Left Behind by Love, Full of Wounds

idn't lie. I

once-sculpted jawline had long since disappeared beneath soft folds of exhaustion and time. Her eyes, once wide and fi

ream. She was the daughter of a respected businessman, a woman who once wore designer dresses and stiletto heels without a second

faded pajamas that clung tightly to her body. Two children slept in the room behind her, their soft br

he w

the door open. Once, he had whispered promises against her skin and made her feel like the center of the universe. No

dy changed-of course it did. Pregnancy had taken its toll. Her hips widened, her belly stretched, her skin marked with the

u looked," he said once, not e

to care," she had

ged. "Ma

nger fit the mold. But every effort was met with mockery-not just from Darius, but from Bianca

les," Bianca said once, sipping

stones. But the wor

pstick stained the collar of his shirt. He didn't even hide it. He just dropped his keys on t

una asked him, trem

at first. Just st

a?" she

ly. "What differe

. The one he said meant nothing. She was back-and thi

of your children

eplied flatly. "You're

That woman had dreams. This woman-Luna-was exhausted. Bruised.

ide. Her father had warned her. So had her sister. "You don't know wha

Darius looked at her back then, it f

t felt lik

e, slow and hot. She hated herself for crying. She hated that she still cared. She h

hated the version of h

she had stopped wearing makeup. But because she

ecognize her

Luna stood quickly, wiping her cheeks. No matter how broken she felt, her children would ne

swaying gently, she whispered promi

ured. "You are not the reason I'm lost. Y

just maybe.

d lay beside her facing the other way, Luna stared i

wasn'

ver would