LOGINAVERYI HEARD MR. JEAN'S car minutes before I saw it. It was a loud supercar that blasted flames from the exhaust. He revved the car as he came to a stop in front of my house.I came out so he would see me and be assured that this was the right house. The car looked so out of place in the small town. Some heads popped out of their windows to see what the noise was all about.Jean came out, grinning sheepishly. He looked at the house and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Doctor Avery," He greeted me in his thick buttery French accent. "It is so good to see you again." Before I could do anything, he hugged me and kissed the two sides of my face.I was too stunned to talk, so I just nodded dumbly."Kelvin is here too," he said. "He is just too shy to come out. Come." He opened the passenger door of the car and stepped aside so I could see his son.Kelvin Carter looked better than our last meeting, but he was still far from healthy. He had a little color on his skin, but his eyes were su
AVERYEMILY HAD TOLD me to "live," but she had not told.me how. Does she mean I should move on? Or did she mean I should not become a bed potato?I got out of bed and dragged my feet to the window overlooking the back garden. There was not much life to be lived here. It was so peaceful and quiet, and that was a reason I fell in love with the place. I was not ready to go back to my old life.The coffee machine made a sound, and I sighed, going to pour myself my daily morning dose of caffeine.After my brain woke up properly, I sat down at the small table. Emily was right, but not completely.I could partially go back to my old life. I could resume my career with my very important clients, but I do not need to go to the office, where everything would remind me of Adriano and what we had. Instead, I decided that I was going to arrange any further appointments with my clients right here. The peaceful environment would be a good thing for my clients.I turned on my laptop and checked my em
AVERYTHE RIDE HOME was a very silent and gloomy one, thanks to me. Gene and Mr Barnes had a lot of fun at the wedding, but my encounter with Adriano and the constant call from his lover ruined my fun at my bestfriend's wedding, and that is something I would never forgive him for.Gene hummed a tone under a breath swaying from side to side and budging me gently.Barnes took my hand warmly. "Was that him?" He asked.I glanced at Gene, she was not paying any mind to our conversation, so I nodded curtly."What did he say?" Barnes looked at me."He wanted to explain," I muttered."And did he?" Barned questioned. "Did you let him?"I nodded and said. "I let him," I replied. "But calls from his ex lover was interrupting us. Oh, she is no longer his ex lover. She is his current lover now."Barnes looked away and kept mute for the rest of the ride. When we came to a stop in front of Gene's house, she gave me a big kiss on the cheek before she got out and sauntered in."She is a little drunk,
AVERYI WANTED TO remain unseen by Adriano as soon as I realized that he had come to the party too, I needed to leave, but I couldn't exactly do that with Iris hugging my legs tightly. I could not tell if she missed me that much, or if she was keeping me for her father to come.Maybe the both."I have missed you," she said.I hugged her too. I inhaled the scent from her hair and sighed. I have missed this child more than I imagined. "I have missed you too. How have you been?""My daddy has not been fine since you left," she said, looking at my face. "Are you going to come back home soon?" She asked, searching my face for answers. Answers that I could not give.I opened my mouth but I did not know what to say, so I sighed and shook my head."You're not? Why?" She queried.Another question that I could not answer, but before I could even think of what to say, I heard the familiar voice that I had been dreading."Avery!" Adriano yelled.I inhaled sharply, trying not to give him any indic
"AVERY," HE CALLED, stumbling over a chair. He kicked the chair out of his way and called again, "Avery!"She looked up, and their gazes locked. Her expression changed as she saw him. It was a dramatic change that shocked Adriano."Avery," he said, coming up to her. "You're here.""And you are too," she said, aloof."Yes, Iris told me about it," He said, grinning at his daughter. "She saw the invitation on the TV."Avery frowned. "This was a private wedding, Adriano. It was not broadcast on TV. You can do better than lying and blaming it on your daughter." She said. "Your presence here is just a signal that it is time for me to leave.""Leave?" Adriano was confused. He looked at Iris and back at Avery, but she had already turned and begun walking away. "Avery, wait -" But she did not stop or even slow down."You said you knew about the wedding from TV," He said to Iris. "You lied."Iris nodded. "I just wanted to see Miss Avery.""Where did you get to know of this?" He asked with a fro
ADRIANOADRIANO TUGGED ON the collar of the tuxedo. It was a new piece, but it was unnecessarily hard and somewhat uncomfortable on his neck. He looked out the window as they drove down the city block.He had agreed to the email and accepted the invitation to the wedding, and Iris had been very thrilled when he told her that morning. She already had a dress planned out, as if she already knew that they were going to attend.He took a small sip of his wine, crossing his leg and leaning back."Can I have some, Daddy?" She asked.He chuckled and shook his head. "Maybe in 10 years. When you are 18."She pouted but scooted over to him, leaning against his side. Adriano held her in a loose embrace as he looked out. They were approaching the park now, and he tried to see what was happening at the wedding.There were lots of luxury cars in the parking lot, so he knew that this was not a small wedding. The invitees had been specially picked."This is it," he said to Iris, who immediately looked







