50. What to Wear

The first light of morning trickled through the curtains, and Valerie’s eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she lay there, disoriented. “Damn,” she whispered, her body tensing from the residual sadness she felt from hearing Antonio’s story. She could still see the pain in his eyes. They were not much different, she and Antonio. Both had suffered at the hands of someone who was supposed to love and protect them. Antonio must have already left, so she pushed herself out of bed and began her new routine. First, she went to Landon’s room, where the baby lay, cooing softly in his crib. As Valerie picked him up and cradled him in her arms, she felt a surge of love for this tiny being. She sat down in the rocking chair, allowing Landon to latch onto her breast as he drank hungrily. Valerie’s thoughts kept drifting to Antonio, his caring nature shining through even in the darkest moments of her life. “Landon, your adopted father is an incredible man,” she whispered softly, kissing his forehead