𝐴 𝑃𝐼𝐸𝐶𝐸 𝑂𝐹 𝐶𝐴𝐾𝐸 | ✔︎

𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘖𝘕𝘌

I make my way through the streets of New York City with a smile proudly set on my face, the wind dances along my skin creating a sea of shivers to rack throughout me,

I listen to car horns and someone cussing in the distance, watch people walk past me, some with confidence, others without so much as a realization they're outside,

City life isn't for everyone, some enjoy the peaceful serenity of a quiet neighborhood, where the cars aren't heard and all is far away, but I adore it, it makes me feel less alone walking past so many people with different stories and tasks they need to complete in a day, everyone in the city is just in their own little worlds, as if we each have a movie we're staring in.

If my life was a movie, I'm sure, no one would want to watch such a gore filled nightmare, a never-ending cycle that kept repeating every day making me wonder if normal life was something I'd ever be able to reach. And I was able to-that cycle broke five years ago...today.

Its been five years without the screams of my parent's disappointments, the bruises that once coated my skin, and the smell of whiskey overwhelming my senses, it has been five years since I managed to walk out of my childhood home and never look back,

I remember I worked my ass off, at any job I could get, never sparing a second on my looks or making friends, it was mostly the same routine every day,

Wake up and immediately get ready for work,

After finishing my shift at one job i'd go to another...and sometimes i'd work a night shift somewhere else,

Get home be punished and yelled at for staying up so late,

And repeat.

It took a while for me to earn enough cash to leave, I worked tirelessly since I was sixteen to have enough for a stable life and college, and when I was nineteen I packed a suitcase and backpack with all my things and I left in the middle of the night, with only a letter on the kitchen table stating I was gone and never coming back,

It was the bravest thing I had ever done...it was terrifying trying to leave with the possibility of being caught by my parents, yet somehow I managed to, and I thank God for it each day.

I'm healthy and safe now, which is something Ill never take for granted.

I'm walking down the streets of a city far away from my parents, with a smile brightly shining across my face, and my chest burns with undeniable pride for myself, I've endeared so much from such a young age, and I never gave up, I kept my head held high and I got out of that situation and made a life for myself that fills me with gratitude,

My bakery comes into view as I walk around the corner and my smile never falters it just grows, when I was a child I found comfort in baking and cooking, it was my way to escape from all the torture I had to face, and it became my life, it consumed me whole and made hope glimmer in my chest,

So when I look at my bakery right now, it's the proof that I made it, I won and my parents lost.

Entering my bakery I immediately look for my best friend Ava who was opening today,

"Good morning Ava," I greet her when I enter the kitchen after putting on my apron and washing my hands

"Morning." she smiles, her pink hair is tossed into a bun as she works on something at the station

While watching her closely I can't help but grin, she's been my best friend since the moment she quite literally saved me from an embarrassing attack at the park,

I was new to the city and wanted to use my newly found freedom, so I took a walk out in a park and was so enamored by all around me that I didn't realize I fell into a bush with a hive until I felt one sting my arm,

I started screaming like an embarrassed child as bees swarmed me, Ava ran up to me ignoring the twenty bees around us, and helped me, from that day on we've been glued to each other, at this point she feels more like a sister to me than just a friend.

I start getting everything ready before we open shop, I get ingredients out for my first bake of the day and immediately get sucked into the beautiful process of creating a treat.

| a couple hours later |

After I switch with an employee and take the cashier, I immediately start taking orders, trying to shorten the long line.

since my bakery is in a busy area, next to loads of businesses, I get a lot of people coming in here on their work breaks, there's a park within walking distance so I get quite a lot of families, especially on the weekends, I lucked out on the location.

"Hi welcome to a slice of love, what can I get for you today?" I grin at the man who's too busy typing on his phone to even acknowledge my existence

"Medium black coffee, a splash of cream, and let's hurry it along I have a meeting in fifteen." the man boldly talks as he continues his attack on his phone,

I try not to let his demeanor ruin my morning, I won't let the anniversary of my freedom be tainted by a man who thinks he's better than me because he wears a suit and makes twenty times my salary,

I'm just as important.

"Okay, would you like anything with your coffee?" I ask after putting in his order on the fancy tablets we just got in for orders,

the man looks almost offended by my question as he slowly looks up from his phone "do I look like I'm into diabetes?"

"Why are you in a bakery then? Our trademark is sweets, you bald headed eagle, if you wanna hate on it, you can go back to your fancy little office and make your black coffee in your office cafeteria." Ava snaps, scowling at him.

She glances around realizing we aren't alone, people are seated at almost every table I have in here, all staring at her, some with wide stares, others with smirks and smiles,

"I'm really passionate about our desserts, what can I say." She laughs with a shrug, walking back into the kitchen.

I should be following with, with a lecture, because I'm the boss and shouldn't let my employees treat customers that way.

But sometimes the petty woman in me lets it slide, like today. I turn back to the man with a neutral expression "so, will it just be the coffee for you today?"

"If you worked under me you'd be fired on the spot, what kind of business is this?" He spits out

"The kind where we don't take bullshit from men." Ava shouts from the back

The man storms out before I can utter another word, I sigh at the lost customer but don't let it ruin my day, I continue taking orders, and then out of the corner of my eye catch a beautiful little girl staring at my desserts display with big eyes and a bright smile on her face,

My heart constricts looking at the child, my love for them is never ending, and it's painful to realize the likelihood of me being able to get pregnant is low, the amount of abuse I went through caused a large amount of trauma to my uterus and body.

It's another thing on my body that'll be there forever, reminding me of my past.

"Hi sweetheart, is someone here with you?" I softly ask as I walk over to the display shes at

Her big eyes meet mine and they widen slightly "you look like a princess!" She exclaims with a big smile, making my cheeks heat

"Why thank you, you look like a princess yourself" I smile as she shyly looks down,

"Are you here alone, Did you get lost?" I ask once more, watching her fiddle with her little sundress

"I want a cake please" she shyly points to the display

"Well I can gladly give you a slice, where are your parent's hun?" I tilt my head

"Bathroom" she whispers, her eyes connect with mine, and they're so beautiful and green, her black hair makes it stand out even more,

"Alright what kind of cake would you like?" I smile standing up and walking around to the counter

"Chocolate!" She screeches with the biggest grin on her face

I chuckle as I grab her a slice, after I get it boxed up for her I wait for her parent to come out of the bathroom, after realizing it's been a while I go to check to make sure everything's alright,

I ask one of my male employees to check the guy's restroom while I check the girls,

"Nothing" he shakes his head walking out

I sigh "same, well thank you for checking"

Walking back to the front I'm met with no chocolate cake on the counter and the little girl devouring it at one of the tables in the corner of my shop, she has cake all over her face and a big grin,

"A little girl just managed to con me into stealing a slice of cake... that's a first" I whisper shaking my head as a laugh escapes me at the absurdity of the situation

After asking a few people in my bakery if she's their kid, I frown as I make my way back to the cashier,

Did she run away?

Did her parents leave her here?

I know I'm going to spend the rest of the day worrying about this girl so I hand the cashier over to another employee as I go to have a little chat with the girl, hopefully to get some answers.

Authors Notes:

Unedited*

Another sneak peak for the rewritten version, she ain't perfect, but at least it's a lil better then the original 🫠

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Word count: 1654