echoed in the sterile whit

sound of bo

b

to protect me from the world, had j

blinding, but it was nothing compar

't even

d loved for a decade, w

again, Ava," he spat, hi

hind him, shielding her

friend, peeked out fro

es before she hid her face in his ches

ed. She's crazy. Loo

Chloe's arm, then back at my sha

before I call security and hav

mall bundle in the ho

lly unaware that his father had just

ped, tracing a cold

was t

bsolu

time ago, but it wa

he perfec

t, and Daniel Hayes, the tech genius who

ambitious souls who f

d with grand romantic gestures and dre

the day h

idn't even know existed, to get a custom-de

flawless diamond, but engraved on the inside wer

eginning," he had whispered, his eyes shining

rnal bon

e was p

life filled with laughter,

e unto

ame th

ght, a dru

thrown fr

an who woke up in the

way every single memory of me, of our life, of t

trying to piece our world back tog

us, a shadow lurking at t

om, into the blank space in his

great love, the one he

d

e gold-digger who had trapped h

" Chloe had said, her voice

saw an opportunity. That baby...

son too

ies to fight her lies

d to suspicion, the

gust, at our beautiful s

e had snarled the first time I brough

harder than an

es wen

h joy when we saw the first ultrasound,

d ever

layed our favorite songs, to

t only fuel

ration as proof

s, Ava," he would s

le act is

elty es

ed throwing things, breaking the fur

traw came o

e baby, fussy from teething, knocked a spoonf

inside h

, he lunged forward and s

er with a sic

ad hit the h

s a sound that would hau

aw

frantically, my entire body shak

ng with you?

aby! He's

" he roared back,

r you're using to tr

the momen

l I loved

a monster wea

to l

protect

ldn't let us

esperate to just disappea

use, trying to clear my head, when a car suddenly acce

e way, scraping my body against the pavem

my leg, and Eth

st in time to

seat, for just a second, I saw Chloe's face, pale

erious internal injury that requ

l, my own leg in a c

are about

ed him to s

swered h

talk to you," she said

some random child. You should have thought of

ne wen

ld col

ed me here, t

old eve

s, the jewelry, and

of our et

rembling hands, the engraved coordinate

ust enough to c

safe now,

doctor to give me the all

oe wasn

ing to a nurse, and her pa

room and tried to pick

had yelled, hobbling t

ed to adopt him," she sa

per family, not a de

eam tore fro

and knocked her

atching her arm on the

en Daniel

ratch, and saw me, wild-eyed an

ask what

st as

ard, his face

cho," he

my hand and slammed

ked at his enraged face, at Chloe's s

ve was

pe was

ain in my hand and a mother's fierce,

houlders, ignoring

ze, my own eyes n

I said, my voi

get

I wo

sappear from their world so complete