Chapter 11: Falling for Him Again

For one dangerous second, Varany forgot she had come back.

Then she opened her eyes and saw the man she had spent almost six years trying to forget.

Sunlight filled the room. It took her a moment to remember where she was, and then the memories of last night returned. She had slept beside Bradly.

Varany quickly looked at the clock. Seven in the morning.

She turned her head and froze.

Bradly and Nihan were sleeping beside each other. Nihan's tiny hand was wrapped around his finger, while his arm rested protectively around their daughter.

They looked so natural together that something inside Varany softened.

She quickly looked away.

Carefully, she slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. A shower helped clear her mind, but when she returned, Nihan was already awake.

“Good morning, baby.”

Varany kissed her forehead, and Nihan immediately wrapped her arms around her.

Varany glanced at Bradly, still sleeping peacefully, then carried Nihan downstairs.

She found Bradly's parents already dressed.

“Good morning, Mom. Dad.”

Their faces brightened.

“Good morning, dear,” Bradly's mother replied. Then she looked toward the stairs. “Where's Bradly?”

“Still asleep,” Varany said. “I'll make breakfast.”

She needed something ordinary to focus on.

Bradly's father reached for Nihan.

Varany hesitated, glancing at her daughter's messy hair and clothes.

Bradly's father smiled. “It's fine.”

Nihan happily went into his arms as if she had always belonged there.

Varany watched them for a moment before turning to the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, breakfast was ready: coffee, milk, eggs, ham, hot dogs, rice, and Nihan's favorite pancakes.

They ate together, talking and laughing. It felt almost like a normal family, and that was what unsettled Varany most.

After breakfast, Bradly's parents left for work. Varany and Nihan waved goodbye before returning inside.

“Mommy, more pancakes,” Nihan said. “And cheese, please.”

Varany laughed. “Okay, baby.”

She placed Nihan on the kitchen counter, and the little girl happily ate, chocolate around her mouth.

Then—

“VARANY!”

Bradly's voice rang through the house.

Varany froze.

Nihan immediately ran toward her, and Varany picked her up before hurrying into the living room.

Bradly stood near the door, barefoot and still in his sleep clothes, looking pale and shaken.

“Where are you going dressed like that?” Varany asked.

He didn't answer.

His eyes moved from Varany to Nihan, and his expression suddenly changed.

Relief.

Fear.

As if he had woken from a nightmare and expected them to be gone.

Bradly rushed toward them and pulled Varany and Nihan into his arms before Varany could react.

“I thought you left again.”

His voice cracked.

“When I woke up and you weren't there…”

He stopped, holding them tighter.

For a moment, Varany saw something different in him. Not the proud man who had hurt her, but someone still terrified of losing them again.

“I was just making breakfast,” she said gently. “Your daughter was hungry. We already ate with your parents.”

She eased herself free.

“Go upstairs and take a shower. I'll make you something.”

“Good morning, Daddy!”

Nihan kissed Bradly's cheek, leaving chocolate behind.

Bradly laughed and hugged her. “Good morning, baby.”

Then he looked at Varany.

“Good morning, babe.”

Before she could react, he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

Varany looked away. “Go shower.”

Bradly grinned and headed upstairs.

Varany stood there for a moment, wondering why everything felt so natural again.

A few minutes later, Bradly returned in walking shorts and a white shirt and joined Nihan at the table.

Nihan immediately started feeding him pancakes, one bite after another.

Bradly happily let Nihan feed him, laughing as she proudly took over.

Varany placed coffee in front of him and sat beside them. When Bradly reached for the newspaper, she took it first.

“No. Eat.”

Bradly smiled and obeyed.

After breakfast, Varany stood to clear the table, but Bradly caught her hand.

“Leave it. Let the helper handle it. You and Princess should get ready.”

“For what?”

“We're going house hunting.”

The words made everything feel more real. They weren't simply visiting anymore. They were looking for a home together.

At nine, Varany and Nihan came downstairs. Bradly was finishing a phone call, but the moment he saw them, he ended it and walked over.

He picked up Nihan, then reached for Varany's hand.

This time, she didn't pull away.

They walked to the car together. Bradly opened Varany's door, fastened her seat belt, then kissed her cheek.

“I missed this,” he murmured.

Varany said nothing.

She had missed it too.

As they drove, Nihan eventually fell asleep between them, leaving the car quiet.

Bradly finally spoke.

“Just let me have this.”

Varany turned toward him.

“I've been waiting for this for so long,” he continued, keeping his eyes on the road. “I missed you, babe.”

Silence filled the car.

Varany closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, but his words kept replaying in her mind.

This was everything she had once wanted: a husband, a daughter, a family, and a home.

Now it was all coming back.

Too easily.

As the car carried them toward their new beginning, Varany felt the walls she had spent six years building begin to weaken.

Then one question surfaced.

What if she fell in love with Bradly again?

And worse…

What if she had never stopped?