Chapter 1 A Single Mom's Struggle

Elizabeth Parker rushed indoors, already bone-tired despite the long night ahead of her, as the neon diner sign created a strong red glow over the rain-drenched downtown streets. She ran one palm over her face in an attempt to release the anvil-like weight of tiredness. Her rent was due in three days, hence she couldn even afford a moment of leisure. Every day her declining bank account made fun of her. Elizabeth headed toward the packed employee changing area and gave the hostess a forced grin.

She shed her all around a faded parka and traded it for the filthy pink-and- white uniform that smelled somewhat of sweat and a lot more strongly of disappointment. Knowing the black circles under her eyes and tight articulation would simply mask her sharp state of mind further, so she avoided her appearance in the scratched reflect as she stuck up her thick chestnut hair. Her dreams started to seem rather...beige when? Why was the painting of her life so empty of the vivid hues and countless possibilities? Elizabeth stammered hard against the sloshful of gloom in her throat. She knew the answer naturally since everything had become gray the day she first stared into the terrified eyes of the pink infant she was carrying at the hospital. Her whole world, her precious child's, and his dad vanished without explanation. Elizabeth corrected her scratchy outfit and headed toward the bustling burger establishment floor with fresh confidence, shedding the hopeless dream. These days, tips were her life saver as her mother's hospice care had consumed what little reserve money she had calculated over the long run. She grinned broadly and slipped up to her first late-shift table, where she was met with the usual smells of stale coffee and greasy burgers. For the family she was ready to give her son-the same thing she herself had never known-she was resolved to give. Graveyard hours. " Hello, people! What might I get beautiful people tonight? Elizabeth waited with a pencil poised to note their order while the two ragged businessmen in ill-fitting suits mumbled indifferently at the menu. One noticed her when he pointed directly at her frayed nametag. "Good morning Elizabeth." I'll have a side of you, darlin', with a cut of steaming delicious dessert to go. His friend laughed into his coffee mug as Elizabeth tightened herself against the heat of humiliation burning her cheeks. Her amicable smile was brilliantly made up, and she nibbled out in candy coated tone, "I'm sure the missis wouldn't take too kindly to it, sir. Would you say you were only seeking to test out for the most recent satirical show reject heap?" or could I at any point get you young men some real food?" She arched a challenging eyebrow as the man's face turned scarlet with shock and indignation and then turned on her heel without saying. She had dealt with other rude clients in this pit; they most definitely wouldn't be the last. Elizabeth ignored their poor attempt to ruin her evening; she was not particularly exceptional in marking people off the very lowest grade. When your life is at its lowest, you pick fast lessons not to let a few nasty jerks pull you down. Elizabeth shook off the short a confrontation, reset her head, honed in on seeing to her several customers, modified the constant flow of hot food conveyance and drink top off requests with patient grins and fast chat. One feature of the grind Elizabeth might enjoy was getting paid a decent stack of bills at the end. Elizabeth shook off the gushing praise for her awareness with a small smile following shipping out her last batch of six with a maximum of packaged extras. Oh, it wasn't really challenging! Kind comments really appreciated; kindly come back to see me once more! Elizabeth watched them go with light hearts, a certifiable smile wrinkling the edges of her eyes, the liberal tip they had left nestled snugly in the duvet cover folded over her waist. Many victories, regardless of their small scale. Eight great hours later, Elizabeth emerged from the dirty side hallway of the coffee shop into the ghostly pre-sunrise glist. She inhaled the crisp morning air, letting it fill her lungs and release the lingering scent of tobacco smoke and burned food from her exhausted body. Once more almost free for a priceless day. She snuck into a corner seat, covertly counting her money pull for the evening, while the passenger train was only starting to fill with disorganised office drones. If she spent $73.26 sensibly, it would be enough to fill their little cupboards for another week and cover the late shift. Elizabeth sighed, knowing that she would be stretched thin as usual, robbing Peter to pay Paul, and she sketched the bills that had built up once more in her head: electric, the student loan garnishment, and so on. She voluntarily agreed to work triple shifts for the foreseeable future, even though it meant sacrificing her own life for providing her baby with the life he was due. Elizabeth's tired brain drifted to her small blond child standing by silently in their limited studio loft as the rusting rail vehicle rocked through the metropolitan gulches. She would give anything to spend more of her waking hours savoring his contagious joy and unlimited vitality! But other from the few occasions she picked him up on her way out the door to the newest menial job, Jeremy hardly saw her these days. Then she would sweep back in as he sank off to sleep. Elizabeth let out long sighs from her small shoulders as the train banged into her station. Clearly, their tense situation was definitely her own flaw. She alone had let herself believe in fantasy emotions and whirlwind blissfully ever-afters with a constantly seen her as a brief male toy. By the time Elizabeth had the guts to discover that deliriously gorgeous billionaire stranger had completely charmed her, mind, body, and heart, and impart the life-altering news that was coursed through her veins, he had disappeared into the ether. Along with her personality, her dreams of a great career...and her capacity for trust. Elizabeth felt fresh remorse as she struggled her tired body up the seven flights of steps to their run-down tenement. Not this relentless pattern of hand-to--mouth struggle; how she wished to bless her spotless child with a steady, loving two-parent family! She knew Jeremy was worth any price and deserved more than simply the safe but repressive four walls she could offer him. Elizabeth slumped to the floor and gently kissed the fleece top of her fantasies and recuperation as she silently toed off her shoes and crept into the weak fundamental room, sleeping peacefully in their threadbare chair. "Hey there, sweetheart," she said softly as the young lad momentarily woke up and blinked slowly oceanically blue eyes. "M'a?" Before nestling further into the cosy comfort of his mother's arms, Jeremy whispered around his cherished toy puppy. Shhh, child; it's good. I'm at home. Elizabeth tucked the small blanket all the more cozily about his resting arrangement and simply enjoyed the pure, beautiful look of her most notable achievement. Her pupil. The source of her unwavering strength and eternal shame, across the board really amazing bundle. A few scattered tears followed a soft path down her cheeks before the emotional barrier totally collapsed. Elizabeth muted her tempestuous wails into the convict of her elbow as memories of one brilliant end of the week from her past reemerged - the end of the week she had quietly given the dissipated bits of her heart over to a devastatingly beguiling outsider, body and soul...right before he squashed it under her fashioner loafers thought for even a moment to expect something beyond his enthusiasm. Wanting someone to love you was too dangerous. Elizabeth had found that brutal illustration the most challenging approach available. She looked quickly at the old analog clock roaring in the corner to help her to collect her thoughts. At 8 a.m., their building manager loved to go around to see how tidy and in good condition their apartments were. Those who slept late and missed his thumps had to cope with either more terrible damage or penalties and eviction threats. Elizabeth inhaled steadily, then gently broke free from Jeremy's entwine and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. Though she longed to relax in this peaceful safe-haven with her kid, responsibility called. Frowning at the strong scent of the least expensive ground she could find, she pussyfooted to the kitchenette and began making a feeble approximation of espresso. Elizabeth sipped the cold liquid, trying hopelessly to ignore the pleasurable recollections hiding in the back of her brain. These memories comprised satin sheets, inquisitive hands, and the ecstatic ecstasy she underwent in the embrace of a stranger whose name she should never have mentioned while she was in the furnace of desire. Michael Drake had made her feel more alive and yearning for life in those fleeting minutes than she could have ever dreamed. Moreover, he had coldly thrown away her and the holy gift she brought from their white-hot tryst, just as quickly. Elizabeth was startled from her dream by a savage hammering at the door. She quickly straightened her messy hair and aired it, getting ready for the unwelcome week after week cross-examination from the property manager. But clearly not her agitated building manager was the tall, immaculately dressed man in the dark corridor. Actually, this man seemed to engulf the entire little space with his pure, overpowering presence and well-off smell as if she were called by the ghosts of her worst ambitions. "Everything considered, well..." The rich, educated voice was filled with cynical delight as the stranger's steel-gray eyes gently stroked Elizabeth's messy body in one caress. "Isn't this just... Mouthwateringly poetic?" Elizabeth finally caught the man she had spent two years attempting to wipe from her memory with a rising primitive panic squarely staring back at her. Her true soul had been marked by the man whose lethal combination of sensual nature and lack of compassion. Michael Drake had an acondafied approach back into her life. This time, he also seemed enthusiastic.