LOGINWhen 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
Sierra freezes while my chest tightens with disbelief.“I didn’t! I wasn’t even in the house until this afternoon,” she says, calm but tense, her voice steady with anger.Brook sneers, taking a couple of steps down, her presence like a live wire. “You’re lying. If I hadn’t been quick enough, I would
His eyes are distant. Like he’s here physically but mentally trapped somewhere far away. Somewhere where Chloe is still alive.I swallow hard, my gaze sweeping the room again. The room It isn’t just frozen in time. It’s a shrine. A graveyard of memories he refuses to bury.I can’t stop the gasp tha
I’m still vibrating with anger when I reach the hallway. Anger at Brook’s lies, at myself, at Chloe for dying, and at the whole fucking situation. I’m so angry it almost feels suffocating.That first time, I thought that maybe it was a one-time thing. I thought that maybe it was the shock of finding
“Mom…” My throat burns. “I don’t want anything happening to you. Why can’t you understand that?” “And why can’t you understand,” she whispers, tears thickening her voice, “that I would gladly lay down my life if it meant keeping you safe?” Something in me breaks then. My breath catches as tears sl







