New hobby

ELIZABETH POV I almost didn’t go. I stood outside the building for a few minutes doing absolutely nothing, just standing there like an idiot, telling myself I could turn around and nobody would know. Dr. Mensah wouldn’t even be surprised at this point. I’d cancelled twice already this month and she’d said nothing both times, just sent a simple whenever you’re ready and left it at that. But I thought about Hope crying in the bathroom thinking nobody could hear her. I thought about Daniella’s eyes lately — too quiet, too watchful for a two year old. I thought about Liam calling me a lifeless person like he was just stating the weather. So I went in. Dr. Mensah’s office was warm, soft lighting, two chairs facing each other. She was already seated when I walked in — early fifties, natural hair, reading glasses permanently forgotten on top of her head. She had this stillness about her that I’d never fully gotten used to. Like nothing said in this room could move her off her foun

Last Updated : 2026-06-25

A change

ELIZABETH POV I’d been sitting on this bench for forty minutes and had nothing to show for it except another drawing of Christian. I didn’t even realize I’d done it until it was already half finished. That’s how bad it had gotten. My hand just — went there. Like it had its own agenda and wasn’t taking requests. I’d come out here specifically to draw something else, anything else — the tree in front of me, the kids chasing pigeons across the path, the old man with the newspaper on the bench opposite. Something. Anything. Christian’s jaw stared back at me from the page. I sighed and dropped the pencil into my lap. Liam had started asking me every evening what I’d drawn that day, and every evening I told him same as before and he’d pull a face and say Mum, draw something else and I’d say I’m trying and I was — I genuinely was — but my hands didn’t seem to be getting the message. He was always going to be in my head. I knew that. I just didn’t know he’d be in my hands too. “

Last Updated : 2026-06-25

Anywhere

ELIZABETH POV “Elizabeth we got two clients!” James practically yelled it down the phone and I jumped so hard the pencil in my hand clattered to the table. “WHAT?!” That came out loud enough that every head in the room snapped toward me — Liam, Hope, even Lily looked up from whatever she was doing in the kitchen. “Yes. Freaking. Yes.” I could hear him grinning, I swear I could actually hear it. “They’re from Europe. They picked the Liam one and the one of your husband’s eyes. They’re obsessed with the detailing. They’re offering three hundred K for the two.” “This is insane.” I pressed my hand flat against my chest like that would help me breathe. “How — James, how is this even real—” “Told you. You’re a freaking talent.” “Thank you for believing in me.” My voice cracked halfway through it. I had to stop and swallow before I could say anything else. “Don’t do that, Lizzie. You earned this.” Then, brisker — “Come down to the park later, let’s talk logistics and what’s

Last Updated : 2026-06-26

Three years

ELIZABETH POVThree years later “Lily, what do you think?” I turned the letter over in my hands for probably the tenth time. “Do you think I should go?” Lily looked up from her tea. Looked at me. Looked at the letter. Then back at me with that expression she has, the one that means she already knows the answer and is deciding how hard to push. “You have to go, Elizabeth.” “Lily—“ “No, listen to me.” She set her cup down and turned in her chair to face me properly. “This is for your future. For your children’s future. You cannot keep living with one foot stuck in the past, letting that man have power over you from a distance.” She said it plain, no softening. “It’s been three years. He hasn’t sent a single letter. Not one. He’s probably forgotten you exist.” I said nothing. The threatening letters had slowed down over the past year. That was the only thing giving me any breathing room at all. Paul had been relentless the first two years — every time I so much as existed

Last Updated : 2026-06-28

New York

ELIZABETH POV It’s been five days since I landed in New York and my heart has not stopped racing once. Not once. Every single morning I woke up convinced today was the day Christian’s father was going to appear out of nowhere and end me. The meetings though — the meetings had been incredible. I met more people in five days than I had in three years combined. Sold pieces I didn’t even think were ready to sell. Got commission requests that I ended up working on right there in my hotel room at one in the morning because the buyer wanted to see progress before they flew out. The whole thing had genuinely exceeded anything I let myself imagine, and honestly I felt a little guilty for how long I’d been telling James no. He’d been right. This was exactly what he kept saying it would be — the thing that puts us in the real market. But as the trip wound down something else started creeping in that I couldn’t push away no matter how hard I tried. This was our city. Me and Christian’s. W

Last Updated : 2026-07-28

One decision

ELIZABETH POV By the time we pulled up I was sweating. Actual sweat, palms slick against my jeans, heart slamming against my ribs like it was trying to escape my body before I did something stupid. What if Paul knew about this place. What if someone had followed me. What if this was the dumbest decision I’d made in three years. But it was private property. Nobody knew about this house except us. I told myself that on a loop the entire walk up to the front door. The place looked dead. Dry grass everywhere, paint peeling at the edges, the kind of stillness that only comes from a house nobody’s touched in a long time. Which made sense, given everything I’d learned since landing, Paul was sick, apparently had been for a while, and there were already quiet rumors floating around about new leadership stepping in to take over what was left of Christian’s company. Everything he built getting handed off and picked apart by people who never earned a single piece of it. I tried the d