Page 53 of The Edge Of Us

He closed his eyes. “I wanna be like you when I grow up.”

“You already are,” I whispered.

As I closed the door and walked into the hallway, I paused by Astrid’s crib. Her tiny chest rose and fell, her fists curled like she was holding dreams.

It wasn’t the life I had planned, but maybe it was the life I was finally strong enough to live.

And tomorrow?

Well, tomorrow the world would remember my name.

But tonight—I was just Mom.

Chapter 31

Allen

The television buzzed softly in the corner of the room, light flickering across the dim walls of my once vibrant LA home. It had become more of a museum now—a place echoing with memories, filled with silence, and haunted by the shadows of someone I used to be. I wasn’t even paying attention, not really. The TV was background noise, like most things in my life lately. But then, I heard her name.

"Model Corine Holts spotted out with her children in downtown Charlotte. After almost two years of silence, she's finally back, looking better and stronger than ever—"

My head snapped toward the screen, and I swear my heart stopped. There she was. Corine.

Radiant. Holding Astrid in one arm, laughing as Kyle tugged at her coat, trying to show her something. Her long brown hair was pulled into a loose braid, and she looked—

Healthy. Whole. Alive.

I stood there, breath stuck in my throat. My hands trembled as I slowly lowered myself to the couch, unable to look away. My chest ached. She was really out there. After nearly two years of not knowing, of endless silence, I was finally seeing her again.

And she looked nothing like the broken woman I last saw when she signed the divorce papers.

"God," I whispered. My fingers curled into fists, pressing into my knees. "You're really okay now."

I felt something sharp twist in my chest. Relief. Guilt. Longing. Regret. It hit all at once. I had no right to feel this way—not after what I’d done, not after what I let her go through alone.

For the longest time, I told myself it was better not knowing. That disappearing was what she needed. But now I saw her, and I realized how much I had missed. How much I had lost.

.

Corine Holts' POV

I was just getting Astrid down for a nap when my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I gently rocked her for a minute longer, waiting for her breaths to even out, then laid her in her crib with her favorite elephant plush. Kyle was in the backyard with my dad, probably telling him another wild dinosaur story.

I picked up the phone and smiled when I saw the caller ID.

"Britt," I answered. "Hey."

"I’m out!" Brittany's voice rang on the other end, bright and full of life. "I did it, Corine. I freaking did it."

I felt tears prick my eyes. "You’re really out?"

"Yup. Stepped out this morning. I rang the bell, and Sylvia cried. Tate gave me one of his dumb poems." She laughed, then it softened. "I wanted you to be there, but I get it."

"I wish I could’ve been. God, I’m so proud of you. You kept fighting. Even when it hurt."

"You were my reason to keep going, Corine. Watching you rebuild, watching you come back to yourself… it gave me hope. I owe you."

"No," I whispered. "We saved each other."

---