REPEATED MISTAKES

Chapter 11: Who is Wyatt?

Wyatt was a young woman with a wild streak. She'd been working as a stripper for five years, and one look at her would tell you she was no angel. With revealing clothes and tattoos covering her body, Wyatt embraced her bold image.

Despite it all, Wyatt was a happy person. She enjoyed her work-it paid well, and she genuinely liked doing it. Tonight, she and the other dancers were backstage, moments away from their next performance.

"You look nervous, Aria," Wyatt said with a smirk, glancing at her friend.

"Me? Nervous?" Aria scoffed, though her voice held a hint of nerves. "Pfft, I'm just hoping to bag a rich guy tonight."

Wyatt laughed softly. Unlike Aria, she wasn't out searching for men; they always came to her. None had really caught her eye, though. Love wasn't something she was looking for, and even if she was, it wouldn't be here-not while she was doing this kind of work. Wyatt felt comfortable with her job, but deep down, she dreamed of a different life, a life where she could have a perfect, moral family. Sometimes, she felt like this line of work kept that dream out of reach.

The music started, and Wyatt stepped onto the stage with the other girls. She danced up and down the pole, her movements fluid and energetic, never sparing a glance at the men in the front row. None of them seemed to catch her interest.

But there was one man who couldn't take his eyes off her.

Tory was a strikingly handsome gentleman with an aura that seemed almost otherworldly. Sitting on a bar stool with a glass of wine, he watched Wyatt's every move, captivated by her grace. "Why am I so drawn to this girl?" he wondered to himself. Something about her had him completely spellbound-he was falling in love at first sight.

When the performance ended, the dancers headed backstage to get ready to go home.

"Wyatt!" Quinn called out.

"Yeah?" Wyatt replied, turning toward her friend.

Quinn hurried over, excitement clear on her face. "Did you see that guy staring at you the whole time? He was gorgeous!"

Quinn, petite and with a cute face, was barely five feet tall. She gave Wyatt a wide-eyed look.

"I told y'all, I'm not interested in any guy," Wyatt said, rolling her eyes as she climbed into her Jeep. She locked the door, eager to get home and rest. Tomorrow would be another day.

But for Tory, the night was far from over. He couldn't stop thinking about her. As an experienced stalker, he quickly tracked her down on social media. Soon, he'd found her name and saved nearly 2,000 of her photos-including duplicates and even pictures of her family. His parents were at home, so he couldn't leave to find her in person. All he could do was scroll through her profiles, completely engrossed. When his mother called him for dinner, he absentmindedly asked her for a minute-but that minute turned into much longer.

Though he didn't live with his parents, Tory visited often for the holidays, as they valued his company. An only child, he'd gone on to become a gynecologist, a career he loved, though he valued his family more.