Nicola Taylor“Mumma, I’m hurt.”I glanced down to see my five-year-old son, Aaron, clinging to my leg with a pouty face as I worked on taming Arabella’s unruly hair.“Baby, you’re not hurt. Let me finish fixing her hair, and then I’ll get you a snack,” I said, bending down to kiss his head before t
“That’s alright. She’s probably just going through a phase,” Cole murmured, his hand sliding onto my thigh under the table. It was a casual touch, invisible to everyone else in the room, but it sent a jolt through me.I stiffened, my gaze snapping to him. His lips curved into the faintest smirk, as
Nicola TaylorI sank deeper into the tub, the lukewarm water lapping at my shoulders as I cradled a half-empty glass of wine in my hand. The faint scent of lavender from the bath salts mixed with the sting of frustration bubbling inside me. Two hours I’d been sitting here, trying to soak away the we
His eyes flashed with something—pain, anger, maybe regret—but he didn’t back down. Instead, in a fluid motion, he closed the space between us, and suddenly, he was standing so close I could feel the heat radiating off of him. His presence was overwhelming, and my breath hitched.“You think this is e
Nicola TaylorThe bell rang incessantly, cutting through the chaos of the morning like a sharp knife. I was already late for work, my bag slung over my shoulder as I hurried towards the door.“Cole! Can you please get Aaron dressed? I have to leave for work!” I yelled over my shoulder, my voice ting
My stomach sank. "What about him?"Her voice wavered, raw and uneven. "I’m so tired, Nicola. We have no money. Please, don’t tell Cole, Mom, or Dad—it’s so humiliating. He’s not doing anything. He just sits at home and ‘invests’." she said, her fingers curling into air quotes. "He invested everythin
Nicola Taylor I head to the kitchen, needing something to eat and a moment to myself. The quiet hum of the refrigerator fills the space, but it does little to calm my racing mind. I pull open a cabinet, grabbing a box of crackers, not because I’m hungry but because I need to keep my hands busy. D
Cole Harrington “Where is the fucking data on our newest draft? I needed the simulations yesterday!” My voice echoed through the office, sharp and unforgiving. “I am so fucking close to firing someone. What—” I slammed the phone down mid-outburst, trying to reel myself back in. My chest heaved with
Nicola Taylor The weight of her words hit like a tidal wave. I felt my chest tighten as I realized what she’d sacrificed, and I could see the shift in Cole’s expression. The anger in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something closer to heartbreak. “And you just… agreed to that?” he asked, his voice b
“Because I knew you wouldn’t let me go,” she said simply. “You would’ve fought him, and he would’ve come after you too. After Arabella. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t let him hurt you the way he wanted to hurt me.” The three of us stood in silence, the weight of Courtney’s confession hanging heavy
Nicola Taylor Arabella went back inside, her small figure disappearing into the house with a frustrated sigh. The heavy front door creaked as it closed, leaving just the three of us standing in the cool morning air. Silence settled over the driveway, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves i
Nicola Taylor The night was a restless blur. Aaron’s small, trembling body pressed against mine as he cried himself to sleep, his tears soaking through my shirt. I stayed with him, stroking his hair and whispering soft reassurances until his breathing evened out. Even then, I couldn’t bring myself
Nicola Taylor As I sat on Emma’s worn but cozy couch, “I think I should head home now,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence between us. “I miss my kids, and I can’t keep running away. If I stay away much longer, Cole might do something drastic to track me down.” The thought made my stomach ch
Cole Harrington “Where is she?” my mom screamed, her voice cutting through the thick tension in the room as her glare landed on Courtney. Courtney shrank back, but she didn’t respond, her face pale and drawn. My mother had never been a fan of Courtney—not openly hostile, but certainly not warm. S
Nicola Taylor Her apartment was modest but surprisingly clean. A small living room with a sagging couch and mismatched furniture opened into a kitchenette. A door to the left likely led to her bedroom, and there was a pile of laundry in one corner. The faint smell of lavender hung in the air, mixi
“So, what’s going on?” she asked, her tone flat, as if she had asked this question to a thousand strangers and didn’t expect much of an answer. I froze, not sure if I wanted to spill my thoughts to a complete stranger. But something in her gaze—apathetic yet steady—made me falter. My walls were alr
Nicola Taylor The cab came to a screeching halt outside a small café, its warm yellow lights spilling out onto the darkened street like a lifeline. I thanked the driver, handed him a crumpled bill from the cash in my back pocket, and stepped out, realizing with a jolt of panic that I had left my p