- 7 weeks ago
Step into a world of passion, power, and drama. On this channel, you’ll find captivating billionaire romances, intense mafia sagas, and heartfelt love stories that will keep you hooked until the very last word.
Whether it’s the allure of wealth, the danger of the underworld, or the beauty of love against all odds — Ashley’s Stories brings you tales that are bold, emotional, and unforgettable.
💖 Subscribe now and lose yourself in stories of desire, danger, and destiny.
Whether it’s the allure of wealth, the danger of the underworld, or the beauty of love against all odds — Ashley’s Stories brings you tales that are bold, emotional, and unforgettable.
💖 Subscribe now and lose yourself in stories of desire, danger, and destiny.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00You ever try to pretend everything's fine while your whole world's cracking under your feet?
00:04That was me.
00:06Standing in the middle of a crowded mall,
00:08clutching my daughter's little hand so tight she whispered,
00:11Mommy, you're hurting me.
00:13I let go fast, muttered an apology, and tried to breathe.
00:18The music from the speakers was too loud,
00:21the laughter too sharp,
00:22the light too clean for how dirty my thoughts felt,
00:25my chest hurt from the lie I'd been living.
00:27I wasn't supposed to be here, not in public,
00:30not where faces could recognize me.
00:33But it was Saturday,
00:34and all my little girl wanted was to sing at the open mic.
00:37Just one song, Mommy.
00:39Please, you promised.
00:41I did promise.
00:42And after everything she'd lost because of me,
00:45I couldn't break another one.
00:47So there we were.
00:49My five-year-old Lucy,
00:50hair tied with that red ribbon she thought made her look like a superhero,
00:54standing on that cheap stage,
00:56clutching the microphone like it was a wish.
00:59And I was behind the crowd,
01:01trying not to cry.
01:03Her voice started out soft,
01:04a little shaky.
01:06But then, God, it filled the whole place.
01:08Sweet, clear, like she'd swallowed sunlight.
01:11People stopped shopping.
01:12Even the guy making smoothies forgot to blend.
01:15And I thought, for a second,
01:17maybe the world wasn't all sharp edges.
01:19Maybe I could still have something pure left.
01:23Then I saw him.
01:24He was leaning against a marble column,
01:27black shirt unbuttoned at the throat,
01:29sleeves rolled up just enough to show the ink on his forearms.
01:33Tall.
01:34Still.
01:35Too calm for someone who didn't belong here.
01:36His eyes found mine through the crowd like he'd been waiting.
01:41I froze.
01:42The last time I'd seen that face,
01:44it was lit by the glow of a burning car.
01:46And now,
01:47he was standing twenty feet from my daughter,
01:50hands in his pockets like time hadn't passed at all.
01:53Marco DeLuca.
01:54They used to call him the gentleman in the papers.
01:57The man who smiled while his enemies vanished.
02:00The one I'd testified against.
02:02The reason I'd been hiding for three years.
02:05He didn't move.
02:06Didn't blink.
02:07Just watched my daughter sing the last line of her song
02:10with that calm,
02:11unreadable expression that made my stomach twist.
02:14I should have grabbed Lucy and run.
02:17That was the smart thing.
02:19But something in his face,
02:21something I didn't expect,
02:22made me stop.
02:24He waited until she finished.
02:26Waited until the crowd clapped and she bowed.
02:29Then,
02:29when her little eyes found me and she waved,
02:32he finally stepped forward.
02:34Beautiful voice,
02:36he said.
02:37I heard it before I saw him standing beside me.
02:40His voice hadn't changed.
02:41Low,
02:42smooth,
02:42like smoke.
02:43My body went cold.
02:45She's talented,
02:46I managed.
02:47My throat was dry.
02:48Excuse me,
02:49he didn't move.
02:50Relax,
02:51Ava.
02:52If I wanted you gone,
02:53you wouldn't have made it to the food court.
02:55I felt Lucy's arms wrap around my legs from behind.
02:58She was grinning,
03:00proud of herself.
03:01Holding a paper certificate that said,
03:04Star of the Day.
03:05I wanted to melt into the floor.
03:09He looked down at her,
03:11and something flickered across his face.
03:13Something that wasn't the usual steal.
03:16She yours?
03:17I didn't answer.
03:18Couldn't.
03:19My pulse was so loud,
03:20I barely heard the question.
03:22He nodded like he already knew.
03:24She looks like you,
03:26except the eyes.
03:27Those are...
03:28He stopped himself,
03:29smiled faintly.
03:30Never mind.
03:32Lucy tilted her head up.
03:33Are you mommy's friend?
03:35The air went still.
03:36I couldn't breathe.
03:38He crouched to her level.
03:40The top buttons of his shirt open.
03:42The chain at his neck catching the light.
03:45Something like that, sweetheart.
03:46I wanted to scream.
03:48To drag her away.
03:49But the way he looked at her,
03:51gentle,
03:51careful,
03:52didn't match the man I remembered.
03:55He stood.
03:56You've been gone a long time, Ava.
04:00You're not supposed to know where I am.
04:02I know everything that matters.
04:04He said it quietly.
04:06But it hit like a threat.
04:08The mall felt too small.
04:11Every sound echoed.
04:12Every exit seemed far.
04:13What do you want?
04:14I whispered.
04:16He glanced at Lucy.
04:17Not here.
04:19I'm not going anywhere with you.
04:21He smiled slightly.
04:23You already did.
04:24You showed up.
04:25That's enough for now.
04:26He handed me a folded napkin.
04:28My hands shook as I took it.
04:30On it an address.
04:31No name.
04:32No note.
04:33Just an address written in neat,
04:35deliberate handwriting.
04:37Come by tonight,
04:38he said.
04:39Or tomorrow morning.
04:40Before someone less patient finds you first.
04:43And then he walked away.
04:44Just like that.
04:46Lucy tugged on my sleeve.
04:48Mommy, are we going to lunch?
04:50I looked at the napkin.
04:51Then at her tiny face.
04:53Bright, innocent,
04:54singing through my nightmares without knowing.
04:57Yeah,
04:57I said.
04:59We're going to lunch.
05:00But my hands wouldn't stop shaking.
05:03We went home.
05:05I locked every door twice.
05:06Pulled the curtains closed.
05:08But the image of him,
05:09those eyes,
05:10that stillness,
05:11wouldn't leave my mind.
05:13I tried to tell myself he wouldn't hurt me.
05:15Not with Lucy there.
05:17But the truth?
05:18I didn't know what he wanted anymore.
05:21Back then,
05:22before the trial,
05:23Marco had been my whole world.
05:25The kind of man who made you forget who you were before him,
05:28until I saw what he really did for power.
05:30Until I found the file on his desk,
05:32the one with names and photos,
05:34and realized I was one of them.
05:36He said he loved me.
05:38And maybe,
05:39in his own twisted way,
05:40he did.
05:41But love in his world was ownership,
05:43and I'd run the first chance I got.
05:45Now he'd found me.
05:47That night,
05:48I couldn't sleep.
05:50Lucy's breathing from the next room
05:51was the only thing keeping me grounded.
05:53Every time she stirred,
05:54I told myself she was safe.
05:56That I'd keep her safe,
05:57no matter what.
05:59But the napkin burned a hole through the drawer
06:01where I'd hidden it.
06:03By dawn,
06:04I gave up pretending.
06:05I drove.
06:07The address led to a quiet part of town
06:08near the water.
06:10A glass building with no signs,
06:12no guards.
06:13Too normal to be safe.
06:15I almost turned back twice.
06:17Then I saw the black car parked across the street.
06:19The same one from the mall.
06:21Engine off.
06:22Windows tinted.
06:23Waiting.
06:24He was watching me.
06:26So I parked.
06:27Got out.
06:28Walked to the door.
06:30The lobby was empty
06:31except for a man at the desk
06:32who didn't look up when I gave my name.
06:35Just said,
06:36Top floor.
06:37The elevator was too quiet.
06:38My reflection in the steel doors
06:40looked like someone I didn't recognize.
06:42Tired eyes.
06:43Trembling mouth.
06:44Shoulders drawn tight.
06:46When the doors opened,
06:47he was there.
06:48Standing by the window,
06:49phone in hand,
06:50shirt open at the collar.
06:51He didn't smile.
06:53You came.
06:53I want to know why.
06:55He pocketed the phone.
06:57You think I'm here to hurt you?
06:58I know what you're capable of.
07:01He nodded slowly.
07:02You think too small, Ava.
07:04I'm not here to punish you.
07:06I'm here because someone else is.
07:08What are you talking about?
07:09He stepped closer.
07:11His cologne hit first.
07:12Clean.
07:13Sharp.
07:14The same scent from years ago.
07:15The people who came after you.
07:18They weren't mine.
07:19But they're coming again.
07:21And this time, hiding won't work.
07:22My stomach dropped.
07:24You expect me to believe that?
07:25I don't care if you do.
07:27He said quietly.
07:28Just listen.
07:29Stay at my house for three days.
07:31Let me handle it.
07:32After that, you can disappear again.
07:34Or don't.
07:35Your choice.
07:37I'm not bringing my daughter into your world.
07:40He looked at me.
07:41Really looked.
07:42And for a moment, I saw regret behind the calm.
07:46She's already in it, Ava.
07:47You both are.
07:48The silence that followed was heavy.
07:51The kind that makes your skin feel too tight.
07:54He took a step back, letting me breathe.
07:57You don't have to trust me, he said.
07:59But you know I don't lie.
08:01He was right.
08:02Marco never lied.
08:03He just told the truth too late.
08:05I should have walked away.
08:07But something deep in my chest.
08:09The part that still remembered the sound of his voice whispering promises in the dark.
08:14Wouldn't let me.
08:15I hated myself for it.
08:18Three days, I said finally.
08:21He exhaled like he'd been holding that breath for years.
08:25Bring her tonight.
08:26When I left, the sun was rising over the water.
08:29My hands were cold on the steering wheel, heart pounding hard enough to hurt.
08:33Lucy was at home, still asleep.
08:37Unaware that her mother had just stepped back into the fire she'd barely escaped.
08:41I looked at the napkin again, folded tight in my palm.
08:45Three days.
08:47That was the deal.
08:48But deep down, I knew better.
08:51You don't walk into a house built by a man like Marco DeLuca and expect to walk out untouched.
08:57And as the light hit my face, I realized something terrifying.
09:00I wasn't sure I wanted to.
09:02If I could go back, I'd tell myself to keep driving.
09:09Past that glittering house by the water.
09:11Past every memory with his name on it.
09:13But I didn't.
09:14I stopped at his gate.
09:16Stared at the keypad like it could tell me how many women before me had entered and never left.
09:21Lucy was in the back seat.
09:23Humming to herself.
09:25Hair in messy braids, clutching her stuffed rabbit.
09:27Mommy, are we visiting your friend?
09:29Something like that, I said.
09:31My voice didn't sound like mine anymore.
09:33The gate opened by itself.
09:35Cameras followed the car as I drove up the long, silent driveway.
09:39His house wasn't a house at all.
09:41It was glass and steel and ocean air.
09:44Beautiful, dangerous, like him.
09:47When the front door opened, he was there.
09:49Black shirt again.
09:50No tie.
09:51Sleeves rolled up.
09:52His expression was unreadable until he looked at Lucy.
09:55Then it softened.
09:57Hey there, superstar, he said.
10:00Lucy smiled shyly.
10:02You heard me sing.
10:03I did.
10:04You were amazing.
10:05She beamed.
10:06And I hated how easily he could charm her.
10:09She didn't know what kind of man she was talking to.
10:12He gestured us inside.
10:13You'll stay upstairs.
10:15Third door.
10:16There's a guard outside 24-7 and I had groceries brought in.
10:20I stopped.
10:21You planned this.
10:22He didn't deny it.
10:24I plan everything, Lucy tugged my sleeve.
10:27Can I see my room?
10:28I nodded, and she ran up the staircase,
10:31her laughter echoing through all that polished glass.
10:34When she was gone, I turned to him.
10:37You could have warned me before you showed up at the mall.
10:41I wanted to see you in the light, he said simply.
10:44I frowned.
10:45What does that mean?
10:47He shrugged.
10:48You always hid in the dark back then.
10:50I needed to know if sunlight still hurt you.
10:53I didn't answer.
10:54He poured a drink.
10:56Clear liquid over ice.
10:57There's a threat you don't understand, Ava.
11:00The man I used to work with, Marino.
11:03He's not forgiving.
11:05He found out what you did.
11:06You mean testifying?
11:08I mean surviving.
11:09The word hung there between us.
11:12I can handle myself, I said.
11:14You couldn't last time.
11:15That stung.
11:17Because he was right.
11:19I hadn't survived because I was brave.
11:21I'd survived because he'd let me.
11:23I crossed my arms.
11:25You want me here so you can control me again.
11:28Don't pretend it's protection.
11:30His jaw tightened.
11:31You think I care about control?
11:33You think I'd risk everything just to watch you hate me up close?
11:36Yes, I whispered.
11:38He laughed softly.
11:39Not cruelly.
11:40Just tired.
11:42Maybe once.
11:42Not now.
11:44He walked to the window, looking out at the ocean.
11:46You still drink tea before bed?
11:48Why?
11:49Because I bought some.
11:50The kind you liked.
11:51I wanted to hate him for remembering.
11:53I wanted to hate myself for noticing.
11:56That night, Lucy fell asleep easily in the big white room upstairs.
12:00I sat beside her, brushing her hair back, wondering if I'd made the biggest mistake of my life.
12:07Then I heard it.
12:09Footsteps in the hall.
12:11Slow.
12:12Controlled.
12:14I turned.
12:14He was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed, eyes darker than the shadows behind him.
12:21You don't sleep much, do you?
12:23Not since you, his face changed.
12:25A muscle jumped in his jaw.
12:27Fair.
12:28I stood.
12:29Careful not to wake Lucy.
12:31You said we were in danger.
12:33Then tell me the truth.
12:34What did you do, Marco?
12:35He took a long breath.
12:37Marina wants the file you stole.
12:39My heart stopped.
12:40That file doesn't exist anymore.
12:42It does.
12:43You kept a copy.
12:44Don't bother denying it.
12:46You think I'd still have something that could get my daughter killed?
12:50His eyes flicked to Lucy's sleeping form.
12:52You think I'd be here if I didn't believe that?
12:55The room felt too small for the ghosts between us.
12:58I stepped closer, whispering.
13:00You were supposed to burn it.
13:03He met my eyes.
13:05I did.
13:05Yours wasn't the only copy.
13:07Silence.
13:08Then the truth hit me.
13:09You kept one.
13:11He didn't flinch.
13:12You son of a...
13:13He caught my wrist before I could shove him.
13:16I kept it to protect you, Ava.
13:18That file had your name on it, too.
13:21You could have told me that before I ruined both our lives.
13:23I was trying to fix what you broke, he said quietly.
13:29You think the government cared about keeping you safe?
13:32They used you.
13:33I was the only one who ever did anything to keep you breathing.
13:36By making me disappear?
13:37Yes, he said it like a confession.
13:40Like an apology buried in a wound.
13:41The tension broke when Lucy stirred in her bed.
13:45I pulled my hand free and walked past him.
13:48I'm not your responsibility, I said.
13:51He didn't stop me this time.
13:53You always were.
13:54I didn't sleep that night.
13:56The ocean kept crashing against the glass, and every sound felt like a warning.
14:00By morning, he was gone.
14:04A note on the counter read,
14:05Stay inside.
14:06Don't open the door for anyone but me.
14:09Lucy was at the kitchen table coloring hearts on a napkin.
14:13Is he your boyfriend?
14:14She asked innocently.
14:16I choked on my coffee.
14:17No, baby, he's...
14:19Helping us?
14:20She nodded, unbothered.
14:21He looked sad.
14:22I froze.
14:23What?
14:24When he looked at you, his eyes looked sad.
14:27Out of the mouths of children.
14:29Hours passed.
14:31No phone, no TV, no answers.
14:33I hated feeling caged.
14:35When dusk hit, I heard voices outside.
14:37Low, tense.
14:38Then glass breaking.
14:40Lucy, go to your room.
14:41She obeyed instantly, thank God.
14:44I grabbed the nearest thing I could find.
14:46A kitchen knife.
14:47The door burst open.
14:48Not Marco.
14:49Two men in dark clothes, guns drawn.
14:51I froze.
14:53One sneered.
14:53Hello, Ava.
14:54Mr. DeLuca sends his regards.
14:57Marco?
14:57He laughed.
14:58Not that one.
15:00Before I could speak, a shot cracked through the air.
15:03One man fell.
15:04Then another.
15:06Marco stood in the doorway, gun-smoking.
15:08Expression cold.
15:10He looked at me.
15:11I told you not to open the door.
15:14You said not to open it for anyone but you, I whispered.
15:18They didn't knock.
15:20He exhaled, lowered the weapon, and looked around.
15:23You hurt?
15:25No.
15:25No.
15:25He walked past me to check the bodies, calm as if this were normal.
15:30Then he called someone, muttered orders, and hung up.
15:33Cleaners are coming.
15:34Take Lucy upstairs.
15:36Don't talk to me like I'm part of this.
15:38He turned sharply.
15:40You are part of this.
15:41You were always part of it, Ava.
15:42That's the problem.
15:44I wanted to scream.
15:45Instead, I went upstairs and held my daughter until my arms went numb.
15:50An hour later, he came up.
15:53Sat in the armchair across the room.
15:55Said nothing.
15:57Lucy slept between us, tiny and peaceful, unaware of the blood being mopped off marble floors below.
16:03Finally, I whispered.
16:06Why didn't you let me go, Marco?
16:08His answer was quiet, almost fragile, because I didn't want to lose the only thing that ever made me want to be better.
16:15I looked at him.
16:17For the first time in years, he looked human.
16:19Tired.
16:20Bruised.
16:21Haunted.
16:23You don't get to be better on my forgiveness, I said.
16:26I don't want forgiveness, he replied.
16:29I want time.
16:30The clock ticked between us.
16:32I didn't know what hurt more.
16:34The fear or the feeling that some part of me still believed him.
16:38He stayed by the window until dawn.
16:40Neither of us spoke again.
16:42The next day, he disappeared for hours.
16:45His men hovered like shadows.
16:47I tried to leave once.
16:49Got to the gate before someone stepped in front of the car.
16:51Mr. DeLuca said no.
16:53That night, I confronted him.
16:55You can't keep me here.
16:57I'm not keeping you.
16:59I'm keeping you alive.
17:02I'm not afraid of Marino.
17:04He smiled faintly.
17:05You should be.
17:07He's not after you anymore.
17:08He's after her.
17:09My heart stopped.
17:10Lucy, his eyes softened.
17:12But the words didn't.
17:14He knows she's yours.
17:16And he knows she's mine.
17:17The world tilted.
17:19What are you saying?
17:20He looked away.
17:21You really don't know?
17:23Marco, what the hell are you talking about?
17:25She's mine, Ava.
17:27You were pregnant when you left.
17:29Everything inside me broke open.
17:31I slapped him.
17:32Hard.
17:33Don't you dare!
17:34He caught my wrist again, but not to stop me.
17:37Just to hold it.
17:38I didn't say it to hurt you.
17:40I said it because you deserve to know why they'll never stop chasing her.
17:44The silence after that felt endless.
17:47Lucy's laughter floated down from upstairs.
17:51Pure and light and completely unaware.
17:52I wanted to deny it, to call him a liar.
17:56But when I looked at his eyes, I saw hers staring back at me.
18:00Same shape.
18:01Same impossible color.
18:03You can hate me, he said softly.
18:06But don't lie to yourself anymore.
18:08I pulled away.
18:10Get out.
18:10He didn't move.
18:11Get out, Marco.
18:13He left without another word.
18:15When the door closed, I sank to the floor and cried like I hadn't in years.
18:20Every wall I'd built, every secret I'd kept, it all crumbled.
18:24And the truth?
18:25It wasn't anger that scared me most.
18:27It was that deep, hidden part of me that had always known.
18:31Lucy was his.
18:33And now, the danger wasn't just my past.
18:36It was in her blood.
18:41It's strange what peace sounds like after chaos.
18:44It isn't quiet.
18:45It's heavy.
18:46Like the air doesn't trust you yet.
18:48Like every silence could still turn into a scream.
18:52Three months passed since that night at Marco's house.
18:55The one that ended with blood, fire, and the kind of truth you can't take back.
19:00Lucy and I live somewhere different now.
19:03Smaller.
19:04Softer.
19:05The kind of place with no bodyguards and no locks that need codes.
19:09But I still check the windows before bed.
19:12Still listen for footsteps that never come.
19:15She thinks we moved because I got a new job.
19:18She believes it because she's five.
19:20And five-year-olds still think their mothers are magic.
19:22I let her believe it.
19:24The first week here, I couldn't sleep.
19:27Every creak in the wall sounded like Marco's voice.
19:29Every phone ring felt like another secret waiting to collapse.
19:33I told myself I was free.
19:34But freedom felt like guilt dressed up as calm.
19:37Then one morning, I woke to sunlight spilling across Lucy's bed.
19:42She was humming.
19:43Same song from the mall.
19:44The one that started everything.
19:46And for the first time, I didn't tell her to stop.
19:49She sang while she brushed her hair.
19:51While she ate breakfast.
19:52While she put on her tiny sneakers.
19:53And I stood there, watching her.
19:57Realizing she wasn't afraid of the world anymore.
19:59Maybe that was enough.
20:02Then the letter came.
20:04No envelope.
20:06Just folded paper left under my door.
20:08No signature.
20:09Just two words.
20:10He's gone.
20:12I didn't need to ask who.
20:13The news came later that day.
20:17Marino.
20:18Shot dead in a warehouse fire on the docks.
20:21No suspects.
20:22No witnesses.
20:23Just whispers.
20:24And in the corner of one article.
20:26A photo.
20:27A black car parked near the smoke.
20:29The shape of a man walking away.
20:31Tall.
20:32Broad shoulders.
20:33Black shirt, Marco.
20:34I didn't cry.
20:35I didn't smile either.
20:36I just sat there.
20:37Staring at the words until they stopped meaning anything.
20:40For weeks, I tried not to think about him.
20:44I told myself he was a ghost.
20:46Something I'd imagined to survive the worst.
20:49But ghosts don't leave letters on your door.
20:51Then one night, after I put Lucy to bed, I found another.
20:56Same handwriting.
20:57Same fold.
20:58You're safe now.
20:59Don't look for me.
21:00I should have burned it.
21:01I didn't.
21:02I kept it in the drawer beside Lucy's first drawing of the three of us.
21:06Me, her, and a tall man with dark hair holding our hands.
21:10Children always know before you do.
21:13Two weeks later.
21:15I saw him.
21:16I was at the farmer's market, buying peaches.
21:18Sun high, air warm, people laughing.
21:20And there he was across the street.
21:22He looked thinner.
21:23Scar near his collar.
21:25Same black shirt.
21:26Sleeves rolled to his forearms.
21:28Dangerous and tired all at once.
21:30For a second, I thought I imagined him.
21:33Then he looked up.
21:34And everything inside me stopped pretending.
21:36He didn't come closer.
21:38Just watched.
21:39I should have walked away.
21:41Instead, I walked toward him.
21:42You're supposed to be dead, I said when I reached him.
21:46He half smiled.
21:47I tried.
21:48Didn't take.
21:49Anger rose fast.
21:50You sent those letters?
21:52Had to make sure you were safe.
21:54You don't get to do that anymore.
21:56He nodded.
21:57I know.
21:58I wanted to hit him.
21:59Or hug him.
22:00I didn't know which.
22:01Lucy thinks you're gone, I said.
22:05That's good.
22:07She asks about you.
22:09His eyes softened.
22:11And what do you tell her?
22:12That you were someone who helped us once.
22:14He smiled faintly.
22:16That's generous.
22:17Silence stretched.
22:19I hated how natural it still felt standing next to him.
22:22Like no time had passed.
22:24Finally, I asked,
22:25Why are you here?
22:27He looked out at the street.
22:29Wanted to see if you still sing to her before bed.
22:32You're watching us?
22:34Just once.
22:35I needed to know you were both breathing.
22:37I wanted to yell.
22:38Instead, I just said,
22:40You can't keep doing this.
22:42I'm not staying.
22:43He said.
22:44Marino's men are gone.
22:45I made sure of it.
22:47You don't owe me anything.
22:48Then why come?
22:49He met my eyes and something broke inside me.
22:52Because I missed hearing your voice say my name.
22:54It hit me harder than I expected.
22:57Because beneath everything,
22:59the anger, the fear, the history,
23:00I still loved him.
23:02I always had.
23:04He reached into his pocket,
23:06pulled out a small black flash drive.
23:08It's the file.
23:09The real one.
23:10Everything left.
23:11I stared at it.
23:12Why are you giving this to me?
23:14Because you deserve the truth.
23:16And because if anyone ever tries to rewrite what happened,
23:18you'll have proof.
23:20He placed it in my hand.
23:22Warm from his skin.
23:23Keep it somewhere safe.
23:25Then forget it exists.
23:26And you?
23:27I asked.
23:28I don't belong in your world anymore.
23:31I shook my head.
23:32You never did.
23:34He smiled like he agreed.
23:35Then he touched my cheek lightly.
23:37Like testing if I was real.
23:40Tell her I loved her.
23:42He whispered.
23:43You can tell her yourself.
23:45He stepped back.
23:47No.
23:48She deserves clean memories, not shadows.
23:50Marco.
23:51He turned before I could finish.
23:53Walked toward a black car waiting at the corner.
23:56I stood there until he disappeared into traffic.
23:59When I finally looked down,
24:00I realized I was crying.
24:03Not because I'd lost him again,
24:05but because this time,
24:06I understood.
24:07He wasn't walking away from us.
24:10He was walking toward peace.
24:12Months passed.
24:13Seasons changed.
24:14The ocean finally stopped sounding like danger.
24:18Lucy started school.
24:20Her teacher said she hummed when she drew.
24:22Said she liked to stand near the window during music class,
24:24looking at the sky.
24:26Sometimes she'd turn to me and ask,
24:28Mommy,
24:29do you think people can hear us when we think about them?
24:32And I'd say,
24:33if you think hard enough, maybe,
24:35she'd nod, satisfied.
24:37Then hum the same melody from that day at the mall.
24:41Every time she did,
24:42I felt something loosen inside me.
24:45Like maybe we both survived the storm in different ways.
24:48At night, when she's asleep,
24:50I sometimes sit by the window and whisper things I never said.
24:54Apologies.
24:55Gratitude.
24:56The kind of words that sound too small for what they mean.
25:00I tell him I forgive him.
25:02Not because he asked.
25:04Because I need to.
25:04And in those moments,
25:06I swear I can feel him somewhere.
25:08Alive.
25:09Watching.
25:10Keeping his distance like always.
25:13Six months later,
25:15I took Lucy back to that same mall.
25:18Same open mic.
25:19Same tiny stage.
25:20She wore a yellow dress this time,
25:22her red ribbon replaced by a shiny clip shaped like a star.
25:26She climbed up on stage,
25:27nervous and smiling.
25:29When the music started,
25:31her voice filled the place again.
25:33Sweet.
25:34Stronger now.
25:36Not afraid.
25:38I stood in the back,
25:39heart beating steady.
25:41Eyes on her.
25:42And then I saw him.
25:44Just for a second.
25:46Far by the exit.
25:47Black shirt.
25:48Sleeves rolled.
25:49Watching quietly.
25:51He didn't move.
25:52Didn't come closer.
25:54Just waited until the last note.
25:56Then he smiled.
25:58Small.
26:00Real.
26:01And disappeared into the crowd.
26:02I didn't chase him.
26:05Didn't need to.
26:07Because this time,
26:08I knew what that smile meant.
26:10He wasn't coming back.
26:11And somehow that was okay.
26:14That night,
26:15Lucy fell asleep with her certificate clutched to her chest again.
26:18I sat beside her,
26:21brushing her hair back the same way I always did,
26:24and whispered,
26:25You were perfect.
26:27She mumbled sleepily.
26:29Was Daddy watching?
26:31The question hit like a knife.
26:33Maybe.
26:34I said softly.
26:36She smiled in her sleep.
26:38Then I sang for him, too.
26:39And that was when it broke me.
26:41The quiet kind of breaking that feels like healing at the same time.
26:45I sat there until morning light painted the room gold.
26:49For the first time in years,
26:51I didn't feel hunted.
26:53Didn't feel haunted, just alive.
26:56People talk about survival like it's a victory.
26:58It isn't.
26:59It's a rebuilding.
27:00Brick by brick, truth by truth,
27:02Marco didn't give me freedom.
27:03He gave me the chance to earn it.
27:05And Lucy,
27:06she gave it meaning.
27:08I still dream about him sometimes.
27:12Not the man with the gun,
27:13but the man who waited until a little girl finished singing before he spoke.
27:18That's the version I keep.
27:19The one where love was quiet and dangerous and somehow still good.
27:23Because in the end,
27:24that's all the fire left behind.
27:26Ash, scars,
27:28and the proof that something beautiful once burned there.
27:31And maybe that's enough.
27:32If her story reached you,
27:35stay a while.
27:37More confessions like this wait in the shadows.
27:40Stories of love,
27:41danger,
27:42and the people who survive both.
27:45Subscribe,
27:45close your eyes,
27:46and let the next secret find you.
27:48And let the next secret find you.
27:49And let the next secret find you.
27:50And let the next secret find you.
27:51And let the next secret find you.
27:52And let the next secret find you.
27:53And let the next secret find you.
27:54And let the next secret find you.
27:55And let the next secret find you.
27:56And let the next secret find you.
27:57And let the next secret find you.
27:58And let the next secret find you.
27:59And let the next secret find you.
28:00And let the next secret find you.
28:01And let the next secret find you.
28:02And let the next secret find you.
28:03And let the next secret find you.
28:04And let the next secret find you.
28:05And let the next secret find you.
28:06And let the next secret find you.
28:07And let the next secret find you.
28:08And let the next secret find you.
28:09And let the next secret find you.
Be the first to comment