But that boy was gone.Our food arrived a little while later, and we ate in silence. Noah made no further attempts at conversation, seemingly lost in thought. As we finished our meal, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt for my behavior. Still, I quickly reminded myself of all the reasons I ha
HannahI woke first to the glow of the sun hitting my face, and then to the warm sensation of an arm around me… and a hand cupping my breast.“Mm…”Smiling, I snuggled back into the familiar body that was pressed up against me. In my sleepy state, it felt natural, comforting. Happy even. A warmth sp
The same waitress from last night greeted us with a bright smile on her face. “Good morning! How was your night? You two were so sweet together at dinner.”I felt my face heat up, remembering my over-the-top display of affection. It had been fabricated just to make Noah feel bad, and yet…Before I c
HannahI stood there, frozen in shock as I stared at the tiny bundle in Lily’s arms. A baby. My sister had a baby. When? How? Why was this the first I was hearing of it? Why, when I asked if I heard a baby crying the other night, had she kept it from me?“Surprise!” Lily exclaimed, her face beaming
“Hello there, little one,” Noah murmured, his voice softer than I had heard it in years—or maybe ever. He tapped her little nose, and she wriggled and grabbed his index finger. “Aren’t you just the most beautiful thing?”As I watched Noah with Olivia, a traitorous thought crept into my mind. Would h
HannahMy fingers traced the delicate lace patterns on the pillowcase while my eyes wandered the floral wallpaper, picking out patterns that I had almost forgotten over the years. The sun streamed in through the open window, the sheer curtains billowing slightly in the wind.Everything in this room
And now, he didn’t even seem to remember them at all.Sure, we went through the motions of a honeymoon phase for a few months; we had lots of sex, shared pillow secrets, went on dates. But now, looking back, I knew that it was all an act. A tactic to keep me happy, keep me obedient until I produced
HannahI sat stiffly at the dinner table, my gaze flickering between Noah and my father.The tension in my shoulders refused to ease as I waited for some sign, some hint of the deal I was convinced they had struck earlier. Lily told me that Noah had handed my father a check to help with his failing
Noah pushed himself harder, letting out a playful howl as he gained on her, the hunt pulsing through his veins like a drug. She glanced back, her ears twitching, and he saw her eyes flash with excitement before she put on an extra burst of speed. It became a game of cat and mouse, each of them pus
Noah For the millionth time that morning, Noah’s gaze drifted from the stack of papers on his desk to the stretch of forest that was visible through the office window. The afternoon light filtered through the trees, casting that familiar, deep green hue over the landscape. Just seeing the expans
Noah didn’t say anything, just looked at it with a faint smile, his hand sliding over Melody’s stroller handle. I could tell that he liked it. A lot. “That’s beautiful,” I said, glancing at the price tag. “If you want it, you should buy it.” I gestured to my own bags sitting in the back of the str
Hannah Amber’s big move weighed on me for days. I was happy for her, genuinely. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to miss her like hell. And with her going-away party coming up, I wanted to do something special before she left. I thought about finding her a small going-away gift, just a
Amber shook her head, blinking quickly to dispel her tears. “It’s like this weight I can’t shake. No amount of therapy is helping. And I realized... I think I just need to get away. I need to start over, somewhere far from here. Somewhere I can figure out who I really am, without all the... the bagg
Hannah When Amber called and said she wanted a girls’ night, I nearly dropped my phone. The last time we had all had a proper girls’ night, just us, had been… Well, I actually couldn’t remember the last time. Maybe not since Melody had been born. Of course I said I would go even though it was a
Noah took a deep breath, nodding. “You’re right.” “And then there’s your father,” he mused after a beat of silence. “He thought he was protecting you, setting you up for a safe future by arranging our marriage, but… he never really stopped to think about what you were getting into. He never took t
Hannah It took some time to get Melody to bed that night, what with all the sugar and excitement of the overwhelming day. Noah and I had to take turns pacing back and forth across the nursery, bouncing her and cooing to her until she finally gave up and let her eyes flutter closed. By the time s
Sighing, I said softly, “I could say the same for myself. But people change.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “Yeah, I guess they do. Thank you, Hannah. Really. I wouldn’t have even thought about it if you hadn’t put in a good word for me.” I shrugged, brushing it off with a smile. “I just suggested th