Pustaka
Cari
Beranda / Romance / Unworthy No More / A Quiet Morning

Share

A Quiet Morning

Penulis: Mayemura Special
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-08-14 23:13:14

Isla

The kettle clicked off, the sharp hiss resounding in our tiny apartment. The sunlight slipped through the blind, the rays reflected across the kitchen table where Sophie sat with her favorite bowl of oatmeal, swinging her little legs beneath the chair.

I eased myself into the seat opposite her, a mug of tea warming my palms. My feet still ached from yesterday’s long walk home, the blisters were tender but manageable after soaking them in warm water last night. I had gone to bed bone-tired, but my mind refused to settle. Every time I closed my eyes, Alexander’s words replayed. You matter. Do not forget that.

It was strange, having someone say that without expecting anything in return. Nathaniel used to shower me with gifts in the beginning, but it always came with strings, something I had to prove, some perfection I had to maintain. This felt different, and that difference unnerved me more than I wanted to admit.

“Mama, I drawed you,” Sophie announced, pushing a crumpled sheet of
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab Terkunci
Bab sebelumnya Bab selanjutnya

Bab terbaru

  • Unworthy No More    A Quiet Morning

    IslaThe kettle clicked off, the sharp hiss resounding in our tiny apartment. The sunlight slipped through the blind, the rays reflected across the kitchen table where Sophie sat with her favorite bowl of oatmeal, swinging her little legs beneath the chair.I eased myself into the seat opposite her, a mug of tea warming my palms. My feet still ached from yesterday’s long walk home, the blisters were tender but manageable after soaking them in warm water last night. I had gone to bed bone-tired, but my mind refused to settle. Every time I closed my eyes, Alexander’s words replayed. You matter. Do not forget that.It was strange, having someone say that without expecting anything in return. Nathaniel used to shower me with gifts in the beginning, but it always came with strings, something I had to prove, some perfection I had to maintain. This felt different, and that difference unnerved me more than I wanted to admit.“Mama, I drawed you,” Sophie announced, pushing a crumpled sheet of

  • Unworthy No More    Rebuilding Bridges

    IslaBy the time I stumbled into my apartment, my feet were screaming in protest. I kicked off my heels the way a prisoner sheds shackles, wincing as the raw skin at my heels caught on the strap. Blisters. Deep ones. I hobbled to the bathroom, filled a basin with warm water, and lowered my feet in with a hiss that could have woken the dead. The sting made my eyes water, but the relief was immediate.It’s strange how pain can be grounding. Every throb reminded me of the long days I had survived, the courtroom, the tension, the way my pulse had pounded when the judge finally spoke those words: custody granted. My daughter was mine. No amount of swelling or skin rubbed raw could compete with that feeling.I leaned back against the wall, letting the warmth seep into me. My mind wandered, as it always did at night, to everything I had left behind and everything I still had to rebuild. My parents… after all those years, seeing them outside the courthouse had been like stepping into a photog

  • Unworthy No More    The Fractures We Carry

    Isla’s POVWhen we walked out of the courtroom, my mother was the first to move. She stepped forward with a shakiness that did not suit her usual steel-edged composure. Her mouth opened once, then closed again. I could feel the words balancing on the tip of her tongue, words unsaid for years.“I brought tea,” she finally said. Tea. Of all things. I blinked at the thermos in her hands, wrapped in a faded cloth like it might shatter if handled wrong. My arms were still wrapped around Sophie, her cheek warm against my neck. I was too stunned to speak. My father cleared his throat. “Your mother thought you’d be cold after the hearing.”I did not take the tea. Not right away. I just stared at them, these two people who had given me life, who had disappeared when I made choices they did not approve of. Who had left me to fight alone when I was nineteen, pregnant, and terrified.“I didn’t think you’d come,” I whispered. “We saw the video,” my mother said quietly, her voice almost brittle. “S

  • Unworthy No More    The Verdict

    Isla The day of the final custody hearing arrived with grey skies and tension so thick I could barely breathe. My palms were damp, my stomach coiled tight with anxiety. Sophie clutched my hand outside the courtroom, unaware of the battle about to unfold inside.Nathaniel was already seated at the plaintiff's table. He looked tired, the lines around his mouth deeper, his posture less arrogant than usual. Yet when his eyes met mine, something flickered...guilt? Regret? I did not have time to decipher it.The judge entered. Proceedings began. Nathaniel’s lawyer painted me as financially unstable, emotionally overwhelmed, and unequipped to provide Sophie with a “stable, supportive home environment.”My lawyer, a sharp but compassionate woman named Ms. Tarrant, countered with testimony from my employer, documentation of my stable job and rising performance, character witnesses from the neighborhood, and even notes from Sophie’s teacher, praising the child’s cheerful demeanor and emotional

  • Unworthy No More    The Trial

    IslaBecause when a woman survives betrayal and still stands tall, the world begins to take notice. Those words echoed in my mind as I stood at the courthouse steps.Sophie’s tiny hand clutched mine tightly. Her pink backpack swung softly behind her with every cautious step she took, unaware of the battlefield we were walking into. Her eyes were bright, full of trust, and it anchored me more than any moral argument or legal brief ever could.I wore no armor. Just a black midi dress, clean lines, and unshakable poise. They would expect me to tremble. Instead, I was silence sharpened into a blade. “Mommy?” Sophie looked up at me, her eyes searching. “Why is Daddy here with that lady?” She meant Viola.I crouched to meet her gaze. “Because today, some grown-ups have to talk about what’s best for you. But don’t worry. I’m right here, okay?” She nodded and slipped her arms around my neck. And just like that, the trembling stopped.The room smelled like varnished wood, lemon-scented polish,

  • Unworthy No More    The Calm Before the Rise

    Isla’s POVThey may have broken my heart, but I’ll be damned if I let them break my daughter’s spirit too. That was the only thought holding me upright as I stood in the hallway of Little Horizons Preschool, waiting for Sophie to finish her art class.The walls were lined with scribbled rainbows, handprint butterflies, and cut-out suns with smiling faces. Somewhere down the corridor, a child giggled, and another sneezed. Ordinary sounds. Soft, innocent. And I was standing there, spine straight, hands clenched, heartbeat steady, like a soldier on the frontlines.I had just submitted the final documentation to my lawyer for the custody case, every receipt, every school record, every inch of proof that I was not just a mother, I was the mother. The one who stayed. The one who dried the tears and kissed every bruise. The one who made paper crowns out of cereal boxes and told bedtime stories with different voices for each character. And yet… I was the

Bab Lainnya

Anda juga akan menyukai

Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status