บททั้งหมดของ Accidentally Yours, Forever : บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

Chapter 11DEREKWinter was skipping ahead of me down the sidewalk, and I couldn't help but smile at the transformation. Just yesterday, she'd been covered in mud and misery, looking like the weight of the world had crushed her spirit. Now she was darting between trees, chasing after a bright yellow butterfly with the kind of childlike wonder that made my chest ache.This was who she really was, I realized. Not the subdued, careful woman who'd probably spent years walking on eggshells around her ex-husband. Not the exhausted mother who'd been beaten down by expectations and disappointments. This playful, free spirit who found joy in simple things—this was Winter without the chains.And I wanted to protect that freedom with everything I had.She spun around a lamppost, her borrowed clothes—one of my old t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants she'd cinched tight with a belt—billowing around her. A couple walking past gave her odd looks, but she didn't even notice. She was too busy examining

Chapter 13WINTERStanding on the doorstep of the house that had been my prison for twelve years, I felt something cold and sharp settle in my chest. Not fear—I'd expected fear. But this was different. This was clarity.The kind of clarity that comes when you've finally hit rock bottom and realized the only way out is through.Stiles stood in the doorway wearing that expression I knew so well—the one that said he thought he'd already won, that I was just a bug he could squash whenever he felt like it. His eyes raked over my borrowed clothes with obvious disdain, and I could practically see him cataloging all my failures, all the ways I'd fallen from the pedestal he'd put me on.Not that the pedestal had ever been real. It had just been another cage with better decorations."Winter," he said again, drawing out my name like it was something distasteful. "I have to say, I'm surprised you had the nerve to show your face here after your little performance at the park.""We're just here for

Chapter 15: WINTERThomas stood at the landing, still in his pajamas even though it was nearly noon. His hair was messy, his eyes red like he'd been crying. He looked so small standing there, so lost.So much like my baby boy that my heart threatened to shatter completely."Mommy, where are you going?"I should have kept walking. Should have remembered the cruelty at the park, the mud, the hateful words. Should have protected myself from another round of rejection.But he was my son. My baby. The child I'd carried and birthed and loved with every fiber of my being for eight years."I'm leaving, Thomas," I said quietly."But... you can't leave. You live here.""Not anymore.""Mommy but you came back." He started down the stairs, moving slowly like he was afraid I might disappear if he moved too fast. "I thought—Anna said you were never coming back. That you didn't want me anymore."I set down the suitcase. Set down the poker. And waited.Thomas reached the bottom of the stairs and s

Chapter 17WINTERThat startled a laugh out of me. "I did hit Stiles with a poker.""You did. It was magnificent." Derek grinned. "Though I have to ask—was that premeditated, or spur of the moment inspiration?""Twelve years of premeditation," I admitted. "Every time I polished that stupid poker, I imagined using it exactly like that.""Dark. I like it."We started walking again, keeping Thomas in sight as he continued his meandering exploration of the world around him. Every few steps, he'd bend down to examine something—a interesting rock, a beetle crawling across the path, a puddle that reflected the sky.It was like watching him discover childhood for the first time."MOMMY!" Thomas called suddenly, his voice bright with excitement. "MOMMY, LOOK!"He was crouched beside what appeared to be an anthill, watching the insects march in organized lines carrying bits of food and leaves. His eyes were huge with wonder, and there was a smile on his face that made him look years younger."

Chapter 19DAMONI should have known. Should have recognized the signs. After spending the morning with Winter—watching her chase butterflies, examine leaves, get distracted by every small wonder the world had to offer—I should have realized that Thomas would be exactly the same.But somehow, in my mind, I'd pictured him as a miniature version of the twins. Loud, chaotic, bouncing off walls and asking a million questions at rapid-fire speed. The boys I knew. The boys I understood, at least in theory.Thomas was not that."Alright, buddy," I said, leading him down the short hallway to the twins' room. "This is where you'll be sleeping. I know it's not what you're used to, but—""It's perfect," Thomas interrupted, his eyes wide as he took in the small space. Two twin beds with mismatched sheets, a shared dresser covered in action figures and random LEGO pieces, posters of superheroes and dinosaurs on the walls. "The twins share a room?""Yeah. Is that... okay?""It's great!" His face l