Paul Lewis didn’t consider himself the suspicious type when he got married. He was a keen musician, known to his neighbors as a polite, soft-spoken man who took care of his elderly mother and kept mainly to himself. But somewhere along the way, his trust in his wife, Anne, began to erode. He wasn’t even sure when the doubt first crept in. Maybe it was the odd text message she received late at night, or the subtle shift in her routine when she came home from her teaching job. Whatever the trigger, Paul couldn’t shake the feeling that something was…
Author: town gist
“Can I clean your house for food?”But when the billionaire saw her face, he froze. Daniel barely had time to process the knock on his door before he opened it. Standing there was a woman he never thought he’d see again. Sasha. Her face was thinner now, her skin dulled and streaked with grime. Her once lustrous dreadlocks hung loosely around her face, and her faded orange shirt was torn at the sleeves. But her eyes her eyes were still the same. The ones that had haunted Daniel for seven years. He opened his mouth to speak, but his words…
The city was alive, but no one saw her fall.It was early afternoon—just busy enough for the sidewalks to be crowded, but not enough for anyone to truly look. The café-goers chatted over cappuccinos. The businessmen stared at their phones. Couples walked hand in hand. And she—Clare Whitmore—sat alone on the cold concrete, clutching her pregnant belly with one hand and the edge of a trash bin with the other. Her breath was short. Her legs had given out minutes earlier—seven and a half months along, alone for only an hour. Her driver had dropped her off two blocks early…
The keys jingled as Darius Cole pushed open the door to his luxury home, expecting silence. His team meeting at the downtown investment board had been cancelled last minute. For the first time in weeks, he thought he’d surprise Maya with her favorite vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles from the corner shop. It had been too long. Ever since his wife passed two years ago, Darius had buried himself in work, trying to balance loss, grief, and responsibility. He provided everything Maya could need: a private chef, therapists, tutors, and a live-in nanny he trusted to watch her when…
The scream pierced the air like glass shattering. It wasn’t loud enough for the neighbors to hear yet, but to her, it was deafening. Maya dropped the mop from her gloved hands. It hit the marble floor of the mansion’s kitchen with a wet smack, water sloshing everywhere. She turned her head sharply toward the hallway and saw the first curls of black smoke drifting low along the ceiling like fog creeping under a door. “Ethan!” she called out, her heart instantly pounding. “Baby, where are you?” There was no answer. She didn’t wait. Maya tore off the apron strings,…
The snow was falling quietly over the city, coating everything in silence and cold. It was one of those evenings where even the wealthy hurried indoors, escaping the bitter wind. But on a forgotten bench in a small park near the financial district, a woman in a navy-blue uniform sat alone, her body leaning lifelessly to one side. She was barely visible under the white frost settling on her apron. That woman was Grace. For the past three years, Grace had worked in the home of millionaire Charles Whitaker — a man known more for his bank account than for…
In the middle of a marathon, a poor Black boy was giving it everything he had running for a better future. Victory was within reach. But just as he closed in, the only runner ahead of him collapsed. Without hesitation, he stopped. He lifted her into his arms and helped a lone medic save her life. He gave up the race. There was no applause. No spotlight. Just silence. But two days later, when he least expected it, her father showed up at his door. And what happens next will change his life forever. Marcus didn’t look like a runner.…
A successful boss with an unshakable belief: Work hard and you’ll get what you deserve. He paid his employees fairly, expected them to put in the effort, and never questioned what happened after they clocked out—until one night, he did. A hardworking employee lingered late, just to receive a takeout container tucked away like a secret. But when he unknowingly followed her home that night, what he saw shattered everything he thought he knew about work, success, and the cost of survival. And for the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure if hard work was enough. Malcolm Reed…
“Damn it!” the billionaire cursed loudly. His voice echoed through the stormy winds and pouring rain of a turbulent day. He was on his way to sign a billion-dollar deal when suddenly—boom!—his car veered to the side of the road. One of the tires had blown out. With no cell phone signal, everything seemed hopeless. Out of nowhere, three Black teenage boys appeared, laughing and chatting. “Need some help, sir?” one of them asked. After only 20 minutes, everything was taken care of. The damaged tire was replaced by the three boys. The billionaire took out some money from his…
The streets of Southbridge always looked the same in the early morning—cracked sidewalks, flickering streetlights, and the low hum of old cars crawling past worn-down apartment blocks. The rain from last night still clung to the pavement, turning the gutters into shallow streams. Up ahead, near the bus stop, a group of construction workers sipped coffee from paper cups, their voices low, their eyes heavy. A few glanced Marcus’ way. The stares lingered—not curious, judging. Marcus Reed adjusted his tie with stiff fingers as he walked by, feeling the weight of those looks settle on him like a brick. He…