Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 5

AVAThe sharp crack of my mother's palm against my cheek echoed through our cramped apartment like a gunshot. My face burned, but the pain in my chest hurt worse. I pressed my hand to my stinging cheek, blinking back tears that threatened to spill out."You worthless little brat!" Her voice was shrill, fueled by the cheap wine she'd been drinking all afternoon. "Eighteen years old and what do you have to show for it? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"I stood frozen in the doorway of our kitchen, still wearing my fast-food uniform that reeked of grease and desperation. My mother's bloodshot eyes blazed with a hatred I have grown used to but never quite understood."I work forty hours a week, Mom. I contribute..""Contribute?" She laughed, a harsh sound that made my skin crawl. "You call those pathetic paychecks a contribution? We can barely afford this dump, and it's all your fault. If I hadn't gotten pregnant with you, I could have had a real life. A good life."The words hit me like phys

AVA"I'm sorry, Miss Parker, but we can't approve your application without the father's information."The social worker's voice was cold, mechanical. She shuffled through my paperwork like I was just another number, another problem to dismiss. My two-month-old son squirmed in my arms, hungry and fussy."I told you, I don't have his information," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I don't even know his name."She looked at me over her wire-rimmed glasses, her expression screaming judgment. "Well, then you'll need to provide proof that you've attempted to locate him. Child support enforcement, paternity tests, something.""How can I find someone when I don't know who they are?""That's not my problem." She stamped "DENIED" across my Medicaid application in red ink. "Next."I walked out of the welfare office with nothing but rejection and shame. Eli was crying now, that desperate hungry cry that broke my heart. I had enough formula for maybe two more days, and my rent was due yeste

AVAThe pounding on my apartment door was so loud it made Eli cry. I'd just gotten him down for his nap, and now he was screaming again, his fever making him irritable and clingy."I'm coming!" I called out, bouncing Eli on my hip as I walked to the door. "Just a minute!"But whoever was outside didn't wait. The pounding continued, aggressive and demanding. I looked through the peephole and my blood turned to ice.Liam Blackwood stood in my hallway, his face dark with fury.My hands shook as I unlocked the door. "Mr. Blackwood? What are you doing here? How did you..""We need to talk." He pushed past me into my tiny apartment, his expensive suit looking completely out of place among my secondhand furniture. "Now.""Sir, I don't understand..""Don't." His voice was cold steel. "Don't pretend you don't know why I'm here."He turned to look at Eli, who was still crying in my arms. Those gray eyes, so much like his father's studied my son with an intensity that made my stomach churn."He'