She rolls her eyes and a lewd smirk curls on her lips. “Please, Ava, anything you set your mind to isviable.”
I stare into her glistening green eyes. Nothing but admiration reflects backatme.
“Can you start Monday at9AM?”
* * *
Asqueal ripplesfrom my lips when a loud tap sounds on the window of my car, startling me half to death. Clutching my chest, I peer outside. My brows stitch together tightly when I spot Mrs. Marshall standing next to the passenger side door, rattling the door latch. Her hair is covered with silver foils and she has a hairdressing towel wrapped around her shoulders. Grimacing, I lean over and unlock the door. A freezing breeze blasts into the car when she opens the door and slips inside. She doesn’t say anything, she just sits quietly in the seat next to me, staring straight ahead. It is only when I see the shadow of Mrs. Mable moving away from her front window does it dawn on me what has caused Mrs. Marshall’s suddenarrival.
I’ve been sitting in my car in the driveway of my home for the past twenty minutes, futilely trying to unjumble the mess of confusion in my head. I can’t comprehend what is happening to me. When I stumbled into Marvin’s office, all I felt was relief. I should have been angry at catching my fiancé in a midst of an affair. I should have stormed into the room and gouged the blonde’s eyes out before running my nails down her abhorrent face. I should have felt something. But I felt nothing. Not anger, not jealously.Nothing.
“I’m a terrible person,” I mutter to myself. “I broke off my engagement and I don’tevencare.”
Mrs. Marshall adjusts her position to face me. She clutches my hand in hers and secures my attention with her dazzling green eyes. “Don’t feel guilty for what happened, Ava. Your heart has only ever belonged to one man. Marvin knew it wasn’t him. He used that knowledge to hisadvantage.”
I shake my head. “I can’t just blame Marvin for our pathetic attempt at a relationship. I'm just as bad as him. I knew I was never going to love him the way I loved Hugo, but instead of telling him that, I continued to lie. I dragged him down as much as hedidme.”
I’ve wanted to leave Marvin for months, but I never did it. I was too scared about losing my security blanket. Although I’ve never allowed Marvin to financially support me, I liked the security that came with having a partner. As callous as this makes me sound, I wanted an emergency backup. For years, Marvin has been mysafetynet.
Mrs. Marshall screws up her nose and waves her hand in front of her face. “Please. You supported him for years – not the other way around. You stroked his gigantic ego and stood by his side while he accepted all the praise from the wonderful things youbothachieved.”
When I shake my head, Mrs. Marshall squeezes my hand tighter. “Tell me one thing that man did solely foryou,Ava,without expecting some type of rewardforit?”
I peer into her empathy-filled eyes while racking my brain, trying to think of something. I'm truly stumped. The only time Marvin and I were ever seen together as a couple was at fundraising events or work functions. We never went on dinner dates alone; he never attended a Marshall family brunch until Hugo arrived back in the picture, and I had to beg him to accompany me to the Christmas Day celebration at the Marshall’s residence this year. The only reason he agreed to go is because I agreed to continue with the ploy of us beingengaged.
Noticing I'm unable to answer her question, Mrs. Marshall cocks her brow. “Exactly. Now what has he given you?” she asks, gesturing her head to Hugo zooming past the front window of my house with Joel inhisarms.
Joel has his arms outstretched, like he is soaring through the air. I never thought I would have the opportunity to witness this, father and son standing side by side, playing airplanes. I dreamed it would happen, but I never thought my dreams would turn intoreality.
“Joel,” I answer without a hesitation. “Hugo gave me Joel. The best thing that has ever happenedtome.”
Mrs. Marshall smiles and squeezesmyhand.
“And this,” I add on, pressing my palm against the madly beating heart in my chest. “He gave me his heart. It is the reason Marvin’s betrayal didn’t hurt, because it wasn’t my heart Marvin was deceiving, it was Hugo’s. But even being Hugo’s heart, Hugo’s betrayal stillhurts.It hurts so much. I don’t know if I can getpastthis.”
Mrs. Marshall’s tear-glistening eyes lock with mine. “I'm not saying this because Hugo is my son. I'm saying this because you are my daughter, Ava, and I know you. I’ve watched you grow from a small girl into the beautiful woman you aretoday.”
A tear escapes my right eye and rolls down my cheek, overwhelmed by the pride radiating in herwords.
“If you don’t give Hugo the chance to fix the mistakes he made, you will never forgive yourself. You’ve wanted this for years. Every wish you have ever made the past five years was for Hugo to come home. Your wish came true. Cherish it, Ava. We learned from Jorgie’s passing that we have to make the most of every day we have. No one is saying you have to forgive and forget, not at all, but harboring anger is only going to diminish your quality of life, not improve it. Live the best life you can, as you onlygetone.”
My face scrunches, battling to keep my tears at bay. Everything Mrs. Marshall said is true. Every time I blew out the candles on my birthday cake or saw a shooting star, I wished for Hugo to come home. I swore I wouldn’t care where he’d been or why he left, all I wanted was for him to come home and meet his son.To come back to me.My wish came true. But instead of relishing in having my greatest wish granted, I’m letting anger ruin a truemiracle.
“Do you remember the promise you made to Joel the day you walked through those doors with him cradled in your arms for the first time?” Mrs. Marshall questions, peering intomyeyes.
I wipe my hand under my nose before noddingmyhead.
“You kept your promise to Joel. Now it is time to keep the promise you made toyourself.”
Chapter Nineteen
Hugo
“Mayday,mayday, we are experiencing catastrophic enginefailure.”
A big boom sounds from my mouth, startling Joel flying inmyarms.
“Mayday, mayday, our engines are on fire. We’regoingdown.”
