The Bound Between Us

Chapter 500

Anastasia's heart sank as she stared at the screen on her phone, the words "Message Not Delivered" staring back at her. It was a harsh reminder that they were no longer friends online, and she felt the sting of tears welling up. She had always suspected he had removed her from his contacts. If he hadn't, she never would have had the guts to send those messages. Keeping his number was like holding onto a sliver of hope, pretending he was still there to talk to. Her chat history was a graveyard of unsent messages, a silent testament to all the times she missed him and tried to reach out.

Wiping her tears, she made sure not to wake Pattie or alert Salma, her roommate, to her sorrow. Anastasia knew she had to stay strong. She was the pillar of the household now; there was no room for her to fall apart.

her daughter, finding comfort in their shared warmth. It was these moments

next morning, the smell of Salma's homemade pancakes filled the air. Despite Salma's encouragement to get some extra rest, Anastasia couldn't shake the heaviness in her heart. She mumbled, "I'll just sleep a little longer, Mom." Salma, always the caring mother, was happy to let her daughter catch up on sleep. She reminded Anastasia about her aunt's birthday dinner that evening. "No need to set up your stall today, honey. Just rest up and maybe find a nice gift for your aunt later. I'll drop Pattie off at school and head

purpose, Anastasia got out of bed after Salma and Pattie left. She occupied herself with her jewelry designs,

had finished a few designs and went out to buy a birthday gift for her Aunt Cynthia. As luck would have it, she ran into Julie at the local bakery. Julie, noticeably pregnant and craving sweets, was

over with a smug look. "What a coincidence, running into you here. You've bounced back so well after your pregnancy. Not an ounce of extra weight on you-flatter than a pancake. You'd never guess you'd had a