l

my mind like a scene from a dream I didn't want to end. My body still tingled with the

it all, I reached out to t

t was

sat up, the smile fading slowly from my lips. The room was quiet,too quiet. No

ked a

g I noticed wa

of another body. Just stillness, cool and hollow. I blinked my eyes open

ean hotel room.

one bes

art s

g in. The space where he had been that was warm just hours ago was now cold. His scent lingered

note. No na

th

had ever bee

. My clothes felt foreign on my skin, crumpled and tainted by last night's reckless

that, he h

re. It was a one-time thi

lie tast

weeks passe

ep, prete

very time I wiped a table or served a drink, my mind flashed back to his eyes, the way he looked at m

he sicknes

e, not enough rest. But when I was hunched over the

ght a

ook

three

the same thing i

gna

y chest, clutching the last stick like it coul

't part o

a plan I just want to s

thing had

even know

thout faces, without promises? A night where two broken people fo

. So the neighbo

ouldn't know I

d to f

his face. But the camera in the hallway was busted. The bartender remembered me but said he n

No name.

een anyone or

o. Because I was now eating for two, bre

to be a ghost in my story.

fices, even handing out flyers under the blazing sun

fo

fo

me, the one left behind by a ma

with exhaustion and hope. I cried myself to sleep some nights, wondering

stronger. Little nudges that reminded me I wa

urs of pain, sweat, and tears I

Warm.

i

, I'd give him a better life. I didn't care if the

as e

ard the baby's hear

s life inside me. Real and strong. And that li

on, I promised

ill never fe

did. Not

. I packed up what little I had and moved to the countryside to stay with my Aunt Mia. She was my mom'

urrounded by wildflowers and a winding dirt ro

me it. I used to watch her for hours, hunched over her laptop with her glasses hal

me one day, sliding her chair aside. "C

's how i

e cried, I paused to hold him, then returned to color palettes with one hand. I took small gigs at first.The

had a fever and wouldn't sleep, and I had a deadlin

aid gently, bouncing Liam on her hip whil

at I would've d

tweaking designs, my eyes red, my arms ac

even need to guess. It was Naomi,my ride-or-die, drama q

like a tidal wave

ur face off the camera, Elen

a smile already

good, thanks for asking. Yes, I'm getting

me here for your updates. Where's Liam? Is he drooling yet? Can he

who was snuggled in his bassinet, blinking up at the screen li

oling, adorable, and stil

at those little fingers,he totally gets that from me. Yo

muttered. "L

n't be jealous. You had your

ve literally given more attention to him in the past three month

she said with a wink. "Now go grab his bottle o

d. "Bye,

love him! You

, formula, a few new onesies he was already outgrowing way too fast. It still amazed me how quickly babies grew

ughing too loud. I walked through the aisles with a mental list, trying not to get distracted b

t. Liam's father. The stranger who vanished like smoke in the morning. I tried not to think about him much these days, but sometim

he weight of the bags in one hand and the weight of my thought

smiled, thinking about Liam waiting