Viktor never forgot the taste of fear. It was bitter, like the medicine his mother couldn’t swallow without water that terrible afternoon. He grew up with very little, but what he lacked in possessions, he made up for in love. His childhood home was a small, weathered house with peeling paint and creaking floorboards,…

Have you ever given everything to a place, only to realize one day it was never going to give anything back to you? That was me. My name is Misty. I’m 37 years old, a single mom of two. And for the last 12 years, I’ve been the Office Manager at a mid-sized logistics…

I’m Alyssa. I’m 32, and I’ve been married to Ben for three years now. Every single Thanksgiving, my husband’s family rents a lake house for the long weekend. His mom, Linda, books it months ahead; his two sisters, Rachel and Kim, pile in with their husbands and kids. Every single Thanksgiving, my husband’s family…

Nora had been married to Daniel for 17 years, and she thought she knew every version of him. The morning person who sang off-key in the shower. The devoted father who never missed Emily’s school plays, and the husband who still held her hand during movies, even after all this time. But the man…

I was eight the first time I heard a heart break. Not mine. It was my mother’s. Her crying came from behind the bedroom door, muffled by drywall and secrets. Her sobs were thick with betrayal, and my father’s voice followed, low and pleading, too quiet to make out the words. Except for one.…

I’m Aubrey. I’m 30 years old. I live alone in a two-bedroom apartment just outside St. Louis. Nothing fancy, but it’s mine. I work in HR at a mid-sized tech company. It’s one of those jobs that sounds more interesting than it actually is. Most of my day is spent behind a screen, answering…