E M I L YI didn’t know how long I sat there, the letter trembling in my hands, my heart slamming itself repeatedly against my ribs like a caged animal. Tristan’s handwriting was still the same. Neat. Casual. Like he hadn’t destroyed me. Like he hadn’t walked out when I was eighteen, scared and pre
And now I couldn’t help but imagine all the ways it could’ve gone wrong. What if she had walked closer? What if he had coaxed her toward the gate? What if he had taken her? The what ifs were poison in my mind, tightening my chest until I could barely breathe. I kissed her forehead softly, trying to
“Who let my daughter speak to a stranger today?” I said, voice low but dangerous.The secretary, a thin woman with glasses too large for her face, looked up startled. “Excuse me?”“A man,” I snapped. “Named Tristan. He brought her gifts, talked to her through the fence, and gave her this,” I said, w
E M I L YExhaustion sank deep into my body like cold water leaking through cracks in stone. It wasn’t just the kind of tired that sits on your skin, it felt like it lived inside me. The morning came faster than I wanted, with sunlight slipping through the blinds, warm and golden, so different from
I walked toward her room, watching her as she gently poured invisible tea into tiny plastic cups, giggling as her stuffed animals “talked back.” I crouched beside her, brushing a curl from her forehead. “Having fun, baby?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt. She nodded eagerly. “Mr. Bear said
I moved slower, eyes scanning the lot, every crack in the sidewalk and parked car suddenly suspicious. But everything looked normal. Too normal. I took a deep breath, unlocked the front door to the building, and led the way upstairs, heart pounding harder with every step. Ivan stayed close, his arm