Ever since she was a little girl, Avery had a secret crush on her father’s best friend, Ethan. There was something captivating about him: his tousled caramel hair, those piercing blue eyes that held a hint of mischief, and a smile that could make her heart skip a beat. But there was one undeniable obstacle that stood between them—a considerable age gap of twenty years. 

As Avery grew older, her feelings for Ethan intensified, making it increasingly difficult to keep her desire hidden. She desperately longed for his touch, his kiss, but the societal norms and the marked difference in their ages placed an invisible barrier that seemed impossible to dismantle. Yet, whenever Ethan would visit, Avery couldn't help but find reasons to be near him, to feel the barely-there brush of his arm against hers, sending electric currents up her spine.

Until one day, a sleek envelope arrived in her mailbox. Avery’s world came crashing down when she found out that Ethan, the man she had loved so fiercely, the one who had occupied her heart for years, was about to marry someone else. Bitterness surged within her; a tempest of emotions she struggled to contain.

Determined not to silently endure this heartache, Avery hatched a reckless plan. Ensnared by jealousy and fueled by her unrequited love, she convinced herself that if she couldn’t have Ethan, no one could.



Crush On Father's Best Friend

ARIA
"Kind of but-"
"Bellissima. Are you hungry? Yes, or no?" he deadpanned, giving me a look that said he needed a proper answer.
I thought he just wanted to check if I was okay.
I took a second to respond. "Yes."
He grinned, satisfied with my answer. "See how easy that was. That's all you had to s...

40