Five Years, A Beautiful Placeholder

smile fixed on his face, while my stomach churned. He came back to our table, his eyes shining with false sincerity. "Isn't th

so blissfully unaware that I knew everything, was a special kind o

. She was holding a small, beautifully wrapped gift. "Ava," she said, her voice sof

ping up my spine. Her eyes met mine for a brief second, and I saw a fl

a isn't feeling well. Perhaps another time." He was trying to protect his public image

't mean to intrude." She took a step back, and then, with a theatrical stumble, she

re you alright? What's wrong?" He helped her into a chair, his face a mask of genuine

ears welling in her eyes. "I thin

ant woman. I was forgotten, an inconvenient prop in their drama. He barked orders a

zzy, my vision tunneling. I had only taken a few sips of water all evening. I looked at the glass on the table, a sudden, horrible suspicion forming in

fied, stealing my breath. "Liam," I managed to whisper, but he didn't hear me. He was al

was a friend of my family, the only person I could think to trust. But my vision was blurring, t

s invisible, abandoned. The pain was all-consuming now, a fire spreading through my body. I slumped forward, my head hitting the