By the time Olivia carried the groceries up the stairs, wrestled the stroller back into its corner, and scrubbed the day's mess off the kitchen counter, she felt like she'd run a marathon. Her body ached in places she didn't know could ache, her back screamed for mercy, and her eyes stung from sheer fatigue.
But Ethan had other plans.
"Come on, buddy," she groaned as she swayed gently in the dim light of her bedroom, trying to rock her son to sleep. He blinked up at her, those big curious eyes wide awake as if it were morning.
"You're supposed to be on my side," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Team Mommy, remember? Not Team Keep Mommy Up Until She Dies of Sleep Deprivation."
Ethan cooed, utterly unmoved.
It took another forty-five minutes — a bottle, three diaper checks, and at least seven lullabies she butchered with her tone-deaf voice — before he finally surrendered to sleep. Olivia laid him carefully in the crib, holding her breath like a bomb technician diffusing explosives.
The second she stepped back and saw him stay asleep, relief crashed through her chest.
She all but collapsed onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. For one blissful moment, silence filled the apartment, broken only by Ethan's soft baby snores.
Then, like a cruel reminder, his face popped into her mind again.
Daniel.
Her stomach twisted. She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead and muttered, "Why, universe? Why do you hate me?"
There was no way she'd sleep without at least unloading some of this emotional chaos. And there was only one person who could handle Olivia Parker's midnight meltdown.
She reached for her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and hit Chloe.
Her best friend answered on the third ring, voice groggy but instantly concerned. "Liv? Are you okay? Is Ethan okay?"
Olivia winced. "Sorry, did I wake you? I just… I needed to talk."
"No, no, it's fine," Chloe said, though Olivia could hear sheets rustling on the other end. "What happened? You sound like you've seen a ghost."
"I did," Olivia blurted out. "Well… not a ghost. Worse. Daniel."
There was a long pause. Then, "Wait. Daniel Daniel? As in cheating, backstabbing, good-hair-day-every-day Daniel?"
Olivia groaned, dragging a pillow over her face. "Yes, that Daniel."
Chloe gasped so loudly Olivia had to yank the phone away from her ear. "WHAT?! Where? How? Why? And please tell me you kicked him where it hurts."
Olivia almost laughed despite herself. "In the hallway. Of my building. With Mrs. Greene showing him an apartment. And no, I didn't kick him. I… panicked. I grabbed Ethan and bolted like the world's most awkward action hero."
Chloe let out a whistle. "Wow. He's actually moving into your building?"
"I don't know," Olivia admitted, chewing on her lip. "But he was looking at the apartment right across the hall. Across the hall, Chloe! Do you know what that means? I'll have to see him every time I take out the trash."
"Oh my God," Chloe muttered. "That's… that's like karma on steroids."
Olivia sat up, clutching the phone tighter. "I can't do this. I can't live across from him. I worked so hard to put him behind me, and now he's just—" She waved her free hand toward the ceiling as if Chloe could see her, "—right there. With his smug face and his stupid broad shoulders and his stupid… everything!"
Chloe was quiet for a beat before snorting. "You still think he has nice shoulders?"
Olivia gasped. "That is not the point!"
"Oh, it's definitely the point," Chloe teased, laughter lacing her voice. "If you can still appreciate his shoulders, then girl, you're in trouble."
Olivia groaned again and flopped back on the bed, nearly knocking her phone out of her hand. "Don't say that. I can't be in trouble. I don't have the time, energy, or brain cells for trouble. I have Ethan. He's my whole world. Daniel can't just—" She broke off, pressing the pillow over her face again. "Ugh!"
Chloe's tone softened. "Hey. Breathe, Liv. You're not that girl anymore. You're stronger now. You're a mom. He can't touch you unless you let him."
Olivia peeked out from under the pillow, her eyes stinging. "Then why does it feel like I'm seventeen again, crying on your bathroom floor with a pint of ice cream?"
"Because," Chloe said gently, "he broke something once. And seeing him just poked at the scar. But scars don't break again, Liv. They just… remind you of what healed."
Olivia was quiet, her throat thick. Leave it to Chloe to always say the right thing.
"Thanks," she whispered. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'd drown in spaghetti sauce and existential dread," Chloe said dryly.
Olivia barked out a laugh, startling herself. She covered her mouth quickly, glancing at Ethan's crib to make sure she hadn't woken him.
"Probably true," she admitted softly.
"Listen," Chloe continued, her voice warm but firm, "I'm coming over tomorrow morning. Bright and early. We'll drink enough coffee to keep a whole office building awake, and we'll figure out a game plan."
Olivia's chest loosened just a little. "You'd really do that?"
"Of course," Chloe said. "You're my best friend. Plus, I need to see this disaster with my own eyes. If Daniel so much as breathes in your direction, I'll personally smack him with a diaper bag."
Olivia laughed again, the sound a little freer this time. "You're insane."
"Insanely loyal," Chloe shot back. "Now get some sleep. You need it."
"Yeah," Olivia said, though she knew sleep wouldn't come easy.
After they hung up, she set the phone on her nightstand and lay back against the pillows. The apartment was quiet, peaceful even, but her mind kept spinning.
Tomorrow, Chloe would be here. And somehow, that made it bearable.
She turned her head toward Ethan's crib. His tiny chest rose and fell, his little lips parted in a dream.
"For you," she whispered. "I'll handle this. I promise."
With that vow in her heart, Olivia finally let her eyes close, slipping into a restless sleep filled with half-remembered laughter, broken promises, and a pair of brown eyes that haunted her more than she wanted to admit.