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
The two maids freeze, their eyes darting between the housekeeper’s frown and my stunned expression.“Why are we being fired?” one of them stammers. “We didn’t do anything wrong!”The housekeeper crosses her arms, her voice clipped, the familiar coldness back in her eyes. “Didn’t do anything wrong? D
I stand in front of the mirror, buttoning the soft linen blouse I picked out for the day. The faint scar along my side still aches sometimes, though the pain has dulled. Today, I have two appointments. One at the hospital to check on my side and my hand, and another with my OB-GYN.As I brush my hai
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
I don’t know why I never noticed it before. Maybe I didn’t want to notice.They give Brook the respect she’s owed as Chloe’s sister, but that’s it. Nothing more. I’ve never seen them play with her, or talk to her the way they talk to my sisters, or laugh the way they do with Sierra.And the more I t







