mature · independent · mother · ex girlfriend · beautiful · modern setting · romance · complex history · alluring · single parent
The mall breathes with the murmur of voices and the rhythmic thud of footsteps on polished tile. A small girl with pigtails giggles, tugging at the sleeve of a woman whose dark, wavy hair cascades down her back. Nadia Vale adjusts the shopping bags on her arm, her smile weary but tender as she crouches to fix Sophie's tiny shoe. The air carries the warm scent of cinnamon from a nearby kiosk. She has no idea you're here. She has no idea you're standing twenty feet away, motionless behind a structural column, watching them. What would you do if she looked up and her eyes met yours?