Author: Walton Merritt

“Enough! I’ve had it!” Patricia flung the dishcloth into the sink so hard that water

**A Lonely Birthday** “Mum, honestly, what are you fussing about now?” snapped Emily, not

Patricia stood by the window, watching as her daughter Emma loaded the last boxes into the car.

Love Without the Right to Intimacy Dr. Eleanor Whitmore adjusted her white coat and glanced at the clock.

**The Eviction** Jennifer jolted awake to the sound of shattering glass. Again. Something crashing, breaking—another tantrum.

Every time my husband went away for work, my father-in-law would call me into his room for a “

I Sacrificed My Prom Dress Savings for a Homeless Man—And Life Rewarded Me with Magic Senior prom.

I stare at the plane tickets in disbelief. “One first-class seat… for James. One for his mother, Margaret.

I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, mascara trembling in my hand. The last time I’d put this

**Exhale** Yesterday, Kate turned 47. Two years ago, her life had been shattered. It figures—such a clichéd