Chapter Two

Emilia.

We spent a long time at the restaurant, and thankfully, Camilla didn’t mention the gift or the anonymous sender throughout lunch. We talked about a few other topics before leaving after Nicholas received a call from his mom concerning his little sister.

“Are you sure you don’t want this?” Camilla asked as we walked to her car.

She had offered to drop me off since I didn’t have a car—not because I couldn’t get one, but because I didn’t need one. I had too much going on in my life right now to worry about having a car.

“Yes, Cam,” I replied, taking a deep breath when I noticed the concerned look on her face. “Look, Camilla, I know you’re doing this because you care about me and want to see me thriving, but I really don’t want to date or be in a relationship with anyone at the moment,” I said as gently as possible.

Her eyes searched mine, and I held her gaze, wanting her to see just how serious I was. I didn’t want to date—now or ever.

“Fine, I’ll let this be,” she said, and I let out a breath, only to pause when she continued. “But before I let this slide, I just want a simple answer from you.” I already knew where this was going.

“Go on,” I gulped.

“Is this because of him?” she asked, and I didn’t need anyone to tell me who she was referring to.

She was talking about "he who shall not be named" because she knew about him. Camilla was the only person who knew about my past relationship with him, though I shouldn’t really call it a relationship since nothing happened between us. But to me, it was significant. She understood the impact his leaving had on me, but I wasn’t ready to admit it so easily.

“No,” I said without hesitation.

“Emil—”

“You asked, and I’ve answered, Cam. Now can you drop it?” I saw her let out a sigh and nod her head, but I knew she still wanted to say something else.

The drive to my apartment wasn’t long, and within five minutes, Camilla parked in front of the building.

“Thank you for dropping me off,” I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt and prepared to get out. But her hand stopped me.

I looked at her hand holding mine and then met her gaze.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” she asked.

I nodded. “You and Nic will be the first to know if anything is wrong with me.” I leaned forward and hugged her. “Thanks again, and goodnight, Cam. Make sure you call me when you get back.” I closed the door behind me.

“I will. Goodnight, Emilia.” She waved and started her car.

I stood there, not leaving until her car was out of sight. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as I stared at the dark sky. That was a lot. I let out another breath and was ready to head inside when I paused. The hair on my arms rose as it felt like the whole world had suddenly come to a stop. I could feel him; for a moment, it felt as if he were near. But I knew too well that he wasn’t—he couldn’t be, considering he was miles away from where I was standing. Still, I turned back, looking around in anticipation of wanting to see him.

I thought he would be standing there with that killer smile, telling me he was finally back. But I saw no one; I was met with an empty space, and my heart wouldn’t stop aching.

I hate this. I hate it so much that at that moment, I wanted to claw my heart out.

“You have to stop hoping, Lia,” I berated myself as I continued walking inside.

I need to stop imagining that he would pop out of nowhere to come meet me; he wouldn’t do that. He made that clear the last time we saw each other.

My heart raced as I took the stairs. The elevator was there, but this was the option I wanted. I wanted to feel something again after what happened just moments ago, and taking the stairs felt like the only way to achieve that.

I dug my keys from my bag, inserted one into the keyhole, pushed the door open, and walked inside. I moved rapidly to my room, stripping off every piece of clothing from my body as I went. After that, I made my way toward the bathroom.

I turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature before stepping under it. A tired sigh escaped me as the warm water poured over my head.

After that, everything went blank. I lost track of time, and the next thing I felt was my phone ringing. I groaned, grabbed the towel from the rack, and wiped my body as I walked out of the bathroom. I already knew who was calling, so I didn’t rush to answer, hoping perhaps she wouldn’t call back if I let the first call end. But knowing my sister, I was sure she would not rest until I picked up.

“Hello?” I answered after finally deciding to take the call.

I heard nothing from her and frowned. I pulled the phone down to check if she had hung up, but to my surprise, the call was still connected.

“Mari, are you there?” I asked.

Silence. Just as I was about to hang up, I heard giggles—loud giggles that made my face soften.

“Vi, is that you?” I asked, eliciting another giggle in response.

“Where is your mommy?” I asked, and thankfully this time, she answered.

“Mommy had no idea I was calling,” she explained, which clarified the silence at the beginning of our conversation.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked as I set the phone on speaker and dropped it onto my bed.

“No, I...I just wanted to call you,” she replied, and I smiled.

“Did you miss me?” I asked, only to be met with silence again. But knowing Vi, she was likely nodding or shaking her head.

“You have to say it, Vi. I can’t see you.”

“Yes, Aunt Em. I miss you! When are you coming back?” she asked, and I sighed.

I had been avoiding talking to her because of this very question. My sister wasn’t the only one who wanted me back home; Violeta was also among those who wanted me to return.

“Soon,” I answered, to which she groaned.

Yep, that’s what I get for promising her things I wasn’t sure would come to pass.

“Are you lying to me, Aunt Em?” she asked bluntly, and I had to bite my tongue to suppress a laugh.

She’s so smart.

Thankfully, before she could inquire more, I heard my sister's voice in the background, and then the phone was snatched from Vi’s hand after a little scolding. Yeah, I could count on Mariana to reprimand her kids for misbehaving.

“Hey, are you still there?” she asked once the room fell quiet.

“Yeah, I couldn’t hang up and miss you scolding Vi,” I replied with a small laugh.

“What did she ask you this time?” she queried, joining in on the laughter.

I paused, opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, she continued, “Let me guess: she wants you to come back home.” It wasn’t a question, and I mumbled a low “yes” in agreement.

“Do you want to come back home?” she asked, and I let out a little groan.

I didn’t think I wanted to do this right now—answer questions about returning home. I considered pretending there was a poor connection and hanging up, but that excuse had become too obvious, and I was sure by now she knew it.

Before I could answer, she pressed me, “Look, Lia, I’m not going to pressure you to come home or anything like that. I just want your answer to this question: do you want to come home?”

Do I want to go home?

Of course I do, but not now. I have a lot I want to accomplish, and now isn’t the right time to return.

“I want to...but not now,” I finally answered, closing my eyes as I awaited her reply.

I expected her to urge me to change my mind, but surprisingly, she said, “Okay, I understand. You still have school there, and you wouldn’t come home until you’re done.” That wasn’t the full reason, but I went along with it.

“Yes, I promise to come back fully after I’m done with school.” I could hear the relief in her voice as she spoke next.

“Okay, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t coming for lunch in the next two weeks. I’ve already planned everything, and I want you there, Lia.”

Once again, I tried not to groan. I didn’t want to show up and see him there. The last time we were together was painful, and I didn’t want to think about that now.

“Mari...” I started, but she interrupted me before I could object or come up with an excuse.

“No, don’t do that, Lia. Promise me you’re going to be there; that’s all I need.”

If promising her would bring this discussion to a close, I would gladly do it.

“I promise.” She let out a squeal, causing me to pull the phone away from my ear.

Mariana and I chatted for a while before hanging up. I set my phone down on the bedside table and quickly changed into a nightdress before collapsing onto the bed.

I tried not to dwell on the 'lunch' planned in the next two weeks, but I could already feel the...heartbreak coming.