NovelEnglishESCAPE
JOSH - PRESENT DAY
The daycare parking lot was half-empty by the t| pulled up, late as usual. The setting sun cast long shadows
over the playground, and | could see a few lingering toddlers wobbling around as teachers corralled them toward
their waiting parents.
Asha'’s little face brightened when she spottedthrough the window. She pressed her chubby hands against
the glass, her tiny nose scrunching up in excitement. Guilt stabbed through me. She deserved better than a
father who was constantly distracted, constantly exhausted, constantly angry at the world.
| barely managed a smile as | stepped inside. Miss Worth- Vivien-was kneeling beside Asha, helping her into her
little pink sneakers. The sight of her made my jaw tighten. She looked up, and the moment our eyes met,
something in my chest twisted. Hazel eyes, soft but assessing, framed by a cascade of dark curls.
Nothing about her remindedof Laura. That's what made it worse.
"Daddy!" Asha's little legs carried her forward in an unsteady run, her arms outstretched. | bent down, scooping
her up before she could trip over her own feet. She buried her face in my neck, her warm breath tickling my skin.
"Hey, baby girl," | murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She smelled like baby shampoo and finger
paint.
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Vivien straightened, brushing her hands against her skirt. "Rough day?" she asked, her voice careful.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt| exhaled sharply. "Something like that."
She nodded, not pushing. "Asha had a good day. She-"
11:288 Nouchers
That's when | noticed it. The tear in Asha's little white shirt, right near her shoulder.
"What the hell happened?" My voice cout sharper than | intended, and Asha flinched slightly in my arms.
Vivien's brows knit together.
"It's nothing serious," she said quickly. "She got a little tangled up on the jungle gym. It didn't even leave a
mark."
Asha, oblivious to my rising frustration, wiggled in my arms. "Snack, Daddy?" she asked, rubbing her tired eyes
with a pudgy fist.
| barely heard her. "She shouldn't be getting tangled up' at all," | snapped. "Isn't someone supposed to be
watching her? For the money | am paying that shouldn't happen."
1
Vivien's expression cooled. "Josh, we do watch her. It's a playground. Toddlers stumble. She wasn't hurt."
| clenched my jaw, barely suppressing the urge to lash out again. | knew | was being an asshole. | knew it wasn't
fair. But | was pissed at the universe, at myself, at this never-ending sense of helplessness. "Hmmm," | grunted,
keeping myself in check - barely, adjusting Asha on my hip.
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288 Jurers.
Vivien hesitated like she wanted to say something, but then she just sighed. "Drive safe."
| didn't answer. | just turned on my heel and left, buckling Asha into her car seat as she babbled to herself,
completely unaware of my foul mood.
That night, after I'd managed to get Asha bathed and into bed, | sat on the couch, staring at my phone.
Vivien's nflashed on the screen.
We hadn't really talked since Christmas. Since that one night, we had dinner. Since the moment | realized how
much | fucking liked looking at her. Since the moment | realized how wrong it felt, how much it felt like a
betrayal. Since | palmed my own cock to the thought of her mouth wrapped around it.
For months, I'd buried myself in getting Laura into the rehabilitation program in Germany. It had been eight
months now, and the last update from the doctors had been predictable -be patient, we'll let you know if
anything changes. Doctor-speak for: Stop asking every damn day if she's woken
i,
So yeah, | was pissed. Pissed that my wife was gone in every way that mattered, pissed that my daughter might
never know her mother, pissed that | was even thinking about another
woman.
And the worst part? Vivien didn't
remindof Laura at all. Not even a
little. There was no-quiibriddén m
cprmpanisdn Wo painful memories
lurking beneath the surface. Just her.
Just someone who madefeel-
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm59.59% The content is on
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chapter there!
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228 0x
| clenched my fists.
The phone kept ringing.
| nearly let it go to voicemail, but then-
"Fuck it."
| pressed the answer button, bringing
the phone to my ea "dosh? KQdid
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novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
There was a beat of silence on the other end, and then-
"Hello?" Vivien's voice was soft byt
firm. 1 could heqs fis elves (ated in
itET He dontnt is on novelenglish.net!
I swallowed hard. "Yeah. I'm here."
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