เข้าสู่ระบบBETTYWhy the hell does an almost seven-year-old have a television in her bedroom? That’s my first question.My second is, who thought this was a good idea? And that doesn’t need to be answered because I already know. Nathaniel.I turn toward Grace, and she is completely absorbed, her eyes glued to the screen, her entire body angled toward it as if nothing else in the world exists at the moment.She doesn’t even notice me.I set the cookie jar down on her bedside table and walk straight in front of the television, blocking it entirely.I get an immediate protest.“Mom, you’re blocking the TV!” She fumbles for the remote and pauses the movie with surprising speed, her expression already full of offense.“You didn’t even hear me come in,” I point out, folding my arms.“Sorry,” she says quickly, though her eyes flick back to the screen like she’s afraid it might disappear if she looks away too long.“But my favorite part is coming. Can I watch just a few more minutes? Pleeease….pleeease…
BETTY“I love you, Betty.”The words echo in my head once, twice, then a third time, each repetition settling deeper than the last until I can’t seem to move past them.I freeze in his arms, and my lips part slightly, the response right there, hovering, ready, but it doesn’t come.We stay like that a second too long, suspended in something that should have been simple, until I feel the shift in him before I see it.His grip loosens around my waist, his hands no longer holding me with the same certainty, and when I look up, his expression has changed.The amusement is gone. Replaced with something quieter. Something he smooths over quickly. Too quickly.“You don’t have to say anything right now.” He breaks the silence, before his hands fall away completely as he straightens, putting just enough space between us to make the absence noticeable.“I just needed you to know.”A breath escapes me, small and uneven, and I nod, forcing a faint smile that doesn’t quite reach where it’s supposed
BETTYIt has been a week since Grace was discharged, and the compound has settled into a rhythm that feels almost too careful, as though we are all quietly trying not to disturb something fragile that has not yet fully healed.After a little back and forth, we agreed she should stay in the main house, in her room, surrounded by the things she loves, and that make her feel safe without having to think about it.It hadn’t been an easy decision for me to accept, not when every instinct in me had been screaming to keep her close, to bring her back to the guest house where I could watch her every movement, measure every breath, reassure myself constantly that she was fine.It felt wrong. Still does, sometimes.But she has been healing well. Better than I allowed myself to hope for in those first hours at the hospital.And that has made it easier to breathe, easier to loosen the grip I did not realize I had tightened so much.The swelling has gone down, the pain never came, and there has be
Rhys’s jaw tightens almost imperceptibly at the doctor’s words, the shift subtle enough that most people would miss it, but I catch it because I know him wat too well. Beside me, Amanda moves in the opposite direction entirely, her body angling closer as her hand tightens slightly around my arm, as though proximity alone is enough to justify presence.“I’m going to be her stepmother,” she says, her tone steady, almost composed, though there is a note of insistence beneath it that makes the statement feel less like fact and more like something she is trying to cement into place. “I should be here.”I tilt my head slightly, my gaze narrowing as I look at her, irritation sharpening into something colder, because the word stepmother lands differently now than it did before, heavier, misplaced, undeserved.On the other side of the bed, my attention is drawn when Rhys reaches for Betty.It happens quickly, his hand coming up to cup her face with a familiarity that feels practiced rather t
NATHANIELThe sight stops me mid-step as soon as I join them inside.Rhys is standing beside the bed with an ease that feels practiced rather than accidental, his hand resting on Betty’s shoulder, the rest of his body angled toward Grace as he says something low and amused that draws a soft, unrestrained laugh from her.The realization does not arrive gently, nor does it give me time to prepare for it either.It lands somewhere deep in my chest and twists, sharp enough that I have to swallow around it just to steady my breathing.I remain by the door long enough for it to become obvious, at least to myself, but none of them notices me.Grace leans slightly toward Rhys, her attention fixed on him, Betty’s shoulder now brushing against his arm in a way that suggests familiarity rather than hesitation, and for a brief, unwelcome second, I am forced to confront how natural they look standing there together. How right it looks.“See?” Amanda’s voice slips in beside me, soft and deliberate.
NATHANIELNATHANIELAmanda takes a step back after my words settle between us, and she simply stares at me, like she is trying to decide whether I am serious or if this is some strange joke she hasn’t yet understood.Then her eyes travel downward slowly, dragging over me from head to toe, lingering longer than necessary on the ridiculous combination of green sweats and boots that Grace insisted I wear.Disgust flashes across her face before she manages to smooth it out, and I can tell she wants to say something about it. Some sharp comment about how absurd I look, how undignified it is for someone like me to be walking around dressed like this.Instead, she exhales and shakes her head slowly, as if the sight alone is enough to confirm something she has already decided.“What happened to you?” Her voice is different now. Not the loud, dramatic tone from inside the room. This one is softer, almost wounded.“Why is everything with you changing all of a sudden?” Her gaze steady on mine. “
BETTYMrs marshal leaves the café, and I remain seated long after our handshake has ended, staring down at the rectangle of paper resting against the dark, polished table.Ten thousand dollars. My name written carefully across the center, her signature firm at the bottom.The café hums around me —
BETTY“More martini?” I ask, turning toward the jug on the counter as if the question will break the tension,I hear him scoff behind me, soft and amused, and when I glance back, he’s already moved to the living room. Thank God. I don’t think I could survive another second of pretending I don’t fee
NATHANIELGlasses meet one another constantly throughout the hall, the sound carrying above polite conversation and carefully measured laughter between guests.Most of the faces surrounding me remain unfamiliar, even though they stand on my family’s estate, their comfort obvious.Amanda’s family an
Hello, my gorgeous readers 🤍✨First of all, thank you sooo much for being patient with me these last few days. I know I haven’t been updating any chapters, and I truly appreciate how understanding and supportive you’ve all been.Your kindness honestly means more than you know ❤️.I took a much-need







