Possessive Neighbor by Flora Ferrari

Fox Silverman:

At forty, I’ve got it all. The life everyone thinks they want.
But I feel like the poorest man alive when I roll over and see that empty space in my bed. When I walk past the purpose-built rooms I designed and even picked the damned colors for.
For our children.
For her.
For our family.
Who is she? Where is she? I’ve nearly given up all hope until I see the outline of her curves through my front door.
Could it be? It is.
An older man with a younger woman is almost expected at my age, but this is different. I can feel it.
As soon as I see those curves I know she really is the one.

Sonya:

The new house at the end of the street is finally finished, but who would live there? It’s like a palace.
They must have a ton of kids, with all that room in the yard, plus the park right next door…
My dad, my adoptive dad. He’s on another cruise with my step-mom, giving me the friendly reminder that it’s time to leave the nest now that college is all finished.
“…think about what you can do, what you’re good at. Find that job, then we’ll help you get set up in a place of your own…”
I only ever babysat for the neighbors, and figure the new ones must have kids.
If I’m to make any sort of living, any kind of future for myself, there’s no time like the present so here goes nothing…
Once I see him though, once that door opens, I know another door has closed forever.
The life I just left behind.