AfterarrivingattheSydney airport, Chloe’s sister-in-law Mya drove her to her mother’s house.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with Aiden and me?” Mya asked, regarding her over her glasses.
“No.” Chloe leaned against the window. “I just want to go home.”
But even there she couldn’t. While she’d had the foresight not to sell her terrace house immediately upon moving to New York, she’d rented it out to a couple for several months. Now she had to wait until their lease was up before she could cocoon herself in her house where she could be safe.
Mya gave her a look. “Well, the offer’s open if you need it.” Then to Chloe’s relief, she turned on the radio so the rest of the drive was blissfully conversation-free.
When she got to her mother’s house, Mya brought in her things while her mother fussed over her. “Oh, sweetie, come inside and I’ll make you a pot of tea. You must be exhausted after that long flight.”
“Thanks, Mum.”
Mya finished with the bags. “Do you mind if I impose on you for a bit? I haven’t chatted with you in ages.”
“Of course, I always have time to catch up with family.”
Chloe’s heart twinged guiltily. She’d been so laser focused on finding a husband and having a baby that she’d forgotten she already had the most wonderful family—a family who from half a world away would drop everything to help her. God, she’d been self-centered. Just like she had been with Theo, she’d assumed he’d want the same things she did if she pushed enough. But what right did she have to force someone to change their mind? This broken heart was as good of a lesson as any, she supposed.
Vowing to try to do better, she listened as Mya chatted with her mother about her sister-in-law’s next book before slipping into a lighthearted recap of her mother’s latest film. The conversation was delightfully mundane and mercifully free of discussion of children or relationships. It was like both women were deliberately avoiding those topics so as not to upset her.
Eventually the travel and the emotional upheaval got the better of her. She yawned. “I’m going to take a shower and get some sleep.” Suddenly, exhaustion weighed her down. It was an effort dragging her butt off the sofa.
“There are clean towels in the bathroom. There’re fresh sheets on the bed in the guest room,” her mother said, patting the back of her hand. “Have a good sleep.”
Chloe trudged up the hallway and into the guest bedroom. Stripping out of her clothes, she dropped them on the floor as she walked into the en suite and took a long, hot shower. When she reentered the room, she found that someone had picked up her dirty clothes and laid out pajamas on the bed. Chloe smiled for the first time in days. She’d made the right decision coming home. She needed the love and comfort only her family could give her. Getting dressed, she slid between the sheets and pulled the quilt up to her chin. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she fell into a restless sleep.
Chloe slowly blinked her eyes open, and for a second, she didn’t know where she was. Then the past couple of days came flooding back and with it the gut-wrenching pain. She rolled to her side and tucked her knees to her chest, hoping it was a nightmare. But the pain burning through her chest was too real for it to have been a dream.
With heavy curtains covering the windows, she didn’t know the time. She’d left her phone in her purse in the living room, and there wasn’t a clock in the guest room. Her stomach rumbled; she’d eaten nothing since leaving New York. She should probably do that. Reluctantly, she got out of bed and found her mother in the kitchen.
“Morning,” Chloe stretched and yawned.
“It’s more like, good evening.” Her mother filled a kettle with water and switched it on.
“What’s the time?”
“It’s ten at night. You slept over twelve hours.” Her mother pulled two cups from the top cupboard and dropped tea bags in them.
“I can’t believe I slept so long.” Chloe slid onto a stool at the breakfast counter.
“I can. You were exhausted.” Her mother poured water in the cups and passed one to Chloe. “Are you feeling better?”
No. Would she ever feel normal again? “A little,” she lied; she didn’t want to worry her mother.
Her mother gave her a look telling her that her lie had been noted but was being ignored, for now. Instead her mother suggested, “Let’s go out. We’ll walk around the harbor to get some fresh air.”
“Maybe tomorrow, I’m still tired. Jet lag’s a bitch.” Chloe didn’t want to go anywhere. She wanted to curl up in bed and bury her head under the covers.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Her mother squeezed her hand.
The doorbell rang.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Chloe asked.
Her mother shook her head and wiped her hands on a dishcloth. “No, I’ll see who it is. Be right back.”
Chloe drank her tea and grabbed a biscuit from the jar on the counter, waiting for her mother to return. When she didn’t, Chloe left the kitchen to make sure she was okay. At the living room entrance, her steps faltered, and her breath caught in her lungs.
