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Chapter 24
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2026-04-01 02:34:46
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What We Pretended To Be Epilogue
Maria:Three months after our daughter, Amerie, was born, I finally understood why parents turned into those people who shoved baby pictures at strangers. It wasn’t even about showing her off. It was more like trying to keep up with her. Every day she looked a little different. Every day she figured something out. A new sound, a new expression, a new way of staring at the world like she was already forming opinions about it. It felt unfair, honestly. I had spent years building something steady, something predictable, and she came along and quietly rearranged everything without asking.Daniel took it further. Of course he did.I found him by the paddock, holding Amerie against his chest like she belonged there, like she had always belonged there. He was talking to her in that low, serious tone he used when he was pretending something was very important. She stared up at him like she understood every word.I stepped closer, folding my arms. “What are you two discussing?”He glanced at m
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 132
Maria: I had reached the stage of pregnancy where everyone around me seemed to believe my body was now a community project. Victoria had called three times that week to ask if I was resting enough. My mother had called four times to make sure I was eating properly. Ada somehow managed to do both, often in the same conversation. At this point, I was convinced motherhood came with an invisible board of directors. Most evenings, I ended up in the reading nook beside the window without really deciding to. Daniel had built it overlooking the farm, and somewhere along the way it had become my favorite place in the house. From there, I could see the property stretching into the distance, the steady progress on the animal shelter, and the life that seemed to be growing around me faster than I could keep up with. A stack of books sat beside my chair. Shelter blueprints were tucked underneath them. Construction photos were scattered across the table. Outside, workers moved between partiall
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 131
Maria:The first thing that surprised me was how unimpressive the land looked.After months of sketches, meetings, spreadsheets, permits, contractor discussions, fundraising plans, and enough paperwork to make me question every life choice that had led me there, I had expected something more dramatic. There was a visible sign that all those late nights and endless revisions had transformed an idea into reality.Instead, reality looked suspiciously ordinary.Several acres of dirt stretched beneath a clear morning sky. A temporary site office sat near the entrance. Survey stakes dotted the ground. Construction equipment waited in neat rows. Three men were already arguing over measurements with the intensity of people negotiating a peace treaty rather than discussing concrete details.I stood beside Daniel at the edge of the property and took it all in.“Well.”Daniel glanced at me. “Well?”“I think I expected it to look more impressive.”“It will.”I laughed because that answer was pure
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 130: Lily And Marcus
Lily:The worst thing about hope is how sneaky it is. You can spend months shoving it into a corner, convincing yourself you’ve made peace with reality, and then it strolls back in like it owns the place.I’d spent three months preparing for every possible version of Marcus’s answer.If he wanted friendship, I could do friendship.If he needed distance, I’d survive that too.If he decided there was nothing left between us, I’d figure out how to keep moving.None of those plans survived the moment he smiled at me across Maria’s picnic table.Three months of emotional self-improvement collapsed in an instant. It was honestly embarrassing.Around us, the picnic carried on at full volume. People laughed. Someone dropped a plate. Maria’s mother and Victoria had somehow launched into a serious discussion about baby names despite the fact that Maria had barely announced her pregnancy.Charles had appointed himself honorary grandfather before anyone could stop him.Daniel looked increasingly
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 129
Maria: The housewarming picnic was Lily’s idea. Of course it was. Three days after Daniel and I moved into the farmhouse, she showed up at my clinic carrying a notebook, two iced coffees, and the determined look she got whenever she decided other people’s lives needed improving. I should have known I was doomed the second she opened the notebook. By the end of lunch, she’d planned an entire event. By the time the day arrived, the farm looked like it belonged in one of those expensive lifestyle magazines people left on coffee tables and never actually read. Long wooden tables sat beneath strings of lights, cream blankets were spread across the grass, fresh flowers appeared on every available surface, and someone had tied ribbons to the stable doors. Lily. There wasn’t even a mystery there. Nobody else would look at a horse stable and think, You know what this needs? Decorative ribbon. The afternoon sun washed everything in gold as guests started arriving down the driveway. I stayed
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 128
Maria: The first thing I noticed was how exhausted I was. Not the usual kind of tired that came with moving into a new house, running a clinic, and planning a shelter. This felt different. It sat deep in me, stubborn and heavy, as my body had quietly decided it was done cooperating. At first, I ignored it. Then I blamed the move to the farm, then the unpacking, then Daniel. That last one wasn’t remotely fair, but I was running out of suspects. Three days after we moved into the farmhouse, I found myself standing in front of the refrigerator staring at a carton of eggs. The sight of them made my stomach twist, which was ridiculous because the day before, I’d wanted eggs badly enough to consider making them twice. I closed the refrigerator, opened it again, looked at the eggs, and closed it. “You’re losing an argument with breakfast.” I glanced over my shoulder. Daniel stood in the doorway with a mug of coffee in one hand, hair still damp from his shower, sleeves rolled neatly to hi
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 123
Daniel: I left the yacht earlier than I wanted to. Maria was still half asleep when I got out of bed, tangled in white sheets and one of my shirts, her hair completely out of control in a way she would’ve hated if she were fully conscious enough to notice it. I stood there for a second just looki
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 122
Maria: By the time I got to Lily’s apartment the next morning my coffee had gone lukewarm. I still brought hers upstairs anyway. She opened the door wearing an oversized sweatshirt and mismatched socks, her hair twisted into a bun that looked like she’d done it halfway through a breakdown and th
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 121
Maria: “Maria…” Lily’s voice cracked halfway through my name. I pushed myself up immediately, the sheet slipping down my chest while Daniel’s hand settled instinctively against my back, warm and grounding. A second ago we’d been laughing quietly against each other in the dark, tangled together un
What We Pretended To Be Chapter 120
Maria:The silence after the confession stayed with us for a long time. Not awkward silence, not the kind that asks to be filled. The kind that settles softly over two people after something irreversible has finally been said aloud.Daniel kept his arm around my waist while we stood at the railing,
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