At the far end of the room, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and a gentle smile stood beside a whiteboard, scribbling something down as she nodded along to whatever was being said. As my gaze swept over the group, a few of the women noticed my presence and fell silent, their expressions morphing
Hannah The next day, my phone buzzed with an incoming call as I was brushing my hair out in front of the mirror. Picking up the phone, a knot of dread instantly formed in the pit of my stomach as I stared at the name flashing across the screen. Emma. The last time we had spoken, things hadn’t
Me? She was envious of me? I didn’t believe it. I opened my mouth to protest, but Emma held up a hand, effectively silencing me. “Please, let me finish,” she begged. “It wasn’t until recently that I realized how toxic and damaging that mindset was—not just for my self-esteem, but for my overall
Hannah I squared my shoulders, steeling myself as I approached Noah’s idling SUV. With a sharp rap on the tinted window, I made my presence known, watching as he startled slightly before rolling it down. “Can I help you?” he asked, his tone clipped. I arched a brow. “You’re the one lurking out
Part of that was true—the clear-headed part. I had picked up a slight obsession with alcohol since Noah and I had gotten married, and had often used red wine to dull my frayed nerves. But not anymore. Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I saw Noah’s eyes flick briefly to my belly befor
Hannah I stood in front of the full-length mirror, my hands trembling slightly as I drew in a deep, steadying breath. Slowly, almost as though I was afraid of seeing my own skin, I lifted the hem of my oversized t-shirt and bared the pale expanse of my midriff to my own scrutinizing gaze. There
Hannah I strode through the front doors of the soup kitchen, my heart pounding with a mixture of nerves and excitement. This was it—my first real foray into volunteer work, into proving that I could be more than just a pretty face trailing after my husband. I was determined to make a good impres
And she looked… scared. Leaning in close, I murmured in a low voice, “Are you alright?” For a long moment, the girl simply stared at me, her eyes red-rimmed and tired looking. Then, finally, she gave a small nod, biting her lip. “We… we had to leave. My husband, he—” Her voice cracked, and she