Eddie’s POVThe ride home was very funny and yet, disturbing. One would think Chloe was my mistress and I was her slave with the way I was nervous to approach her and ask her what she wanted for lunch. I stared at Chloe and then asked her what she wanted for lunch. I made sure to drive by several restaurants that she would love very slowly, hoping that my precarious daughter would declare that she wanted to eat at one of them for lunch. Knowing that it probably made me a bad father, I even drove by an ice cream place that also sold cookies, but it was all to no avail. "Chloe, are you sure that you don't want ice cream?" I asked, my heart in my throat as I stared at her through the windshield mirror. She nodded, not looking up at me once. "Yes, daddy.""Are you sure?""Yes, daddy.""Very sure?""Yeeeees, daddy.""Very very very sure?"She giggled, the sound like jingle bells in my ear. "I am, daddy. I am very very very sure.""Hmm… are you quite sure? They might have your favorite,

Amelia's POVIt had been a few days after my mom's relapse. The doctors had carried out a few tests and had informed us that Mom had had a response to one of the medications used in her treatment. They needed more tests to figure out which medication had caused her sudden collapse and even more tests to determine what medication would be suitable as a replacement. Unfortunately, they could not do any of that without payment. When I saw the bill for these tests, it felt like my heart was giving out and I knew there was no way I would be able to pay the bills especially since I was jobless and the total amounts ran into tens of thousands of dollars. Blair had tried to help but it had all been to no avail. She had first emptied out her savings account and while I hated that she had to do so, we had no choice but to accept her help yet again. However, it had covered only about a quarter of the total amount and we still had over fifty thousand dollars to go. I was currently sitting at m

Amelia's POV"I love you too Mom," I said as I leaned forward and placed my forehead against hers. We both closed our eyes, content to just remain there and bask in each other's presence for a while. I spent about an hour more with Mom, chatting and just talking. She started yawning and trailing off and u knew she was exhausted again. I tucked her into bed, kissed her forehead and left the hospital room. As I drifted passively down the corridor, my phone started ringing. I checked it and saw that it was Blaire. I picked up the call. "Amelia," she sounded out of breath. "So sorry I'm just calling now. I was called into an emergency surgery. Thankfully, it was short.""It's okay," I said as I tucked one hand into my pocket and looked down towards my shoes. "I already guessed it would be something like that.""Are you okay?" She quietly asked. I breathed in deeply as I contemplated her question. Was I okay? I could not answer the question so I just said, "Mom and Dad have both give

Amelia's POVThere was a terse silence as Eddie did not respond to my statement. Instead, he stared at me until I began to feel so self-conscious that I could barely ignore the urge to cover my face with my hands. I leaned forward slightly as I called his name. "Eddie?"He blinked shortly and rapidly as though he was snapping out of a trance. He shook his head slowly, a wry smile on his face. "Oh, right, yeah. Sorry about that.""It's okay," I replied softly, still unable to believe that there I was, sitting primly with my hands clasped together and my legs also properly crossed in front of Eddie. Eddie, the guy that I had loved for several years. The man who had dumped me unceremoniously just because his parents had not approved of me and our relationship. Eddie, the man who had broken my heart into several small pieces, leaving it that small, damaged, and unrepairable mess that it currently was. As I looked at him, I could not help but remember how I had been in so much pain aft

Amelia's POVDespite the abundance of equipment, the pantry was surprisingly bare. There were a few cans of vegetables, some pasta, and a half-empty bag of cheese. My initial anxiety morphed into a determined challenge.With Chloe perched on a stool, swinging her legs and chattering excitedly, I set to work. I whipped up a simple yet delicious tomato and mozzarella pasta, using my knowledge of flavor profiles and improvisation to compensate for the limited ingredients.As the aroma of cooked pasta and melted cheese filled the air, Eddie and Chloe watched in fascination. By the time I presented the dish, their eyes were wide with anticipation.Chloe took one bite and her eyes lit up. "Wow, Amelia! This is yummy!"Eddie followed suit, his expression mirroring hers. "Amelia, this is incredible. Where did you learn to cook like this?"He smacked his head. "Stupid question. You're a chef!"Chloe giggled, still enthusiastically digging into the food.A warmth spread through me, fueled by th