Chapter 10

SIX YEARS LATER

Emily was already awake when she heard the bedroom door open. She turned from the window and found Adrian standing there, his hair disheveled and his expression unusually serious for a six-year-old. He didn't say anything at first. Emily knew that look. She set down the phone in her hand.

“Another bad dream?”

Adrian nodded. He climbed onto the edge of the bed and sat beside her, rubbing his eyes. “I saw him again.”

Emily's expression softened. “The same man?”

He gave another nod. Adrian had been having the dream for as long as Emily could remember. It never happened every night, or even every week, but whenever it did, the details seemed to linger with him.

“What happened this time?” she asked.

“I was somewhere I didn't know.”

His little brows pulled together as he tried to remember.

“There were lots of people, but I couldn't see their faces. Then I saw him.”

“What was he doing?”

“Nothing.”

Emily smiled faintly. “Nothing?”

“He was just standing there.”

Adrian looked down at his chubby hands. “But he looked at me.”

There was something about the way her five year old said it that made Emily reach out and smooth his messy hair. “Adrian, it's only a dream.”

“I know.”

“You've had it many times. Maybe your mind keeps making the same dream because you remember it.”

He considered that quietly. Adrian was an unusual child. He wasn't difficult or withdrawn. He laughed, played, and enjoyed spending time with his sister. But there was a thoughtfulness about him that sometimes made Emily forget he was only five.

He preferred puzzles to noisy games and could spend far too long sitting in front of a computer, trying to understand how something worked. He asked questions that often left Emily searching for answers herself. Sometimes, Ariana complained that her brother was boring, but Adrian didn't seem to care. Emily kissed his forehead.

“Next time you see him, try to remember everything about him.”

Adrian looked at her with his blue eyes which had a similarity to Adrian's. “Why?”

“Because you keep telling me about this man, but you can never describe him properly.”

“I can draw him.” Adrian said proudly.

Emily smiled. “Exactly. Draw him.”

That seemed to interest him. “I'll draw him after breakfast.” 

“Good.”

Adrian slid off the bed.

Before he could leave, another voice came from the hallway.

“Is breakfast ready?”

Ariana appeared at the doorway, her hair slightly tangled from sleep. She looked from Emily to Adrian.

“Was he having his weird dream again?”

Adrian frowned. “It's not weird.”

“It is.”

“It isn't.”

Ariana folded her arms. “You dream about the same man all the time. That's weird.”

Adrian gave her an unimpressed look. “You watched the same cartoon three times yesterday.”

“That's different.”

“How?”

“Because my cartoon is interesting.”

Emily covered a smile. How funny it was to watch her little bundles of joy quarrel about the most insignificant things. Ariana walked into the room and climbed onto the bed.

“I'm hungry, mom.”

“You just woke up,” Emily said as she brushed her hair with her fingers.

“That's why I'm hungry.”

Adrian shook his head. “You're always hungry.”

“And you're always on the computer.”

“Because I like it.”

“You're a nerd.” Ariana teased.

Adrian's expression remained perfectly calm. “You're annoying.”

Ariana grinned. Emily laughed quietly. The two children couldn't have been more different. Adrian was usually calm and observant, the type to sit quietly with a puzzle or become completely absorbed in whatever he was learning. Ariana was the opposite. She filled whatever room she entered with noise, questions, laughter, and complaints about being hungry. Yet despite their constant teasing, they were rarely apart for long. Ariana leaned against Emily.

“Mommy, I'm hungry.”

Emily sighed. “You've said that three times.”

“Because you haven't fed me.”

“Let's go before your sister eats the furniture.”

Ariana immediately jumped off the bed. “I want pancakes.”

“You had pancakes yesterday.”

“Then I want them again.”

Adrian walked behind them, already thinking about something else. “Can I use the computer after breakfast?”

Ariana turned around. “See? Nerd.”

Adrian ignored her. Emily shook her head as she followed them downstairs. Six years had passed since she left Ranch City. Six years since she had walked away from the life she once thought would last forever. Her world was completely different now.

The small apartment she had first rented in Metro City had long been left behind. Her jewelry business had grown steadily over the years, one collection at a time. It wasn't an enormous empire, and Emily had never wanted it to become one overnight. The brand had its own customers, its own reputation, and a growing presence among people who appreciated rare, carefully crafted pieces.

The partnership that had helped her get started was still in place, although Emily had become increasingly determined to stand completely on her own. She had learned a great deal during those six years. She had also learned that starting over didn't mean forgetting the past. It meant refusing to let the past decide the future.

After breakfast, Adrian disappeared into the room with his sketchbook. Ariana followed Emily into the kitchen, still talking about everything she wanted to do that day. Emily listened while putting away the dishes. When she eventually returned to the living room, she found Adrian sitting at the center table.

His tongue poked slightly from the corner of his mouth as he concentrated on the paper in front of him.

“What are you drawing?”

“The man.”

Emily smiled. She left him to it. Ariana wandered over a few minutes later and looked over his shoulder.

“He's taking forever.”

Adrian frowned. “Go away. I'm drawing.”

“You've been drawing for twenty minutes.”

“You can't rush a drawing.”

Ariana rolled her eyes.

“You're definitely a nerd.”

Adrian continued drawing. Emily smiled from across the room. She didn't think much of it. To her, it was simply another morning with her children. Another strange dream, another one of Adrian's little projects, another argument between twins who would probably be laughing together again before lunch.

Eventually, Adrian finished. He placed his pencil down and looked at the picture. Ariana leaned over the table.

“Is that him?”

Adrian nodded. Ariana studied the drawing.

“He looks serious.”

Adrian picked up his sketchbook. “That's because he doesn't smile.”

Ariana shrugged. “Maybe he's boring too.”

Adrian gave her a look. She laughed and ran away before he could respond. Emily was busy checking something on her phone when Adrian walked over and placed the sketchbook beside her.

“Mommy.”

“Hmm?”

“I drew him.” He said in an excited tone.

Emily looked up and she smiled. “Let's see.”

She picked up the sketchbook. At first, she wasn't paying much attention. Then her eyes settled on the drawing and her smile disappeared. She stared at the face Adrian had drawn. She looked at the shape of the eyes, the sharp jaw, the dark hair, even the expression.

Emily's fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the sketchbook. She knew that face. She had seen it thousands of times. She had once woken up beside it. Once loved the man who wore it. And once believed she would spend the rest of her life with him. Her heart gave a strange, painful beat. The man in Adrian's drawing looked remarkably like Xavier Sterling.