On the night of my eighth grade winter dance, I ran away with Lucas, desperate for a moment of freedom. What started as a dreamy escape in the swirling snow unraveled into a tangled web of family secrets and painful choices. As I look back, I wonder if believing in happiness is enough when the world keeps testing your faith.
In the chaos of preparing for my son’s first child, my daughter offered to share her apartment with him to help out. Everything seemed perfect until a so-called friend stuck her nose in and nearly destroyed our family’s fragile peace. I never knew how fast love could turn to suspicion—or how close we came to losing each other for good.
From the moment my fiancé, Ben, and I got engaged, our mothers turned our wedding planning into a battleground. I was trapped in the middle, trying to please everyone, but ended up losing myself in the process. The experience forced me to question the meaning of family, loyalty, and what it means to stand up for myself.
