When Forever Crumbles: Love's Harsh Reality

me from a Los

ernard. I believe

ot

fe in the foster system, believing I was an orphan, a girl with no past. After

, t

a reply, my fi

d you

lued to the screen.

The silence in the mansion was deafening. Every tick of the

ly from the mysterious Devan

her

ed in the morning slowly died out. The lig

didn' t

d all the times he' d come home early just to have dinner with me. The wa

fetime ago. Now, there was o

before I woke up and come home long after I' d fallen into a restle

e. The man who used to notice if I changed my

couldn' t live like this, in

n the dark living room. The clock struck

austed. He loosened his t

?" He sounded tired, not ang

to talk,

ven though my heart was h

with you and... a

hand through his hair.

eanor. Only you.

, but they felt h

give Karly whatever she wants financially to make sure he gets th

n, the guilt. But I also saw him pulling away, building

r?" The question escaped my lips b

roat. I watched his face,

It was a mistake. A one-time thing. Nothing

powerful it almost made me dizzy. I

y flat stomach. I was about to tell him, to s

kson,

inging cut through t

r it, his expression immediately

I' m on

ready moving t

y think he might be rejecting

leaving

d over his shoulder, his hand on

as g

t, empty living room, my

hispered to the empty

down my cheek. Something inside me knew, with a chilling certainty, t

n my nightstand. Inside was a necklace, a

. I' ll make it u

tened. He was trying.

en I saw it. The exact same necklace, nestled

ized he' d bought me

ghtful gift. It was a guilty gesture, bought by an assistant,

ne rang. It was Crys

polished steel. "I was so surprised t

Crysta Watkins had never approved

ifficult time,"

en able to provide one. But now he has a son! A grandson for me. You need to be supportive, Elean

ne wen

rds echoing in my ear

hought about the baby Jackson and I had talked about for two years. He' d alwa

who needed him. And I was just

asn' t

s child. And he d