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30: Unavoidable Proximity

Author: sheilla
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-21 01:11:51

Unavoidable Proximity

ELENA almost didn’t go to the café that afternoon.

She stood in her office doorway for a few seconds, debating with herself, fingers tapping against her phone. But hunger won, as it often did, and exhaustion pushed her out. She needed air. Space. Something that didn’t smell like office tension and whispered gossip.

Besides, she hadn't brought her lunch in a food pack today, she just didn't, nothing caused it.

The café downstairs was modest but tasteful— glass walls, soft jazz humming in the background, the low murmur of conversations blending with the clink of cutlery. She didn't waste time in making her orders, choosing a simple meal, and slid into a corner seat by the window.

For the first time that day, she relaxed.

Her food arrived, and she picked up her fork instantly, digging into her food.

Then the air shifted.

It was subtle— too subtle for anyone to explain, but heads turned almost in unison. Conversations dipped. Whispers rose. Phones were discreetly low
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  • You Broke My Heart, Now Watch Me Rise    43: Where Safety Began to Feel Like Home

    Where Safety Began to Feel Like HomeBY the time the doctor finally signed Evan’s discharge papers, dusk had settled softly outside the hospital windows.Elena stood by the bed, helping Evan into his hoodie, her movements gentle, almost reverent, as though she were afraid the moment might break him again. His color had returned, his eyes were now bright, and though exhaustion clung to him, he smiled when she kissed his forehead.“I’m okay now, Mommy,” he said, squeezing her hand. “See?”“I see,” she replied, her voice thick. “But you scared me half to death.”He grinned sheepishly.Eamon stood a few steps back, hands in his pockets, watching the exchange quietly. He had barely moved since the doctor left, hadn’t checked his phone, hadn’t paced. Just… stayed.“We can take him home now,” Elena said, more to herself than anyone else.“Yes,” Eamon replied. “We can.”She turned to him. “My house is close. As expected, that’s where he should be.”Eamon’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

  • You Broke My Heart, Now Watch Me Rise    42: In the Blink of an Emergency

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  • You Broke My Heart, Now Watch Me Rise    41: Gentle Encouragement

    Gentle EncouragementTHE soft golden light of early evening filtered through the curtains when Evan stirred. He yawned, stretching his small arms above his head before swinging his legs off the bed.“Mom?” he called softly as he padded toward the kitchen.Elena was there, stirring a pot gently on the stove, the scent of sautéing onions and garlic filling the room. She turned at his voice, smiling.“Hey, love. How was your nap?” she asked, wiping her hands on a towel.“It was okay,” Evan mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “I slept on your lap. It was nice.”Elena’s heart softened, and she crouched slightly to ruffle his hair. “I’m glad. You needed it.”He glanced around, curious. “Where is Uncle Eamon?”“He had to leave a little while ago,” Elena replied casually, stirring the sauce. “He has to go home, Evan.”Evan frowned. “Oh… but I like Uncle Eamon.”Elena laughed softly, wiping her hands. “I know, sweetheart. So do I.”He shuffled closer, tilting his head. “Did he eat with us?”“No, n

  • You Broke My Heart, Now Watch Me Rise    40: Settling

    Settling THE house felt different minutes after that, and a lighter aura enveloped the livingroom.Elena sat on the couch, hands wrapped around a mug she hadn’t realized Eamon had poured for her. He sat across from her, not too close, not distant either, just present. The kind of presence that didn’t demand conversation but made space for it.For a while, neither of them spoke.Evan broke the silence first.“So,” he said from the rug, where he was arranging his toy cars in a crooked line, “are you really that powerful, Mr. Eamon?”Elena sucked in a breath. “Evan—”Eamon chuckled softly. “Depends,” he said, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “What do you think power is?”Evan frowned, considering. “Being able to stop bad people.”Eamon glanced at Elena before answering. “Then sometimes… yes.”Evan nodded, satisfied, and went back to his cars.Elena exhaled slowly. “He asks questions like that when he is trying to understand the world,” she said quietly. “It’s his w

  • You Broke My Heart, Now Watch Me Rise    39: To The Rescue Again

    To The Rescue Again SHE was rinsing the last plate when the knock came.Not the polite kind. Not the neighborly tap. This one carried intent.She froze, water still running over her fingers, her heart immediately alert. Evan was on the couch behind her, humming to himself as he lined up his toy cars. She wiped her hands on a towel and walked to the door slowly, already knowing.When she opened it, Marcus stood there.Well-dressed, jacket crisp, his smile thin and rehearsed. The faint porch light cast sharp shadows across his face, highlighting the familiarity she had once trusted, and now feared.“Elena,” he said softly, as though they were old friends. “May I come in?”Her spine stiffened. “No.”His smile twitched. “I only need a minute.”She stepped out instead, pulling the door closed behind her. “Say what you have to say. I don't even see a reason why you are here,” she folded her arms across her chest.Marcus’s gaze flicked briefly to the windows. “Evan home?”Her fingers tig

  • You Broke My Heart, Now Watch Me Rise    38: The Knock She Didn't Expect

    The Knock She Didn’t ExpectELENA arrived at work Monday morning with a strange determination beating beneath her ribs. Instead of heading toward her modest office, she turned instinctively down the corridor that led to Eamon’s.She didn’t pause to question it.Her heels clicked softly against the tiled floor as she stopped in front of his office door. Adjusting her grip on her bag, she knocked.There was no answer.She frowned and knocked again, a little louder this time.Still nothing.Elena glanced at her wristwatch. It was already past eight-thirty. Eamon was never late— never. If anything, he was already buried in files and meetings by now.A faint unease crept in.She knocked a third time, waited, then hesitantly reached for the knob. It turned easily. The door clicked open.Elena stepped inside.And stopped short.Right there on his desk sat Eamon, very much present, very much alive, beside him, perched on a visitor’s chair, was Sara, the Human Resources Director, one of the yo

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