04

The taxi slowed to a stop, and Remi’s heart clenched the moment she looked out the window. There it was — the old house she never thought she’d never return to. The same house her late grandmother had left her before her death, insisting it would one day mean more than Remi could imagine.

Back then, she’d thought it was just a sentimental gift — a relic of a past she was too eager to escape. She had moved on, fallen in love, built a life with Lacy, and believed she’d never have to look back.

But now, standing at the gate with her suitcase in hand and her heart in pieces, the quiet creak of the wind through the trees felt like her grandmother whispering, “I told you so.”

The air carried the faint scent of lilacs from the garden — her grandmother’s favorite. It wrapped around her like an embrace, tender and familiar. For the first time in years, Remi felt something close to peace. Maybe her grandmother had known all along that one day, when the world turned its back on her, this house would be waiting — to remind her who she truly was.

Remi pushed open the rusted gate, its hinges groaning in protest — as if even the house itself hadn’t expected her return. Her heels crunched softly against the gravel as she walked up the path, her chest tightening with every step. The porch light flickered when she tried the switch, casting a faint glow over the familiar front door.

The key still fit perfectly.

The moment she stepped inside, the air greeted her like a sigh from the past — warm dust, old books, and faint traces of lavender soap. Everything was just as she remembered. The floral curtains her grandmother had sewn by hand. The tiny ceramic angels lined neatly across the mantel. The rocking chair that still faced the window, waiting for someone who would never sit there again.

Remi set her bag down and let her fingers trail across the wooden furniture. It’s been years, she thought, a lump forming in her throat. She had been so eager to run toward love, toward a life she thought was better than this quiet, simple place. Yet somehow, this old house still felt more like home than anything she had built with Lacy.

Her eyes drifted to the framed photo on the wall — her younger self smiling beside her grandmother. The memory hit her hard. That was the year she’d promised to chase her dreams. The year her grandmother had told her, “Never let anyone make you small, Remi.”

She sank onto the worn couch, her heart aching with equal parts grief and gratitude. This house, untouched by betrayal or lies, stood as proof that she had once belonged somewhere safe — and maybe, she could again.

Everything was dusty in the house because she had been gone for so long. It wasn't easy to restore it back to neat and tidy, but she did in the end.

The sun had already set by the time she was done cleaning. Then she ordered takeout.

That night, she went to bed without anybody calling her.

*****

Lacy came back late in the night. He saw Ian curled up on the couch with tears on his cheeks. He looked like he was angry and heartbroken at the same time.

"Ian, why are you still awake by now?"

‘Ian should have asleep out by now. What in the world is Remi thinking? Letting our child still awake up this late? She has gone too far’ Lacy thought.

Ian looked up at Lacy, and tears were about to fall. He jumped into Lacy’s arms. "Daddy, mummy said something nasty at school, and now no one wants to talk to me. People are calling me an ungrateful little twerp!"

Lacy’s heart broke. He gently message Ian’s hair and calm him down. "Don't worry. On Monday, your mom will take you to school and clean up this mess.”

"Really?" Ian asked.

Lacy’s nod made Ian calm down a little bit.

Lacy looked around after putting Ian to bed. Why was everywhere quiet? He usually meet Remi watching movie each time he came back, but why wasn’t she watching movie as usual. Something was off.

"Remi. Remi.” He yelled.

Evie walked out of the kitchen with some warm milk, shuffling. "Mr. Web, Mrs. Web is on a business trip."

"On a business trip? Since when?” Lacy frowned. He didn’t send Remi on a business trip, so which business trip did she go to?

He pulled out his phone from his suit pocket and called Remi. It kept ringing until he was about to lose it. At last, she answered. "Yes?"

Her voice sounded tired. It was clear that she had been sleeping. Lacy was furious.

‘Letting their son stay all alone, what kind of mother was she?’

"Where the hell are you, Remi?" Lacy yelled.

The line became dead silent for a while , and then Remi started laughing. "Why? Are you missing me all of a sudden?”

"This is the last time I’ll ask you, where did you go to? If I remember correctly, I didn’t send you on a business trip, so what nonsense trip did you say you were going?”

Remi laughed and said. "Hang up if you don't have anything better to tell me."

"On Monday, you’ll be taking Ian to school. And tell the teachers you made a mistake by telling them Ian wasn’t your son.”

"That will be the last thing I’ll do. So all of a sudden, you want me to act like his mother? When he said he wanted Bernice as his new mom, didn’t you agree? Since I’m such a devil and Bernice an angel, I’ve already grant him his wish to make her his mother."

“Remi, shut the fv*k up. You’re only acting this way because Ian chose Bernice to come to the school competition instead of you. You know Bernice isn’t okay, she explained that being around kids helps her recover faster. Have you ever asked yourself why Ian chose Bernie over you? He….”

Remi felt a tickling in her nose and used a tissue to get rid of it. Even though she was used to Lacy’s harsh remarks, they still hurt like a bee, bringing back that old ache in her heart. Her voice broke, and a twisted smile spread across her face. "Lacy, I never knew you were so good at blaming others. Your mom made it such that Ian and I don't get along. If Bernice recovers or not is none of my business as long as she’s still having an affair with you and stealing my son from me.”

"Shut up.”

"You also shut the fv*k up.” Remi yelled back at him. “Also before I forgot, I left a very important document with Evie, get it from her and make sure to sign it. Don’t ever call me except to tell me you already signed it.”

Bip. Bip. Bip.

She ended the call without waiting for his response.

Lacy gulped down hard and looked at Evie. "Did Remi gave you any documents to give me?”

After a moment, Evie’s brain clicked. She put the steaming milk down, went to her room and brought back a brown envelope.

"Mrs. Web said it was very important and you sign it. Here sir.” Evie said and handed the envelope to Lacy.

When Lacy took it, he suddenly remembered Remi trying to give him something last night. What could it be?..

He opened the envelope, read through the content of the file and his face went dark.