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.

in their shared warmth. It was these moments

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

and Pattie left. She occupied herself with her

Cynthia. As luck would have it, she ran into Julie at the

baby bump was a painful reminder of Anastasia's own lost child, and she felt a wave of grief. Julie, after a moment of surprise, walked over with a smug look. "What a coincidence, running