Mag-log inEVE'S POV "What do you mean? What are you sorry about, mum?”“I’m sorry I left you alone when you needed me most. I’m sorry I turned away. I… I knew what your father was doing. I could have stopped him from drugging you, and terminating the baby. But I didn’t. I stood there and let it happen. I failed you”Tears clouded my eyes.“Mum…” I whispered.“I know sorry doesn’t erase the pain or the damage,” she continued, her voice thick with guilt. “But I want you to know—I never stopped loving you. Not for one second. I was just… afraid. And confused. But that doesn’t excuse what I did. I was a terrible mother”I wiped at my eyes, voice quivering. “Mum, please stop. It wasn’t just your fault. I made mistakes too. And yes, I felt abandoned. I felt like I didn’t matter anymore. But this… this lunch, this moment—it’s healing something in me. Please don’t ruin it with guilt. Just be here now. Be this mother. The one who called me her baby and made my favorite meal. I just want my mother back
EVE'S POV I ran home like a girl chasing hope itself. My feet pounded against the pavement, but my mind ran faster—racing through the words I thought I’d heard my mother say.Could it have been a hallucination?When was the last time she asked about me? The last time she actually cared where I was?A flicker of doubt curled in my chest. Maybe I was clinging to a fantasy. Maybe the loneliness had finally cracked something inside me. But no matter what, I was going to face whatever was waiting on the other side of that door.As I approached the tall, familiar gates of our compound, I paused. The metal felt cold beneath my fingers as I pushed it open and stepped inside. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.The living room was quiet.Too quiet.I scanned tje entire living room, but there was nothing at all.No sign of my mother. No sign of Daniel. Just the distant hum of the refrigerator and the echo of my own breath. I took a few tentative steps toward the stairs—when a soft voice called
EVE'S POV As I ended the call, I slipped my phone back into my purse. Treasure was already chatting away, his mood lifted. We stayed on that bench, talking about everything and nothing—his favorite food, cartoons he liked, his older brother who he both admired and pitied. Infact he revealed a lot about himself to me.He appears to be cool, but he is a chatterbox. I assumed he didn't have many people to talk to in this way, or that he's just naturally chatty.“My brother,” he said, licking the last drop of melted cream from his spoon, “has a serious thing for light-skinned girls. He thinks they’re angels or something. Whereas I do not. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind light-skinned girls, but the ones he's been dating are..ugh! They're either obsessed with makeup or they’re usually just into him for the money. Or the clout. He's never dated a regular girl”I laughed at his blunt honesty. “You seem very... concerned about your brother’s love life.”“He’s my best friend. But he can be
EVE'S POV On our way to the ice cream shop, Treasure bombarded me with questions.“So, what were you doing there?”,“I go there when I need to think or rest. It’s peaceful… “"Who rests in such a creepy place? That place is super scary." He said and I let out a chuckle.."Oh, that's why you were crying like a baby, haha! You were scared back then, and now you seem so tough.”“I was NOT crying,” he huffed. “It was the wind!”“Uh-huh. Sure,” I teased, sticking my tongue out for the second time.He stomped his foot like a three year old and scowled. “You’re mean.”But I could tell he was trying not to laugh.At the shop, we placed our order and settled into a cozy corner. I found him even more adorable as I watched him dig into both flavors at once, scooping banana and strawberry together like a mini connoisseur.Then I noticed something odd.His sneakers—clean, limited-edition Jordans. His chain—diamond-studded. This kid was dressed like a pint-sized rapper. So I assumed his parents we
EVE'S POV I was in a terrible mood, the kind that sinks deep into your chest and refuses to let go. My steps were heavy as I walked away from everything—away from the betrayal, away from the suffocating weight of home, away from the disappointment that clung to me like a second skin.The one person I believed in… the one person I thought would never abandon me, had done just that—and in the cruelest way possible.Going home wasn’t an option. My parents didn’t deserve the storm I was carrying in my chest. I didn’t want to irritate them with my mood, so I turned right at the corner instead of left, letting my feet take me wherever they pleased. Anywhere but home.I found myself standing before an old, unfinished building at the edge of the neighborhood—a forgotten skeleton of concrete and dust, surrounded by wildflowers and tangled bushes. Birds fluttered above, butterflies dancing like tiny pieces of stained glass through the air. Despite the sadness in my chest, this place had alwa
EVE'S POV In my room, I sank into the bed, exhausted. After a moment, I peeled off my clothes and stepped into the shower. The water was warm, but it couldn’t wash away the weight in my chest.After drying off, I stood in front of my mirror. I barely recognized myself. Tired eyes. Sunken cheeks. My once-vibrant brown skin looked dull. My afro — thick and jet black — stood out wildly. How worst can it get?I was once a lovely girl with brown skin. My mother is a black American, so I inherited my skin tone from her mother, while Daniel inherited father's white skin.I groaned at the sight of my head's overflowing, long and puffy afro hair. It was a gleaming black, full, long afro. So combing it was extremely stressful.After much staring, I began the painful process of combing it out.Daniel had once told me to straighten it, but I couldn’t. My afro was one of the few things I still loved about myself.After nearly 30 minutes, I tied it into a neat puff at the center and added a pink
NOVARIA’S POVThe way Sylvester spoke to me about the basement stayed in my head long after we left the hallway.It wasn’t even the warning itself that bothered me the most. It was the tone. The seriousness in his voice. The look in his eyes. For the first time since I met him, Sylvester had spoken
NOVARIA’S POVIt was sometime around five in the evening when the front doors finally swung open.Collins and I were sprawled across the living room floor, surrounded by coloring pencils, scattered pages, and empty snack wrappers. The sound of my laughter still echoed through the room from one of
NOVARIA’S POV“Maya, Alaric, off!”Kelvin and Collins’ voices rang across the field at the exact same time as they hurried toward me.The dogs immediately moved closer to my sides protectively, low growls rumbling from their throats as they faced the brothers.My eyes widened.For the first time si
NOVARIA’S POVI couldn’t believe the words that had come out of my mother’s mouth.The same woman who never bothered to call when I disappeared… the same woman who never searched for me… was now standing there judging Sylvester as though she had every right to.The smell of cigarette smoke filled t







