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
“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
Brook.I stand in the middle of my room, shaking from humiliation. From the sting of his eyes when he looked at me. From the way he dismissed every word I said for her.This was what I was afraid of. That the more they’re in proximity, the more Noah will gravitate towards her. That Chloe and I did e
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
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







