Personal Growth
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The Illusions – Chapter 20
“For your enjoyment.” Jeff’s text arrives with a video of him rappelling off a cliff, the camera jostling wildly before he slides down the sandstone face with a surprised hoot. “Here’s where I slid. Was fun regardless.” Utah’s red rocks… Continue reading
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The Illusions – Chapter 19
It’s late August, the air outside thick with the last desperate breath of summer. As I clock in, the sharp chemical scent of bleach stings my nose, while the office buzzes with cold air from the vents and the harsh… Continue reading
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The Illusions – Chapter 18
The sky outside my window is the color of old dishwater, clouds hanging low and thick, smothering everything in gray. It’s the kind of afternoon where the light never quite arrives. A similar fog has settled over my mind —… Continue reading
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The Illusions – Chapter 17
My phone buzzes against the nightstand, and I reach for it before I’m fully awake. The screen blinks to life in the morning light, and there it is — his name, his words, his voice compressed into a notification I… Continue reading
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The Illusions – Chapter 13
On a Saturday morning, Jeff sends me a selfie: his hair wild, sticking up in tufts, his undershirt creased, glasses askew, and that lopsided grin splitting his face. He wishes me a good morning, and I can’t help but laugh,… Continue reading
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The Illusions – Chapter 9
The soft rock music playing is a relief, filling the silence in the car on the way back. It feels like we’re both running on low battery, neither wanting to admit it. At home, I collapse onto my back patio,… Continue reading
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The Illusions – Chapter 8
My phone buzzes with a selfie from Jeff, lounging at the airport gate. He’s wearing that same athletic-style top, the one he had on Friday evening, and I can’t resist teasing him about it. How he always gravitates toward the… Continue reading
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The Illusions – Chapter 5
My phone vibrates on the nightstand, and I reach for it. “My quote of the day from my current book.” A text from Jeff arrives as I linger in bed, sunlight pooling on the sheets. “‘We inflate ourselves with a… Continue reading
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The Illusions – Chapter 4 – Lizzie
The slam of a door startles me awake, slicing through the foggy residue of another fractured night. My head is heavy, my limbs still sunk in the mattress, but somewhere between sleep and waking the word run flashes through my… Continue reading
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The Illusions – Chapter 3
As the days blend together, Jeff and I fall into a steady pattern—calls and texts threading through the quiet stretches of my routine. He’s candid about his past. The women on some dating app, the halfhearted connections that never reached… Continue reading
