’m ready to collapse face-first onto the nearest flat surface. My whole body feels wrung out, like I’ve just run a marathon I didn’t sign up for. My feet drag against the wooden floor, and I already imagine curling under my blanket with Blackie.But when I loo






