I swallowed hard and turned toward her. “I just bumped into Caleb,” I said, my voice shaking slightly. “Get me out of here.”
Without asking another question, Elle started the car. Within seconds, we were driving out of the cemetery faster than my mind could even keep up with what had just happened.
After we reachedElle’s house, I thanked her and promised I would call her when I got home. I got into my car and started the journey back to Cowichan Bay. The hum of the engine filled the space around me, but the silence inside the car pressed in from all sides.
As the road stretched out before me, I felt grateful that I had worn the sunglasses and scarf.
It had been such a close call.
What if he had recognized me? What would I have said to him? What would he have said to me?My chest tightened again when I thought about the faint scent of his aftershave. Thefact that he still sprayed the same one I had given him made something inside me ache.Does he miss me?
Before I rushed into Elle’s car, I had glanced back once.
That single look had been enough to see the woman standing beside him.
His new girlfriend.
The sight of her standing there next to him had sent another sting through my chest. Even after a year and a half, my heart still hurt when I thought about his betrayal.
I had convinced myself that I had moved past it.
I had told myself that time had healed the wounds.
I had believed I was finally getting over it.
But fate, in its cruel and unpredictable way, had decided to bring him back into my life again.
Right in front of me.
I had tried so hard to move on. Yet I had not dated anyone since then. The truth was that I was not even open to the idea. My life was already full of responsibilities. I had the children to care for, the restaurant to manage, and the cafés to run, all demanding so much of my time and energy.
There was simply no space for anything else.
Or so I kept telling myself.
My thoughts drifted to Cole.
The moments we shared lately left me feeling conflicted. His presence often stirred emotions in me that I didn’t quite know how to interpret. There had been glances, conversations, and subtle moments that seemed to carry meanings neither of us had spoken aloud.
Even at the wedding and during the days after that, he had not said very much to me. Yet something in the way his eyes held mine sometimes made my heart skip.
Maybe it had just been the wine that night. Maybe I didn’t need anyone in my life. Or maybe, in quiet moments like this,when the past appeared without warning, I realized that I simply wished someone was there beside me.
Someone constant.
Someone safe.
Someone who could hold the weight of the silence with me.
My phone vibrated in my hand, pulling me out of my thoughts. When I unlocked the screen, I noticed that I had missed several messages and calls from Cole.
A small flutter stirred in my chest.
I typed a quick reply telling him that I would update him once I got back home.
After sending the message, I immediately called Geeta to check on the children.
“Don’t worry,Didi,” Geeta said reassuringly when she answered. “They are fine. They ate and had their naps in the afternoon, and they are outside playing with Oreo. I will bring them inside soon and give them their bath and dinner.”
