Nicola Taylor I massage my temples as I step into my classroom, bracing myself for the parade of parents awaiting me. I adore my kindergarten students, even the little troublemakers, but meeting their parents is the most daunting part of my job. While some parents are delightful, most are overbear
Nicola Taylor "Let go of his hair, Arabella. No, don’t do that," I say urgently, finally freeing Tim's hair from Bella's grasp as I lift her up to calm her down. My assistant teacher rushes to Tim’s side to check on him. I carry Bella out of the classroom, her fits continuing in my arms. I sit dow
Nicola Taylor “Where are we going?” I asked, following him through his gigantic house. “You know it's already 11 PM. Arabella shouldn’t be up so late.” “She’s with Ms. Kinsley, who tucks her in bed and stays there till she falls asleep,” he replied. I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to ask why h
Nicola Taylor As I wrapped up my last class, I started packing up after the assistant teacher took the students out for drop-off. A knock on my classroom door made me look up to see James, one of my fellow teachers, standing there. “Oh, hello! What are you doing here?” I greeted him happily as he
Nicola Taylor I slipped into the white ballerina dress for the fifth time, questioning if it was too much. Simple yet undeniably sexy, it revealed just enough cleavage and thigh to captivate a man's attention. Despite my attempts to deny it, I knew deep down I was dressing to impress Cole. I could
Nicola Taylor It had been a month since I last saw Cole. I was grateful he respected my wishes and didn’t keep pushing because, deep down, I knew I would have eventually said yes. Arabella had been wonderfully behaved but unusually quiet. Despite my attempts to engage her with games and conversati
Nicola Taylor “How drunk are you?” Cole asks as I try to find a comfortable spot in his lap. “I have a very low tolerance for alcohol. So, I didn’t really drink a lot, but I am drunk,” I confess, playing with his tie before resting my feet up to get more comfortable. Cole’s eyes linger over my leg
Nicola Taylor I grunted silently, praying for the almighty to end my suffering as the students' loud chattering echoed in my throbbing head. What was I thinking getting drunk on a work night? The hangover was so bad it felt like someone was hammering a nail into my brain. “Oh, hello, I thought thi
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