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
His jaw worked, like he wanted to argue but didn’t want to hurt me either. He watched me for a long moment, his expression unreadable.“I’m not trying to control you,” he finally said, voice quieter now. “You know that, right? I just, I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. Or to Mila
E M I L YThe weekend was finally over, and mine and Mila's weekend bags were packed, to go back to my apartment. After the whole message from Tristan, Ivan was more skeptical about me going back to my apartment than ever before. He stood by the front door, arms folded, a storm growing behind his us
I walked to the kitchen, my mind racing, my pulse pounding behind my eyes. I took a picture of the letter and immediately sent it to Ivan. My fingers hesitated only for a second before I typed:'He found our address. Left this on the porch. We need to talk.'Then I stared at the phone, waiting—count
But none of that stopped the fear from gnawing at me.What if Tristan fought for custody? What if he tried to drag us into court? What if some judge looked at him, clean-cut and polished in a suit, and decided he had a right? That it didn’t matter that he left. That five years of absence could be er