Second Chances Don’t Look Like You
After her true love betrays her, a woman finds herself drawn to the one man she never expected—his own hands. As she navigates the wreckage of her past and the dangerous pull of a new connection, she must decide whether love can be rebuilt from the ashes of betrayal.
I can see exactly how many times I'll see someone. Most people only have a one above their head, but my childhood best friend, Jack, his number was 31,441.
So I grew up convinced we were soulmates. I made a perfect boyfriend rule book for him, and I basically ran his whole life. But Jack got sick of me.
He kept trying to set me up with other guys. Stop with the fake countdown story, little shadow. My roommate is actually pretty hot. You should try talking to someone else.
He pulled out his phone to show me a picture. With a quick swipe, a photo of him with another girl popped up, panicking. He scrambled to the next photo.
It was his roommate. He's a little quiet, but he's cool. And you're always clinging to me anyway. I stared at the huge number floating above his roommate's head.
For the first time, I said yes. Okay, introduce us. I handed him my phone, and Jack froze. The second I leaned in, he locked his phone.
My phone died. Let's do this later. His face went pale. That massive number reflected in my eyes, falling fast.
My heart sank, but I didn't say anything. Seeing me staring at him, his expression finally softened. Let's go home. It was Friday, and a light rain was falling.
That girl on your phone, was that Avery? Beside me, Jack stiffened. After a moment, he sighed. It's from a school sports event.
I forgot to delete it. We're not even dating. You're always so controlling. His annoyance made me freeze.
A bitter ache twisted in my chest. But looking at his dropping number, the pain faded.