Between Us: Is Love Enough?

Chapter 2: The Morning After

Ava’s POV

Sunlight filters through Lisa’s thin curtains, painting stripes across the unfamiliar couch where I spent the night. My body aches from the stiff cushions, but the weight on my chest is heavier.

Sophie stirs in the makeshift bed we made for her on the floor—a nest of blankets and pillows. She blinks up at me, her hair a wild tangle.

"Are we going home today?" she asks, her voice still thick with sleep.

I swallow hard. "Not today, baby."

She frowns but doesn’t argue. Kids are resilient, but they’re also perceptive. She knows something is wrong.

Lisa shuffles into the living room, two mugs of coffee in hand. She passes one to me, her eyes searching mine. "You okay?"

I wrap my fingers around the warm ceramic. "I don’t know."

Last night, adrenaline carried me. Now, in the cold light of morning, reality settles in. I left. Actually left.

My phone buzzes on the coffee table. Daniel’s name flashes on the screen. Again.

Lisa glances at it. "You gonna answer?"

I shake my head. "Not yet."

I need to think. Need to breathe. Need to figure out what the hell I’m doing.

Daniel’s POV

She’s not answering.

I’ve called four times. Texted twice. Nothing.

The house is too quiet without them. No Sophie’s laughter, no Ava humming in the kitchen. Just the hum of the refrigerator and the ticking of the clock on the wall.

I pour myself a coffee, but it tastes bitter. My reflection in the microwave door looks haggard. Did I really push her that far?

She’s overreacting. The thought comes automatically, but for the first time, it feels hollow.

My phone rings. Not Ava—my mother.

I answer. "Hey, Mom."

"Daniel, what’s going on? Lisa just called me. She said Ava left you?"

I grit my teeth. Of course Lisa ran to her. "It’s not a big deal. She just needs space."

"Space?" My mother’s voice sharpens. "She took Sophie. That’s not space, that’s—"

"I’ll handle it."

A pause. Then, softer: "Daniel. What did you do?"

The question stings. "Nothing. We had a fight. She’s being dramatic."

Another pause. "You need to fix this."

I hang up before she can say more.

Ava’s POV

Lisa’s apartment is small, but it’s safe. For now, that’s enough.

I sit cross-legged on the couch, my laptop open. Job listings. Apartments. Legal aid for custody. The words blur together.

"Mommy?" Sophie tugs at my sleeve. "Can we get pancakes?"

I force a smile. "Yeah, baby. Let’s get pancakes."

We walk to a diner down the street. Sophie chatters about school, about her friends, about anything but the fact that we’re not home. I nod along, but my mind is elsewhere.

What happens next? Do I go back? Do I stay gone?

The waitress sets our food down. Sophie drowns her pancakes in syrup, grinning up at me.

For her, I have to be strong.

For me, I have to be strong.

Daniel’s POV

I drive to Lisa’s apartment.

I don’t call first. I need to see Ava’s face when I tell her this is enough. She can’t just walk out. We’re a family.

But when I pull up, I see them through the diner window—Ava and Sophie, heads bent together over a stack of pancakes. Ava laughs at something Sophie says, and the sound cuts through me.

She looks... lighter.

I grip the steering wheel.

Maybe I should wait. Maybe I should think.

But before I can decide, Sophie looks up. She sees me. Her face lights up.

Shit.

Now there’s no turning back.