My lip tilts upwards. “That’s true,” I say. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
CHAPTER 5
MAYA BROOKE
PRESENT - 2ND OCTOBER 2025
Five minutes of peace gives me enough time to wash my hair.
I don’t even remember the last time I gave it a good clean. It’s halfway matted, and it’s starting to make me feel nauseous, so a sliver of alone time is everything I need to feel a little human again. My hair is so long that the washing and drying process is off the cards when I’m running on limited time.
I’m almost done washing out the shampoo with my back hunched over the tub when the bathroom door bursts open, and I release a silent whimper. I didn’t even make it to three minutes.
The sound of intense crying erupts in my ears.
“Sorry, Maya,” I hear my sister, Nina, say as I peek under my wet hair. “She’s literally about to burst my eardrums. I have a presentation in ten minutes, and I can’t have that in the background.”
She’s holding Skye between her arms. Red-faced. Eyes pinched together tightly as she wails. I close my eyes and sigh before wringing out my hair and throwing it up in a towel, knowing full well there is shampoo still in it—and besides, what even is conditioner these days?
“I was two seconds away from being done,” I huff before reaching out and taking Skye, immediately attempting to calm her.
“Yeah, well.” Nina places a hand on her hip and flashes me an unamused look. “I’ve got work I need to do. I can’t focus with all that racket going on.”
My stomach churns becausethat racketis her niece.
Nina turns her back and walks towards her makeshift desk in the living room. I cup the back of Skye’s head and bounce her before kissing her temple as she continues to scream and cry.
“Is someone hungry?” I whisper, and she bellows louder. “Okay. Okay.”
I walk across the living room and into our bedroom before shutting the door and sitting down on the edge of the bed. I pull up the hem of my T-shirt and unhook my bra, allowing my breast to spring free. Skye latches, and I sink into the bed with relief that she has something to drink, given the difficulties I’ve had breastfeeding. My eyes burn as I watch her; exhaustion doesn’t even justify how I feel.
Nina has been kind enough to let me stay with her while I bring up my baby alone, and I love her, but sometimes she definitely has our mother’s traits.
There’s no way I’d be able to raise Skye in my mum’s house with how unsupportive she’s been, and my father has a lot going on right now with his own family.
It’s been two months since Skye was born, and I feel like I’m going out of my mind. Nothing can prepare you for motherhood. Absolutely nothing.
And as much as I don’t always see eye to eye with my sister, she gave me a place to stay when I needed it the most. She has an important job and has put in a lot of effort to get where she is today, so I understand her need for quiet in her own home. Butthis is the first time I’m becoming a mother, and there is so much to learn.
When Skye’s finished feeding I take a few minutes to burp her and find instant relief when she doesn’t start crying again.
The doorbell rings, and I groan silently before popping open the bedroom door to poke my head into the living room. Nina glances at me and throws her thumb over her shoulder, signalling for me to answer it.
I place Skye down into her cot, adjust my clothing, and pull the towel from my head so my wet hair trickles down my back before heading to the door. At this point, I’m over my appearance because there is no time to make yourself look presentable when you’re running on a few hours’ sleep.
The second I open the door, my heart falls out of my chest.
My fingers start to tremble at the sight of him. The last person I thought I’d see here. Especially after what he made clear the night I told him I was pregnant. He might have been drunk, but I believe drunk words are sober thoughts.
Finn blinks back at me with his bottle-green eyes, and I tense. His blond hair has grown out a little and curls over his forehead. He looks better than I’ve ever seen him. There is life in his face. The black circles under his eyes have started to fade, and he looks healthy…really healthy. And even back then, I still thought he was the most handsome guy I’d ever seen. I still do; it hurts. God, it hurts more than I anticipated.
And I’m standing here looking like I’ve been dragged through a dirty puddle and been kept awake for the past two months.
His gaze roams me, his lips parting an inch, and suddenly, I feel rage flow through my veins.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I say harshly.
