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“I’m texting the car service, not your father if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I’m sorry, Mom, I did think that.” I pause, tugging on the sleeve of the sweater I’m wearing. “I said things to Dad. I know I’ve hurt him. He knows, doesn’t he?”
Mom holds my hand, trying her best to assure me. “Your father will always love you. But for now, we need to make sure you’re okay.”
“Mom, you didn’t answer my question?”
With heavy eyes, she raises them to meet mine with a simple nod.
The doctor assumes I miscarried but requests I perform a test to see if it comes back negative. Mom suggests I stay at the penthouse for a few days before heading back to campus, worried over my well-being and concerned with how gaunt I look after my bout with the flu.
I climb into bed, the exhaustion weighing heavy. I still haven’t spoken to Will, avoiding his calls and text messages on my phone. Andy texted me, telling me he spoke to Will, suggesting he give me time to rest. Since then, the phone calls and text messages have stopped.
Inside my bed, I feel safe and comforted as Mom strokes my hair, watching me rest.
“Mom?” I murmur, the tears springing to my eyes again. “How did I get myself in this mess?”
“You fell in love,” she simply states. “I never told you this, Amelia, but after your Dad and I broke up the first time, I spent eight years apart from him. And then I met this man, this amazing man.”
My tears stop momentarily, almost as if someone turned off the tap controlling my tears.
“It was the first time in a long time when I truly felt something. We dated, went away on holiday, and when we came back, he proposed marriage.”
“Marriage?”
Mom nods her head. “I said yes. What was I waiting for? This perfect man proposes marriage, and I loved him. Everyone loved him.”
“But what happened?”
“Fate,” she responds wistfully. “The day after we got engaged, we went to lunch, and sitting inside that restaurant at a business meeting was your father. Out of all places, after eight years, and a day after I get engaged, fate delivers this.”
My mouth falls open, shocked at the very thought, certain that it isn’t a coincidence but the universe intervening.
“Your father was relentless in his pursuit to win me back, but I was so hurt. We had this history, and I felt abandoned by him. That trust isn’t so easy to repair, you know.”
“But Mom, who was the guy?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me. “I mean, what happened to him.”
Mom glances at her wedding band, toying with it while lost in thought.
“It was your Uncle Julian.”
Everything Ava said was right, well, not everything, but close to it. I should be surprised, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Uncle Julian is wonderful, at least, with Aunt Adriana he is. Far be it for me to admit that he’s quite attractive for his age, he’s just such a genuine and loving guy. Andy dotes on him as if he were the same man who brought him into the world.
“As you can see, li
fe has a funny way of working out. It’s all about timing.”
“So, you and Dad, you had an affair behind Uncle Julian’s back?”
Mom nods, keeping her mouth shut.
I let out the breath I’ve been holding in. “But Dad is so protective over you. I mean, I still remember a time when we went to some function and some guy tried to pick you up, he was so jealous. The whole car ride home he didn’t talk to you.”
“I’ve lost count of your father’s jealous outbursts. After a while, I just learned to ignore it.” She lays beside me, allowing me to rest my head against her shoulder. We both stare at the ceiling, deep in thought.
“And then what happened? Uncle Julian came back and fell in love with Aunt Adriana?”
“It’s a little more complicated than that. They both were seeking help for their mental health and just formed a friendship while navigating through the trauma they had experienced.”
