put on a brave face, determined to do whatever it took to support my daughter during this diff

. She looked up at me with a weak smile and whispered, "I want cereal." I nodded, determine

len on her face and said, "Woul

ightly at the thought of her favori

ng her forehead. She nodded, squeezing my hand in reassurance. "Thank you, Mommy," she whispered before closi

s that lingered in the air. I knew a simple bowl of cereal wouldn't cure her illne

cozy cafe and sat on one of the empty tables. I waited for him for a few minutes until I received a call from him saying that I

he asked as soon as I s

elope filled with cash that I c

, feeling grate

instead you will give me my daughter." I

jacket when Aoife passed out earlier. Sean placed his hand on my thigh and gently squeezed it. "How about we go back to what we were doing before? As a payment for my help?" I quickly removed his hand from my thigh. I looked at him in confusion and said, "What do you mean?" Sean chuckled and replied, "You know, our little arrangement from before. It was fun, wasn't it?" I shook my head in disbelief and firmly stated, "that was a mistake. I can't believe you would bring that up now." "No one will be angry now if we do it," he smirked. He came closer to me and put

d he even suggest such a thing? But as I looked into his eyes, dark with desire and filled

do. I will do everything for my daughter, even in exchange for money. With a heavy hea

my voice barely

can find another

Sean's lips as he leaned in close

, his voice laced wi

knew that I had sacrificed a piece of myself to protect my daughter. It was a choi

the rising tide of guilt and shame, burying it deep beneath the surface. For now, all that

arrangement ringing in my ears, I couldn't shake the fe

hake the feeling of unease that settled deep within me. The dim lighting cast long s

e burning into me, his dark eyes filled wit

eliberate and calculated. And as he turned to face me, his ex

agreement?" he asked, his vo

ep closer to him. This was it—the moment of reckoning—where I w

d out to pull me closer to him. I hesitated for a moment, my heart

led his fingers along the curve of my waist, hi

o do," he whispered, his

ed sil

ers in his hair, pulling him closer to me. And as our lips met in a fierce ki

ose as if trying to erase the space between us. Each touch a

th our bodies. I am