I punch the wall of my room in frustration, feeling the sting in my knuckles as I try to release my pent-up anger. The sound of impact echoes through the room, a physical manifestation of my inner turmoil.“How can I feel these kinds of emotions?” I wonder, “I can’t allow myself to feel anything; I don’t deserve to feel this way.” I mumbled to myself as the sting on my fist intensified, a painful reminder of the chaos brewing within me. The overwhelming sense of guilt and self-doubt threatened to consume me, leaving me feeling lost and alone in my own turmoil.Her scent still lingers in my mind—the touch of silky hair against my skin, the warmth of her embrace. I can’t shake the image of her face from my memory, no matter how hard I try.I want to suck on her pink lips until I make them swollen and bruised. Her chest was touching my bare skin, moving up and down with each breath, creating a rhythm that matched the pounding of my heart. The ache in my chest grew stronger, a physical ma
“You aren’t just a nanny,” he said, his eyes staring deep into hers.I stare at him, at his words, feeling a warmth in my chest, at the sincerity in his voice. But I don’t know what the words mean until he continues, “I mean, you are there, friend.” Hollis said, turning his face away and hiding his gaze from me.Why do I feel like that was not what he meant to say, and he changed his mind at the last minute? Was there something more he wanted to express but couldn’t find the right words?No… I shook my head, dismissing my thoughts. It was probably just a slip of the tongue. There’s no need to over-analyze it. I’m sure it’s nothing important.“He is asleep now,” Hollis added, gesturing towards Max sleeping with his head resting on my chest, as Hollis had him in his arms. “He looks so peaceful,” I remarked, feeling a sense of contentment wash over me as I watched him sleep so soundly.But then, when I noticed how close I was sitting beside Hollis, there seemed to be barely any space in
“Baby girl...” The similar voices echoed in my mind as a shiver ran through my spine. “You know that I love you.” I could feel the warmth of his breath on my neck as he whispered those words, his touch sending a wave of discomfort and unease through my body. It was a stark contrast to the tenderness I once associated with his voice, now tainted by fear and uncertainty.I tried to find my voice, but I could only manage a weak, shaky exhale. “Shhhh...” he hushed me, his grip tightening slightly on my arm. “How can you leave me like this?” His words sent a chill down my spine as I realized the depth of his possessiveness and control over me. My heart raced with a mixture of fear and determination to break free from his grasp.I can feel his grip tightening even more, suffocating me as I struggle to break free.NO…NO….NO. I shouted in my mind as my voice remained trapped in my throat, unable to escape.I touch my face as he cups my cheeks, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and despe
I walked towards the hallway kitchen with Max, who was not awake in my apartment, feeling the weight of responsibility as I prepared to start the day with a young child in my care. Max looked up at me with sleepy eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile at his innocence and trust in me to guide him through the day ahead.“Good morning, Hailey...” Summer ran up to hug my leg, a smile on her face.“Good morning, baby,” I replied, ruffling her hair affectionately before turning my attention back to Max.I turn my head to Hollis, who is sitting in the kitchen, his head buried in some paperwork, a look of concentration on his face. “Good morning, Hollis.” I greeted him with a warm smile, grateful for the support of my family as we faced the day together.“Good morning,” he said without even looking at me, his focus fully on the task at hand.I shook my head slightly, amused by his intense concentration, before turning back to Max and Summer.“So, what’s for breakfast?” I asked, staring at her ti
I feel something tugging on my dress, causing me to turn around in surprise. It was Max, looking up at me with his big, trusting eyes. Maybe this new chapter in my life won’t be so bad after all.“At least I have a cute little companion to keep me company,” I said, kissing both cheeks. My kiss made Max smile as he finished his milk before snuggling up against me.Maybe everything is not going as planned, but Max and Summer are the constants that bring me comfort and joy in this chaotic world. In just two days, they have already made me feel more at ease and loved than I ever thought possible.“You know... Max, I always wanted to have a family of my own, but I have always made the wrong decisions when it comes to relationships,” I admitted, feeling vulnerable. Max nuzzled closer to me, as if understanding and offering silent support in return.I brush his hair back, feeling grateful for his presence in my life. “I don’t know what is happening in life; at one point I was running away fr
“You are not my mother!” Summer shouted, her voice filled with shock and confusion. The woman’s eyes widened as she pulled Summer’s hand closer to her, a sinister smile playing on her lips. “Oh, soon I will be, my dear,” she whispered, her grip tightening even more than Summer struggled to break free.I pushed her away, my heart racing with fear and confusion. “Who are you?” I demanded, my voice shaking. As fast as Summer’s hand got free from that woman’s grasp, he ran towards me, hiding behind my back, seeking protection from the unknown woman.The woman’s smile turned into a menacing grin as she took a step closer, her eyes gleaming with malice. “How dare you push me away?” she hissed, her voice dripping with venom.“You were hurting her,” I said, my voice firm as I stood protectively in front of Summer.She steps closer to me. Her eyes were glaring with rage, and her fists were clenched at her sides. “She is mine to discipline as I see fit,” she spat, her voice full of contempt.Su
“God…” I groaned in frustration as I stepped out of my car.Fuck that old man. How dare he force me to do something that I am so against? I clenched my fists, feeling the anger boiling inside me. I knew I had to find a way to stand up for myself and not let him control me any longer.I don’t want to lose the inheritance that my father worked so hard to earn. Only I know how hard my father worked to gain all the wealth and success that he left behind for his family, but now that he is not here, my grandfather is using blackmail to claim what is rightfully mine. It is a difficult situation to navigate.I walked to the door, brushing my hair out of my face, determined to find a way to protect what was rightfully mine and assert my independence from my controlling grandfather.The door was open just a crack, and voices coming out of the room inside caught my attention. I paused, listening intently to the conversation unfolding inside. “Are you mad?” I heard Hailey’s voice shouting from wi
My head was throbbing, and as I tried to open my eyes, I could feel the pulsating pain behind my temples, making it difficult to focus on anything else. The bright light filtering through my closed eyelids only intensified the pounding sensation.“You are awake,” a soothing voice said, causing me to slowly open my eyes and squint against the brightness. My vision slowly adjusted as I took in my surroundings, realizing I was in a hospital room.A stranger was standing next to my bed, holding a syringe filled with medication. “You must be feeling pain,” the stranger said, gently injecting the medication into my IV. “Your head hurt, but more than that, you were very malnourished. You should take care of yourself better, especially when you are carrying a new life.”I nodded, not being about to grasp the full extent of what they were saying, but wait, did he just say carrying a new life?“What do you mean by carrying a new life?” I asked, my heart racing with confusion and fear.“That mea
Hailey***A month has passed, but it feels like years. Hollis's wounds have finally healed, but the ache in my heart still remains. The memories of that day haunt me, replaying in my mind, a constant reminder of the pain and loss I endured. I fear that the scars will never fully fade, no matter how much time passes. But now there’s a new pain, different from the physical and emotional wounds I’ve known before. It’s the pain of separation, the feeling of being lost without someone who once meant everything to me. The emptiness inside grows deeper with each passing day, leaving me longing for a sense of wholeness that may never return.The house is so quiet now—too quiet. Without Summer’s laughter echoing through the halls or Max’s tiny giggles filling the air, it feels hollow. Every room reminds me of them. Every corner holds the weight of what’s been lost.I sit on the couch, cradling a photo frame in my trembling hands. The smiles staring back at me feel like a lifetime ago. A fragme
Hailey***The silence between us was suffocating, a heavy weight pressing down on my chest as I tried to steady my breath. My fingers gripped Hollis tightly, as though by holding him in my arms, I could shield him from the pain that clung to him like a shadow. His past, the betrayal of his father, the haunting loss of his mother—each memory swirled around us, invisible but all-encompassing. I could feel the rawness of it in his every breath, and it broke my heart to know how deep the wounds ran.For a moment, I closed my eyes, allowing the rhythmic thrum of his heartbeat to ground me. I let the sound wash over me, offering a moment of peace amid the storm that raged inside him. But as I exhaled, a harsh truth settled in my chest. He didn’t want history to repeat itself. He didn’t want to become like his father—the man who had been torn apart by forces beyond his control, the man who had lost everything in his desperate attempts to hold onto something that could never be his.It was a
Hailey***"If you want to see me alive again, you have to leave now," Hollis said firmly. "Or do you want to see my dead body lying in front of you?"The words hung in the air, suffocating, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze. My heart raced, each beat louder than the last, my body trembling as I struggled to grasp what he was asking. I stared at him, searching his face for any sign of doubt, some indication that this was just another cruel game, another way to push me away. But there was nothing. His expression was cold, almost empty, and yet in his eyes, I could see the pain—the broken pieces of the man I once knew.I took a shaky breath, feeling as though the world were closing in on me. How could he ask me to leave him? How could he force me to leave him with the children?But deep down, I knew—he wasn’t asking; he was pleading. This wasn’t a choice anymore; it was a sacrifice, one I had to make to keep us all safe. The weight of it crushed me, but I knew there was no other wa
Hailey***I locked my gaze onto the clock, the incessant ticking echoing through the sterile room. The silence around me felt suffocating, and each breath I took seemed too shallow, too fragile. The only sound that tethered me to this harsh reality was the rhythmic tick-tick-tick of the clock on the wall, cold and methodical. Every passing second felt like a thief, stealing precious moments from me. Would he survive the night? The thought gnawed at me, sharp and relentless, threatening to sever the fragile thread of hope I had left.It had been nearly 22 hours since Hollis had been rushed in. The doctor had warned me—24 hours. If he didn’t wake up by then, the consequences could be irreversible. My gaze flickered back to him, still lying motionless, his face pale and drawn, chest rising and falling in slow, labored rhythm. I squeezed his hand, trying to give him my warmth, as if my touch could somehow pull him back from the brink. But I was powerless. Powerless to stop the clock, powe
Hailey***I locked my gaze onto the clock, the incessant ticking echoing through the sterile room. The silence around me felt suffocating, and each breath I took seemed too shallow, too fragile. The only sound that tethered me to this harsh reality was the rhythmic tick-tick-tick of the clock on the wall, cold and methodical. Every passing second felt like a thief, stealing precious moments from me. Would he survive the night? The thought gnawed at me, sharp and relentless, threatening to sever the fragile thread of hope I had left.It had been nearly 22 hours since Hollis had been rushed in. The doctor had warned me—24 hours. If he didn’t wake up by then, the consequences could be irreversible. My gaze flickered back to him, still lying motionless, his face pale and drawn, chest rising and falling in slow, labored rhythm. I squeezed his hand, trying to give him my warmth, as if my touch could somehow pull him back from the brink. But I was powerless. Powerless to stop the clock, powe
Hailey****I sat at Hollis’s side, my heart pounding in my chest, every beat a reminder of how fragile everything had become. The room felt smaller with each passing moment, the sterile white walls closing in around me. The beeping of the machines was deafening, each sound marking another breath, another second that Hollis was still here, hanging on by a thread. But how much longer? How much longer could he keep fighting?I squeezed his hand tighter, my fingers trembling. I could feel the warmth slowly fading from his skin, and a sickening knot twisted in my stomach. I didn’t know how to breathe in this room, not with him lying there, so broken, so still. I was suffocating under the weight of it all.“Please,” I whispered, the words barely escaping my throat. “Come back to me, Hollis. Please.”I couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not after everything we’d been through. My chest ached as if it were being crushed by a thousand pounds. I felt so helpless, so useless. My whole body was sha
Hailey***I can’t breathe. It feels like my lungs are collapsing under the weight of everything, like I’m drowning in this cold, suffocating nightmare. My body is trembling, but it’s not from the chill in the room. The hospital air is frigid, but it’s the fear, the terror, that has a hold on me, squeezing tighter and tighter with each breath.The beeping of the machines is the only sound I can focus on, relentless and unforgiving. It claws at my mind, echoing the frantic rhythm of my own heartbeat. It’s a constant reminder that Hollis is still here, fighting, but how long will that fight last? I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I can’t do anything except sit here, powerless, watching him—broken and battered.His body is barely recognizable beneath the layers of bandages. The once-tan skin I’d traced with my fingers now seems so foreign, so raw. His face is pale, his features drawn tight in a silent struggle to breathe, to live. I wish I could take away his pain. I wish I could make it al
Hailey***I sit at Max's bedside, my fingers gently tracing the edge of his blanket, feeling the softness beneath my touch. My eyes are fixed on his peaceful face, but my mind is far from calm. The constant beep of the heart monitor reassures me in some way, yet it doesn’t settle the whirlwind inside me. Every now and then, I glance toward the door, half-expecting someone to come in with good news—news that Summer is safe, that Hollis is okay—but no one does. The silence only amplifies the gnawing dread in my chest, growing heavier with each passing minute. The scent of antiseptic clings to the air, sharp and sterile. The rhythmic rise and fall of Max’s chest is my anchor, grounding me in a world that feels more fragile by the second.Max stirs in his sleep, his tiny hand reaching out for me, and without thinking, I grasp it. He’s so small, so innocent, and I wish, more than anything, that I could shield him from the chaos outside these walls. I keep telling myself he’s fine, that I h
Hollis***The drive to the warehouse felt like a lifetime, every second stretching into eternity. The engine’s roar drowned out everything else—except the pounding of my heart, which seemed to reverberate in my chest with each beat. My mind was split, torn between the thought of Summer, trapped and terrified, and the dangerous man who had done this to her. Kevin sat silently beside me, his eyes sharp, calculating, but I could feel the weight of his gaze on me. His silence spoke volumes—he was watching, waiting, and judging every move I made.As we neared the outskirts of town, the city lights dimmed, replaced by a cold, sterile glow that cast long, stretching shadows. The warehouse loomed ahead, its rusted metal and broken windows seeming more sinister than ever. Tonight, it wasn’t just a building—it was a tomb.The first thing that hit me was the smell of gasoline, sharp and acrid, coating the air like a toxic fog. It burned my nostrils, thick enough to taste, like metal scraping aga