جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 240

Mia's POVI held my sons close, their small bodies against mine as other parents began to disperse, the drama officially over."Mama, are you okay?" Ethan asked softly, his small hand patting my cheek."I'm fine, sweetheart," I lied, forcing a smile. "Just making sure you two are okay.""We're okay," Alexander said firmly. "But that girl was mean, and her mom was meaner.""Sometimes people have bad days," I said diplomatically."There you are."Thomas's voice came from behind me. I turned to see him approaching with two glasses of champagne and an apologetic smile."Sorry I disappeared," he said, handing me one of the glasses. "I ran into an old friend and got caught up in conversation. Everything is okay?"I took a sip of champagne, using the moment to compose myself. "Just a little playground drama. Nothing serious."Thomas studied my face with those perceptive brown eyes. "You sure? You look upset.""Really, it's fine," I insisted. "Just some kid drama that got blown out of proport

Mia's POVI sat in the dimly lit car, staring at him—the man who had been a constant presence in our lives for the past four years.Steady. Reliable. Full of love.These were qualities Kyle had never possessed, at least not in the way Thomas offered them. Thomas had given me everything I had ever imagined about the security of love, and I had been greedily indulging in it.If my relationship with Thomas were to become like the one I had with Kyle—filled with insecurity, chaos, and unbearable pain—would I still love Thomas?The thought made my stomach clench with shame. Am I a shameless person? I dared not face these thoughts."Mia," Thomas said again, his voice gentle but insistent. "Please. Talk to me."I looked at him. His kind brown eyes were creased with concern, his hand reaching across the console toward mine. This was Thomas. The man who had held my hair back when I had morning sickness during those early days with the twins. Who had taught Alexander and Ethan how to tie their

Mia's POVDaniel was online.I quickly switched back to Instagram, my heart hammering as I waited to see if he'd read my messages.The little "seen" notification appeared under my texts.Then the typing indicator showed up.Disappeared.Showed up again.I waited, barely breathing.Finally, a message appeared:Oh wow, yeah I remember now! It was definitely a few weeks ago. The guy... he was tall, expensive suit even though it was just a park day. He stayed pretty far away from you and the kids.I only got a glimpse of his face but something about him seemed familiar. I thought he was your husband, the owner of Paradise, right? Can't place it though. Maybe I'm just imagining things?Why do you ask? Everything okay?I stared at the message, my blood running cold.He's talking about Kyle.That sounded exactly like Kyle.But he might have gotten it wrong, or it could be Maxwell.But it could also describe any number of people. Maybe some random guy in the park.I typed back quickly:Just c

Mia's POVThe rest of the morning passed in a blur of phone calls and emails, trying to coordinate with contractors and city officials to meet Maxwell's impossible deadline. But part of my mind remained fixed on the preschool, wondering how my boys were handling their first day with Madison Whitmore.By pickup time, I was practically vibrating.Victoria and her daughter triggered my old patterns. I hate the script of “competing with another woman for a man's love.” One Taylor in my life is enough. Especially if someone like that wants to hurt my children, then they really shouldn't do that.I arrived at Bright Beginnings fifteen minutes early, parking in the same spot I'd used that morning. The luxury car was nowhere to be seen, but I found myself scanning the area anyway, looking for anything that seemed out of place.Other parents trickled in for pickup—familiar faces I'd seen dozens of times over the years. Sarah's mom with her yoga mat still slung over her shoulder. Jake's dad in

Mia's POV"I can be there in twenty minutes," Victoria said curtly. "I hope you've addressed the boys' behavior appropriately."My jaw clenched. She was already defending Madison before even hearing what happened."We'll discuss everything when you arrive," Ms. Rodriguez said diplomatically. "Thank you."After she hung up, Ms. Rodriguez turned to me. "Now I need to talk to Madison before her mother gets here. But given what the boys have told us..." She hesitated. "Would you mind if I spoke with her alone first? Sometimes children feel more comfortable without other parents present.""Actually, I'd prefer to be there," I said firmly. "This same little girl made false accusations against my boys at a my friend's wedding last week. I think it's important that I hear what she says."Ms. Rodriguez nodded understanding. "I get it. Let's keep it low-key though—I don't want her to feel like she's on trial."Madison was sitting at the art table drawing when Ms. Rodriguez approached. "Hey Madi