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i came home before i could fall apart
publish date:
2026-05-31 15:30:09
Latest chapter
The Wrong Bernardi boring mothers save lives
I woke up with one small regret sitting beside my pillow like an uninvited guest.Put on a shirt.Two words.Two stupid words I never should’ve sent to an engaged man, my new neighbor, the possible biological father of my child, and the most irritating human being ever to stand shirtless on a terrace eating lemon olive oil cake like it was protected by the Constitution.I lay there staring at the bedroom ceiling for a full five seconds.Then ten.Then I pulled the blanket up to my chin.It wasn’t flirting.No.It was social commentary.A concern for neighborhood decency. Civic duty. I was a responsible citizen. If a man decided to display his chest and abdominal muscles from a terrace visible four houses away, someone had to remind him that humanity had invented clothing shortly after we stopped living in caves.I wasn’t flirting.I was advocating for fabric.My phone sat facedown on the nightstand. I didn’t touch it. I didn’t need to.I already knew I hadn’t blocked that number becau
The Wrong Bernardi the audacity has abs
Aiden looked at Elma.Elma focused on the avocado salad with religious devotion.My phone buzzed beside my plate.Unknown number.Again.Rhysand apparently had a supply of phone numbers the way his family had oil reserves. Shut down one well, another opened before dessert.I opened the message.[Your cake was good.]I stared at the screen for two seconds.Then I opened the number details, hit block, and set my phone facedown.No reply.Not even a period.I’m not gonna giving him the satisfaction of knowing his words had made it through my front door and taken a seat beside my plate.“Spam?” Elma chewed slowly, her eyes dropping to my phone.“Mh-hm.”“And that’s makes your eyebrow go up?”“The bank offered me a credit card.”Aiden leaned forward. “Do we need one?”“We have one.”“To buy cars?”“You already own two vehicles and don’t have a license.”“I can practice.”I pointed at his plate. “Practice finishing your chicken.”He let out a sigh so long his shoulders dropped. “My life has
The Wrong Bernardi handsome runs in the problem
In my house, normal meant a four-year-old driving a black sports car through the living room in pajamas while making engine noises the car was already making for him.“VROOOOM—MOVE, ELMO!”“I’m carrying rice, you tiny psycho!”I closed the front door just as Elma jumped aside with a large serving bowl in both hands. Aiden’s car zipped past her, its little headlights glowing, then took a dangerously sharp turn near the legs of the console table.He’d had his bath.At least that part had worked.His black hair was still damp and combed forward, though his fringe had already fallen messily across his forehead again. Dark blue race-car pajamas stretched over his chubby little body. His cheeks were pink from the warm water, one foot was bare, and his left sock had somehow slid all the way down to his heel.He gripped the steering wheel with the expression of a man fleeing international law enforcement.“Aiden de Cruz.”His head turned, but the car kept moving.“Aiden, mira al frente.”He s
The Wrong Bernardi eat your cake, neighbour
The wind coming off the ocean slipped beneath the portico, lifting the edge of the cardigan over my shoulders and one strand of hair against my cheek.Behind Rhysand, something in the house system clicked softly.Maybe the cooling system.Maybe security.Maybe the bomb he’d just dropped between us in the same tone someone might use to comment on the weather.I lowered my hand. “What?”“I’m not taking your money for something I bought for my son.”I narrowed my eyes. “Aiden is not your son.”Rhysand lifted one eyebrow lazily.Deeply irritating, considering Aiden made that exact same face every time I said no dessert before dinner.“Isn’t he?” he asked.“He is.”“Interesting.”“There’s nothing interesting about it. Maybe single motherhood sounds exotic to you, but I promise the paperwork is painfully ordinary.”“He has my face.”Something pressed against the inside of my chest. I let out a small, humorless laugh. “Narcissism is not proof of paternity.”“His eyes.”“Lots of people have b
The Wrong Bernardi apparently, boundaries need taller gates
Rhysand Bernadi stood in front of me.A rare event that should’ve been documented, dated, and celebrated by the de Cruz family every year with champagne.The lemon olive oil cake was still in both my hands. Most of the warmth had faded, but the cardboard edges pressed hard enough into my palms to confirm I wasn’t hallucinating from tasting too much glaze.Rhysand was actually standing in the doorway.Of the new mansion.A few houses down from mine.His white shirt was open at the collar, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and his dark hair fell slightly over his forehead like he hadn’t decided whether he was greeting a guest or had just stepped out of a watch commercial designed to make other men feel unsuccessful.His face was far too calm for someone who had just destroyed my entire understanding of normal neighbors.I stared.My dignity stood several feet behind me and chose not to get involved.“Why so quiet, neighbor?” One corner of his mouth lifted.I blinked a few times.“You’re
The Wrong Bernardi the Devil moved in next door
Aiden was already home, dragging half the beach in with him. Sand clung to his sandals, his clothes, even his hair, leaving a trail across the floor like he’d personally relocated the shoreline. Elma, completely drained, didn’t even argue.She kicked off her sandals and headed straight to her room, muttering something about needing five minutes and a shower before she collapsed.Aiden walked in with a bright, excited grin, eyes practically glowing. He moved closer to the island and rose onto his toes, trying to see the cake. His little nose lifted while his eyes followed the glaze dripping down the sides.“Pretty,” he said.“Thank you.”“I made a card.”He pulled a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his shorts. It was crumpled, with what looked like a tiny tire mark along one edge. When he unfolded it, I saw two cars.One red.One black.Both had wheels that were much too large, lines behind them that were either smoke or speed, and two stick figures standing nearby.The first
The Wrong Bernardi Dawn Found Me Guilty
Morning arrived far too politely for something that should have come in carrying a fire extinguisher.I woke before the sun was fully up, with pale light slipping through the gap in Rhysand’s suite curtains and falling over my skin like an accusation.For a few seconds, I didn’t move.There were ge
The Wrong Bernardi Bad Boy Kiss Better
He picked up his whiskey and took a small sip. It’s too easy. Too controlled. I wanted to disturb him. I wanted to make him lose his flat fucking face. I wanted something tonight to be messy, unmanaged, not wrapped in family and money and shame.“I’m not a good man, Maya,” he said quietly.“I know.
The Wrong Bernardi Tequila and Bad Idea
Late night, I’m at a beachside club with a glass of tequila in front of my face and a bartender looking at me like I’m an expensive potted plant that had suddenly started smoking.His name was probably Kai. Or Koa. Or something very Hawaiian and very undeserving of being dragged into the Bernadi fa
The Wrong Bernardi The Door Was Unlocked
After spending the entire day making sure my wedding did not turn into a disaster with expensive flowers, I finally collapsed onto the bed in my suite, one foot still in a heel and the other already surrendered to humanity.Tomorrow, I’m going to become Mrs. Bernadi.That should have made me blush,
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