I Was Always Second Until I Left Novels & Stories

The plane lifted, and as we crossed the familiar ranges over the Silver Claw Pack, I leaned to the window and, for the first time, didn’t look back. I thought it would hurt—even for a heartbeat. But beyond a dull weight in my chest, what I felt most was release. I had finally left. Left the cage dressed as ‘home,’ left the people who were never mine. From my earliest memory, I knew I wasn’t the child they loved. Henry and Lisa never hid their favoritism for Susan—from rooms and food to who stood by them at gatherings— they never thought it unfair.

Something harmless. But Ivy was still laughing beside me, relaxed and radiant in a way I hadn’t seen before. And something in me wanted her to know… me. The real me. Not just the cocky smile and teasing. So I said, “I don’t believe in love.” The laughter stopped. “I used to,” I added, keeping my eyes on the floor. “But someone I loved once… she left. Crushed me. Haven’t really believed in forever since.” Silence. A soft kind of silence.

The kind of crying that leaves you exhausted. “My contract expired,” I whispered. Saying it out loud somehow made it worse, the words felt real now.m, there was no fixing this, no second chance, just a flight home and a future I didn’t want. Eventually the locker room emptied, one by one everyone left, nobody noticed I stayed behind or maybe they did and didn’t know what to say. Either way, I ended up alone. I wasn’t sure how much time passed, fine minutes or maybe longer.

During our three years of marriage, my wife's mentally ill ex-husband, Daniel Chilton, had beaten me thirty-eight times. The last time, he mistook the vinegar on the kitchen counter for a highly corrosive cleaning agent and threw it in my face. I wanted to call the police, but Claire stopped me. "It's not a strong acid. Change your clothes and rinse yourself off." She looked at my soaked clothes, her voice weary. "Daniel thinks we're still married. Give me some time to explain, okay? Let me get him into treatment first." After a pause, she added, "There's something else. Daniel's kidney failure is getting worse, and he needs a transplant. Could you go to Harborview for an initial compa

At another family dinner, my Don husband Arthur Romano's hot new underboss, Bella Conti, took my seat. I turned to Arthur. "She's sitting in the Donna's seat. Aren't you going to say anything?" Arthur toyed with his custom lighter. "You were late. Don't blame anyone else for taking your seat. There's an empty chair at the end of the table. Sit there if you want. Otherwise, get out!" I was about to answer when Arthur's thoughts came rushing in. Baby, come on, get mad. Say you need me. Say you belong right beside me. Tell the whole family you're the lady of the house. Prove you love me. That's the only way I feel safe. This time, I refused to give him what he wanted. Instead, I looked down and

Alexa Leaving a place you once called home is never as simple as walking away. Not when every corner holds a memory, every familiar path reminds you of a life you once believed would last forever. I had spent three years in Silver Crest, building a home with the man I loved, never imagining that one day I would be desperate to leave it behind. Yet here I was, preparing to walk away from all of it.

How much did my wife once love me? The year we graduated from college, she spent two whole years trying to convince me to marry her. She proposed three times. The first time, I said no. The second time, I said no again. It wasn't until the third time that she gathered all our closest family and friends, then got down on one knee in front of everyone. She looked at me with a determination that left no room for hesitation. In the end, she won me over. On our wedding day, I gave her a small wooden box. Inside were exactly one hundred black metal tokens, neatly arranged in rows. I gave them a name. Second Chances. Whenever either of us did something that hurt our marriage or broke a promise, we

he confessed softly. “I couldn’t help my jealousy. It used to be just us against the world.” His words hit me right in the chest. We really were best friends, and it truly had been us against the world. But adulthood pulled us in different directions. We were no longer those innocent kids. We grew up, and so did our responsibilities. “You were the one who left me first,” I mumbled, looking away. He let out a sad laugh. “I left because of you,” he said.

He thought I would wait for his call like I always had. He did not know that I had not stayed for him. I had stayed to prove that I could. That I could survive without the De Luca name. That the words "I do not care where you came from" had once been true, even if the man who said them had already forgotten.

On it was a line I had written a long time ago. "Spring, it turns out, is not something you wait for, but something you walk toward with your own two feet." I looked up at Tyler. In his eyes, there was only me. Fluffball padded across the grass behind us, her bell ringing softly. I held Tyler's hand tighter and walked toward the sunlight.