ログイン“Mommy! Don’t go!”I cried out as I watched my mom dragging her suitcase toward the door.I struggled against Grandma’s grip and ran after her, throwing my arms around her waist.“Please don’t go, Mommy! I—I promise I’ll be good!”She gently pried my arms away and knelt in front of me.“I’m sorry, Rebecca… but Mommy has to go,” she said softly. “But I promise, I’ll come back for you. For you and your brothers.”“No! Don’t leave us! Stay here, Mommy… please!”I woke up disoriented.For a moment, I didn’t recognize where I was. The last thing I remembered, I had been sitting beside Stephie.Why did I dream about that?I touched my cheek, unsettled by the strange feeling lingering there. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed a hand to my forehead.“Mommy…”My eyes flew open.Stephie.“Stephie!” I rushed to her side, gently cupping her face. “How are you feeling? Wait—I’ll call your doctor—”I reached for the call button above her bed, but she caught my hand and shook her head.“I’m okay, M
I used to have a lot of friends when I was a kid.Even though I didn’t grow up in a complete family, I was never really lonely. I loved making new friends… but I remember having one problem.I got attached too easily.Back in grade school, I had a friend who died.I still remember how devastated I was.Even at that young age, I lost all motivation to go to school… to eat… to do anything. It got so bad that my family had to send me to therapy.After that, something in me changed.I became distant.I wasn’t that bubbly little girl anymore, the one who could easily laugh and befriend anyone.Even with Tim, it took me a long time before I truly let him into my life.Because deep down, I kept thinking…One day, he’ll leave too.One day, I’ll lose him.And I did.When I lost him…When I lost my child…Something inside me died.Will it happen again?It’s all your fault… You shouldn’t have crossed that line.Right.I should’ve reminded myself.Stephie and Savvy were never really mine.I’m not
Even though I had been wearing an apron earlier, I still stained my clothes—and after sweating through everything, I decided to change.It just took longer than expected.My arm was stiff, hard to move, and the dull ache was starting to return. The pain reliever I took earlier must’ve worn off.By the time I reached the living room, I could already hear Stephie’s excited chatter.It sounded like they really get along well with Boston.And somehow, that made me wonder…Why did Steffano need to hire someone who looked like his ex… when there was already a woman his kids clearly adored?“Did your back hurt when the elephant stepped on you, Boston?” Stephie asked.“Not really,” Boston replied with a laugh. “It actually felt kind of nice.”Their conversation paused when I entered the dining area.Only then did I notice no one had started eating yet, they're waiting for me.“Sorry, I had to change my clothes,” I said.“You should’ve asked for help,” Steffano said, standing up and pulling ou
“Dad, put an apron on Mom. She forgot to wear one,” Savvy instructed.He conveniently ignored the fact that he wasn’t wearing one either—his shirt already dusted with flour.“And why did you remind me about your mom but not me?” Steffano asked.Savvy just laughed and high-fived his twin, clearly enjoying teasing their father even more.“Turn around,” Steffano murmured near my ear.He was so close that I felt a shiver run down my spine.I swallowed, raising my arms slightly as his hands wrapped around my waist, tying the apron behind me.“Mommy, say cheese!”I looked up, surprised to see Stephie no longer beside us. She was now standing next to Savvy, both of them holding up a phone.“Smile, Mommy,” Savvy added.I cleared my throat and forced a smile for them.But I froze when I felt Steffano’s arm wrap around my waist again—
“W-what are those?” I asked, my voice trembling as I stared at the wall.Even though it felt like knives were stabbing into my chest, I couldn’t look away—especially from the photos of Tim.“That’s the crime scene,” Steffano said evenly. “It’s too dangerous to bring you there, so I brought it here instead. So you can see what happened to him.”I took a deep breath. My knees felt weak, but I forced myself to stand and step closer.I remember how angry I was at Tim that night.How much I regretted loving him.How, in just one night, everything we built—every dream I had for us—was destroyed.But more than anger…What I remember most was the pain.A kind of pain I knew I’d carry for the rest of my life.When I found out he was dead, I didn’t feel anything for him.Because all I could feel at that time was the pain of los
“Luckily, it’s just a strain. No broken bones,” Alexa said. “But make sure you let your arm rest and avoid moving it too much. Are you sure you don’t want a sling?”I shook my head, glancing at the elastic bandage wrapped around my wrist and up my arm. At least my shoulder wasn’t affected.“If it’s better for her, why don’t you just put one on?” Steffano said.I shook my head again.“No, it’s fine, Steffano. The kids will worry. They might think something serious happened to me. I’m okay now—it doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”He sighed but didn’t argue further.Even before we reached the entrance of the mansion, I could already hear Stephie’s voice echoing from the living room.“Where is Mommy, Grandma?”“They’ll be here soon, sweetheart,” Glo replied.“I’m here!&rdq







