Not A Small-Town Girl

escaping death time and again. Trust had never come easily to him, yet this girl had become his reason to believe in love.

As the first rays of the morning sun peeked through the window, they softly illuminated Danielle’s face, gently waking her from slumber. She wrinkled her brow at the sunlight, gradually waking as she stretched her limbs. Opening her eyes groggily, she gazed at the ceiling, slowly coming to her senses.

’Where am I? This isn’t my room. What happened after dinner?’ Danielle wondered. A string of questions tumbled through her mind. ’Wait, who changed my clothes?’

Her head throbbed with the dull ache of a hangover, and she cursed herself for not knowing when to stop. Groaning softly, she quickly changed into her own clothes and went downstairs, where she found David reading the newspaper with a coffee in hand.

Sensing her gaze, David looked up, his eyes meeting hers as she stood at the staircase landing, looking dazed.

"Come have breakfast," he said, gesturing to the table.

and the spread before her was filled with her favorite dishes-clearly prepared

be at work

Danielle asked.

previous night. She had stayed upstairs longer, hoping he would

"Mr. Charrington didn’t want you eating alone,

of them with a warm smile. He had watched David grow up. Ever since David’s mother passed away, Albert had never seen him smile, and he became increasingly detached

saw David genuinely care for someone, showing a rare glimpse of tenderness. It brought

head hurt?" David asked

much last night, didn’t I?"

David raised an eyebrow. "You don’t remember

that when she drank, she became a completely different person. But since she always blacked out, she