FAZER 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 card is heavier than I expect when I pick it up, or maybe it’s just my overthinking brain. My fingers are trembling from a tremor that roots itself in the base of my skull and spreads out like a warning. I push the other cards aside with the heel of my palm as if I can shove the unease away.
I remember the last time he gave me hope. It was after we joined Uni. Chloe had broken up with him for reasons known only to her. He’d shown up at my apartment one evening, looking like the world had broken him. I was so startled to see him there—Noah Woods, standing on my doorstep with red eyes and
I swallow hard, trying to force down the chaos twisting in my chest.“Just stay,” I murmur, the words rougher than I intend. “Okay?”She lets out a hollow, humorless laugh that slices straight through me. “Why should I, Noah?” Her voice shakes, but not from fear—from being done. “None of this is hea
I still can’t stop beating myself up for being so harsh towards her, even though I still can’t understand what is happening to me.Before I can think about it too much, I pull into the warehouse district, killing the headlights as I follow the pin location. Two large men stand by a metal door, and o







