Back And Better Than Ever Novels & Stories

back. *****

Her polite, distant tone carried an unspoken warning, as if reminding me that this was the office and our roles were strictly professional. I caught the hidden meaning in her words and forced myself to suppress my emotions. "Good morning, Ms. Thorne," I replied. Beatrice responded with a faint nod. She kept walking, as if I were nothing more than a stranger to her. I smiled bitterly, the words of my resignation hanging in my throat. But then again, she probably wouldn't have cared. Suddenly, my phone lit up. It was a message from my son, Parker Bainbridge, sent via his smartwatch. "Dad, will Mom come back to celebrate my birthday?"

“How’ve you been, Aiv? I heard you've been sick the past couple of days.” “Well, yeah. I … I’ve been just feeling under the weather. That’s all. I’ve recovered, though. Thanks for asking.” I smiled. “Good to hear.” Felix chuckled. “Yeah…” I trailed. “Aren’t you guys inviting me over? Are you going to let me stand here in the backyard forever or what?” Felix asked. “You guessed it right. Now off you go.” Kevin smirked. I chuckled and pushed his shoulder playfully.

The more time passed, the more satisfied he became with me as his wife. Even my father received top-tier medical treatment, and his condition has improved significantly. Still, I was not naïve. I knew that just being pregnant—even with twins—was not enough to truly shake Jayden's standing.

I shook my head and said, "We are no longer mates. From the moment we lost our child, everything ended." Liam shook his head desperately and clutched my hand. "I know you're upset, Lily. We can have another child as long as we're still us. You don't like Eva, right? I'll banish her forever. I'll make her a rogue as long as you come back to me." I gave him a bitter smile. "There's no need for that, Liam. The hurt from before cannot be undone. I hope you can live in the present. "You always trusted your instincts the most. So tell me, are we still mates? Do you really not know?"

'The back is clear. ***

was better than new. Because "fixed" meant it had survived the fall.

I leaned against the railing. "I wish we could go back." The words barely rose above a whisper. Amelia looked out at the river. "So do I." I turned toward her. Hope stirred again. "You do?" She nodded slowly. "I miss who we were." "So do I." "But..." She paused. "The people standing here today..." She looked at me with heartbreaking kindness. "...aren't those people anymore." Silence stretched between us. I wanted to argue. To promise we'd find our way back. But I knew she was right.

We are the people we were becoming. Better. Truer. Home.