LOGINIvan’s hands cupped mine, his eyes glistening.“Emily,” he said, his voice thick. “You changed everything. I didn’t know what it meant to live fully until I saw you laugh. I didn’t know what it meant to love until I watched you hold Mila when she was scared, when she was sick, when she just needed s
E M I L YSix months later.The soft swell of violins filled the chapel air, and I blinked through a veil of tears as the double doors creaked open before me. My hand tightened around Mila’s tiny fingers, her giggle a spark of light in the stillness. She looked up at me with a beaming smile, radiant
I opened the box.“Will you marry me?”The room was silent for a heartbeat.Then Emily dropped to her knees and flung her arms around my neck.“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes. A million times, yes.”The room erupted.Mila squealed and clapped. Laura cried openly. Mikhail whooped. Elle burst into full sob
I couldn’t stop staring.“You’re going to burn a hole in me,” she teased, glancing at me through the mirror.“Can’t help it,” I said, my voice hoarse.She stood then, unwrapping the towel from her body. I looked away out of instinct, respect, habit, nerves, but she laughed and tossed a pair of tight
I V A NThe day after the courthouse verdict felt like the first real breath I’d taken in months. We’d finally won. Emily had full custody, Tristan was out of our lives for good, and Mila… Mila was safe. I thought that kind of peace would be enough to steady my nerves for a while. But now, standing
The final day of the hearing, when Tristan took the stand, it was like watching a stranger unravel.He was combative. Defensive. Sloppy. He tried to paint himself as the victim of a cruel mother who shut him out and poisoned his daughter’s mind. But under cross examination, it didn’t take long for h
My breath caught.“No,” I said quickly. Too quickly, maybe. “Ivan, no. This isn’t about me wanting Tristan back. That part of my life is done. Dead. You—” I reached out, trying to take his hand, but he didn’t move, didn’t reach back. “You are the only man I want. The only one Mila has ever known. Yo
Mikhail stood still at the altar. Regal. Handsome. Silent.His eyes didn’t move once. He looked through Lana, like she was glass. His jaw was tight, his expression unreadable, carved from the same cold stone that surrounded us in the towering chapel. He didn’t offer her a smile. He didn’t reach for
L A N AFew hours before...No, I couldn't do this.I will never forgive myself if I go through with this. It frowned upon everything my parents had instilled in me. Every culture, every moral.It was an hour until my wedding, Emory had seized my phone, and took everything that would make me implica
And stopped just in front of the cops. This is what I deserved. What we deserved. This crime was unforgivable, we not only jeopardized the mental health of Elle and her friends, but also of a three month old baby girl who we had been selfish enough to involve in our sick and twisted games, and I tur







