Maya’s POVThe grand hotel ballroom glittered like a jewel when Louis and I stepped inside that afternoon. Crystal chandeliers caught the late-summer sun pouring through towering windows, scattering light across marble floors polished so carefully that they gleamed like mirrors. The scent of fresh l
Emily’s POVThe lunch rush had been relentless, a blur of orders shouted across the line, knives clattering against cutting boards, and the constant hiss of pans that never cooled. By the time I finally sat down at my desk in the small office tucked behind the kitchen, I felt as though every ounce o
She turned, her face lighting up when she saw me. “Jonathan! Back in town again?”I nodded, approaching. “I’m staying at the farm for the week. Spending time with Jack and my grandmother. They’ve been spoiling me.”“Good,” she said warmly. “They’ve missed you. Everyone’s missed you.”I laughed, shak
Jonathan’s POVThe days at my grandmother’s farm rolled together like the slow rhythm of waves, calm and unhurried. I’d decided to take all my vacation days, and a sabbatical, my boss understanding the situation with my father and sympathetic. It wasn’t like I couldn’t do my job from home anyway. Ma
Louis’ POVI was happy, for once. It was not the fleeting happiness of distraction, nor the guilty happiness I sometimes felt when I let my mind wander back to Emily, but the kind of contentment that came from Maya’s renewed affection. She was radiant these days, fully immersed in her plans, both fo
We ate in companionable silence for a moment before she sighed. “I owe you an apology, Maya.”I set my fork down. “For what?”“For not being present. For not seeing Oscar more. For not being there for you and Louis the way a mother and grandmother should.”Her candor startled me. “You’ve had things