Mag-log in“How do you know who I am?” she asked.She stood a few feet away, her eyes narrowed under the dim light; I could see the guarded expression on her face, the way her shoulders stiffened as she studied me. The woman standing before me looked different from the one in the passport photograph I had examined at Sweet Body. Her face had filled out, her figure was fuller, and the years seemed to have softened some of her features. Yet, beneath those changes, I recognized her.“I saw your passport photograph attached to your personnel file at Sweet Body.Silence“I'm Anna, by the way, and I work at Sweet Body.”“Martha sent you?” The moment she mentioned her name, a bitter look flashed across her face. Without waiting for my answer, she started walking away toward the bar.“No, no. She didn't send me.” I hurried after her on the street pavement, careful not to crowd her. “Martha isn't the reason I'm here. Besides, she doesn't work there anymore.”She paused, her eyes darting over me to know t
Walking past the HR department no longer felt right. I went back and obtained her contact information. The phone number I found wouldn’t connect, so I went to the address listed in her file, only to discover she had moved out. Just when I was about to give up, a neighbor I came across told me where she worked.That’s how I ended up in a bar, perched on a high stool at the polished wooden counter, resting my feet on the brass rail that ran along its base. Behind the counter, the bartender moved between bottles and glasses, wiping down the surface and attending to the few customers after he had assured me Violeta would be resuming her shift soon. Soon, apparently, meant nothing to him, but it does to me. I had spent most of the afternoon tracking down a woman I had never met, hoping she could help me make sense of it all.Around me, people mingled, laughed, and played snooker with beer in their hands, their cheerful chatter filling the room. I sighed and glanced at my wristwatch. Still
My phone kept ringing; the sharp, persistent sound stirred me, my brows knitting together as discomfort settled into my body. I had fallen asleep beside Adele. My arm had gone numb beneath, and a sharp stiffness clung to my shoulder as I shifted slightly, searching for relief. I instinctively curled inward, seeking warmth, my body still heavy with sleep.For a moment, I didn’t know where I was.The world felt distant—blurred between dream and waking, before reality crept in.My eyes fluttered open.The room came into focus. The elderly homeI pushed myself up carefully, wincing as the stiffness in my shoulder protested. I rubbed her arm gently, trying to bring life back into it,I glanced toward the window.Morning had come, but the sun had not yet risen. I reached for my phone.The screen lit up harshly against the darkness.Twenty missed calls.All from her. Immediately, I transferred the money before blocking her number...Careful not to wake Adele, I gathered my things and slipped
I stood by the window, arms folded loosely around myself, watching the sky shift from deep blue to soft gray.Nathan had left with a promise to return with Willie. I didn’t know how he intended to make that happen, but she understood.To Adele, Nathan wasn’t Nathan; he was still Marcus, and that confusion sat heavily in her, and I needed to change it.Needed to separate the past from the present.Marcus… and Nathan, two names that should never exist together.Behind me, Adele stayed fixed on the television. Her eyes bright, intent, and focusedI moved closer, sitting gently on the other chair.“Adele… I want to tell you something.”Adele’s watched me, confused, searching with the same fragile uncertainty“Marcus and I are no longer together; we separated a long time ago...It was his decision. Not mine.”She blinked at me.Once.Twice.Then confusion turned into refusal.“No… no, Anna,” her voice rising with sudden agitation. Her face tightened as emotion took over“Marcus is a good ma
Time seemed to stall while I waited for the nurse to find her words “Of course, she had another episode,” she said at last “Another?” I asked, surprisingly, like I never expected it to be true “She became very distressed about an hour ago. She kept asking for you. The caregiver who was here before me may have called you.” “Take us to her.”Nathan didn't hesitate. The nurse turned down the corridor and we followed. Guilt followed me with every step. I had lied about Adele having an episode because I was terrified And all the while, Adele really had been struggling. We stopped outside a door. The nurse pushed it open. “She's in here.” I stepped inside first. Nathan followed. The nurse quietly closed the door behind us and left. The room was bright and peaceful, sunlight pouring through wide windows and spilling across the neatly made bed. A vase of fresh flowers sat on the bedside table beside a glass of water and a small framed photograph of Adele Adele sat in an arm
I think…” I cleared my throat, scrambling for a believable excuse “We shouldn’t go. It will only bring back painful memories, and with the royal wedding hanging over my head, my nerves are already shot. I really can’t handle the distraction right now.” “Hmm, if you say so”, he said, letting the subject drop A suffocating relief washed over me as we approached the car. The driver promptly opened the rear door for us before the sudden ring of my phone I paused with one foot inside the car, tapping the screen to answer the unknown number. “Hello?” A wall of thumping, heavy music blasted through the speaker, so deafening that I instinctively yanked the phone away from my ear. Then her voice cut through the noise. “Is that how you greet your mother, Annabelle?” My entire body went rigid. My chest tightened so suddenly that breathing became difficult. My fingers nearly lost their grip on my phone. Mother. After all these years. I darted a look at Nathan. The absolute last







