CHAPTER SEVEN
+25 BONUS
LIANA’S POV
I was shaking as I climbed out of the cab, my mind still spinning from everything that had happened. But nothing,
absolutely nothing, prepared me for the cruel twist waiting for me when I got home.
My feet froze. My mouth dropped open.
No. No. No. No. No.
All my things, everything I owned, were outside.
We couldn’t sleep without. Everything was
My bags. Clothes. Shoes. Ryan’s clothes. Even his tiny dinosaur night lamp that
piled there on the concrete like trash, like our whole life had been ripped from inside and thrown into the gutter.
I rushed to the door, my heart pounding vehemently in my chest. “What the hell… what the FUCK is going on?” I gasped out
loud.
Before I could even knock, the door opened and a woman I had never seen before peered out. Her brows were scrunched in
irritation.
“Can I help you?” she asked. Her voice was clipped.
I stared at her. I was completely confused and more than a little furious. “What are you doing here? This is my apartment.”
She raised a brow and crossed her arms. “Not anymore, sweetheart. The agent said we could move in today. We even signed the papers yesterday. He said the last tenant already left.”
“Left?” My voice cracked. “I didn’t leave.”
She gave me a look that clearly said not my problem and slammed the door right in my face. I stood there frozen, my breath caught painfully in my throat as I dialed the agent’s number with trembling fingers.
Nothing.
I tried again.
And again.
Voicemail.
Voicemail.
Voicemail
“No… please no…” I whispered. I bit down on my bottom lip so hard it almost bled. Where was I supposed to go now? It was
past seven, almost dark. Ryan would be waiting. and I… I was homeless.
My phone vibrated in my palm. I looked down, my vision blurry from tears.
The nanny
I swallowed and answered. I tried to sound normal.
“Hello?”
“Liana, are you back yet? Should I bring Ryan home now? I need to head out tonight and get ready.”
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+25 BONUS
I froze, my mind spinning as I stared down at my scattered belongings like they were foreign objects.
Back? Home?
I didn’t have a home anymore.
I pressed my eyes shut, forcing the sob back down my throat. “Yeah,” I whispered hoarsely. “I’m back. You don’t need to
bring him… I’ll come pick him up myself.”
“Okay, cool. Please hurry though,” she added before hanging up.
I stared at my phone like it had betrayed me. Then I stared at the bags piled up like
failure on display.
What the fuck was I going to do?
Dragging my feet and my suitcase, I walked to the nanny’s house. My mind was blank and
nd my body numb. My chest tightened while I saw Ryan through the window. He was sitting cross–legged and laughing softly with the nanny. My sweet boy. So innocent. So oblivious to the disaster waiting outside.
The door creaked open as I knocked gently.
Ryan’s face lit up the moment he saw me. “Mommy!”
He ran straight into my arms and I nearly collapsed due to my own heartbreak.
“Hey, baby,” I whispered into his hair. I squeezed him tightly. I refused to let him feel any of the terror clawing inside my
chest.
“You okay?” he asked curiously. His tiny hands cupped my cheeks like he could sense something was wrong.
I forced a smile. “Of course, sweetheart. Mommy’s just tired… that’s all.”
The nanny, a sweet nineteen–year–old girl still living with her parents, smiled softly. “He’s been really good today. But
Liana, I won’t be able to watch him this week. School’s starting again for me and I’ve got early classes.”
I nodded, my throat tight. “That’s okay. Thank you so much for watching him today.”
um…
For a split second, I considered asking her if we could stay just for tonight, but the words burned my tongue and I swallowed
them down. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t burden her or her family with my mess. Not now.
“I’ll take it from here,” I said quietly.
I paid her for the day and thanked her profusely before Ryan and I stepped out into the darkening street. The cold wind bit at
my face, but I barely felt it. I was too busy trying to figure out where the hell we were going to sleep tonight.
Ryan tugged on my sleeve while we walked aimlessly down the road. “Mommy, where are we going?”
“Somewhere nice,” I lied. I forced cheer into my voice even though I wanted to break down and sob right there in front of him.
He tilted his head. He studied me like he could see straight through the lie. “Mommy, I saw our stuff outside when Miss Rosa dropped me off from school. Is everything okay?”
My heart cracked. It bled with shame and helplessness. “It’s okay, honey,” I said softly. I brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead “Mommy’s just figuring stuff out, alright? Everything will be fine.”
He didn’t look convinced. Ryan was way too smart. Too observant for his age.
As if fate wanted to shove me further into misery, my phone vibrated again.
I quickly answered. I was hoping Desperate for some miracle.
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It was my colleague. My last resort.
+25 BONUS
“Hi, it’s Liana… um, can Ryan and I maybe crash at your place tonight?” My voice trembled despite my effort to sound casual.
A beat of silence.
Then. “Oh, Liana… I’m so sorry, but my parents just arrived tonight and the house is packed. There’s literally no space. I’m so
sorry.”
“No, it’s okay,” I whispered. My throat was burning. “Don’t worry about it.”
I hung up. My vision was swimming. My heart sank so low I could physically feel the ache spreading through my
Ryan’s small hand slipped into mine. “Mommy? Why are you sad?”
I forced a smile. I blinked rapidly to push back the tears. “I’m not sad, baby. I’m just… tired.”
ribs.
He stared at me quietly. His lips pouted slightly as he said in the softest voice, “Who
will
I we sleep, Mommy?”
ནང་ན་དད་པ་འཆད་གསད་ཚན་ག་དད་ད་ན་
વરસો સાથે
અને
That did it.
My chest cracked. The tears slipped free despite my fight to hold them back.
I crouched down in front of him and cupped his face. “I don’t know yet, angel,” I admitted quietly. “But I promise I’ll figure it
out tomorrow. Tonight… we’ll just… find somewhere safe, okay?”
He nodded like the brave little man he always tried to be.
Just then, as if the universe had finally decided to throw me the smallest bone, Miss Rosa’s mom, a kind older woman,
passed by carrying groceries.
“Liana?”
I smiled weakly. “Hi, Mrs. Clark.”
Ryan immediately ran to hug her. “Mrs. Clark!”
She giggled and hugged him tightly. She lifted him in her arms. “Oh my goodness, I missed this little guy.”
She looked back at me. She immediately sensed the tension.
“Are you alright, dear?” she asked softly.
I hesitated, then told her the truth. Well, part of it.
“Just having a rough day,” I whispered.
She studied me, then gave me a warm, reassuring smile. “Why don’t Ryan stay with us tonight? My husband and I adore him. The house is a little crowded, but there’s always space for him. You can figure everything out tomorrow.”
I nearly broke right there on the spot.
“You would do that?” I whispered. My voice was cracking.
“Of course,” she said kindly. “Don’t worry. He’ll be safe and happy.“.
I hugged her tightly. I tried and failed not to cry into her shoulder. “Thank you… thank you so much. You have no idea what
this means ”
After I handed Ryan over and kissed him goodnight about a thousand times, I stepped away into the quiet street. I was feeling emptier than ever.
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+25 BONUS
It was almost eight now. I knew the agent’s office would be closed and I was left stranded with nowhere to go until
tomorrow.
I thought briefly about returning to the hotel where I worked but immediately dismissed the idea. That would get me fired on
the spot.
A motel. That was my only option.
Just for tonight, I told myself as I started walking slowly down the street. I hugged myself tightly against the night chill.
Just one miserable, lonely night.
But just as I turned the corner, headlights flashed across my face and I froze like a deer caught in the cruelest trap.
A car pulled up smoothly right in front of me.
My heart plummeted as the window rolled down.
Killian.
His eyes
locked with mine. They were dark, unreadable, deadly calm.
And all I could do was stand there, frozen and raw, as my heart shattered silently all over again.
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