Chapter 5
I didn't go abroad right away, because the next day, Jayden's mom, Maria, showed up.
She'd watched me grow up.
After my mom's death, she'd cooked for me every day and gone with me to the hospital for therapy.
She treated me almost like her own daughter.
When she walked in, she was carrying two bags of my favorite fruits.
As she changed her shoes, she called out, "Anna?"
"Maria." I stepped out of the kitchen, wearing the pale yellow cardigan she'd once said looked good on me.
She smiled as soon as she saw me. "You've lost weight."
She touched my face. "You haven't been eating properly, have you?"
Jayden came out of the bedroom and put his arm around her shoulders. "Mom, don't fuss. She's doing fine."
"Fine? Look how thin her face is," Maria said, swatting his hand away. "You're always buried in work and never take proper care of her."
During dinner, Maria kept serving me food.
"Anna, what have you been busy with lately? Still making your perfumes?" she asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"I've been wearing the perfume you gave me last time. My coworkers all keep asking where I bought it.
"I told them my daughter-in-law made it, but they wouldn't believe me," she beamed.
Jayden paused with his fork. "Mom, she's just doing it for fun.
"Come on." Maria shot him a look. "Anna's amazing at whatever she does."
I kept my head down, eating quietly.
After dinner, Maria pulled me over to the couch to chat.
Jayden stepped out onto the balcony to take a call.
"Anna," Maria said, lowering her voice.
I looked at her. "Yeah?"
"How are things with Jayden lately?" she asked.
Her eyes held something I couldn't quite figure out: worry, and maybe something else.
"We're good," I said softly.
"That's good to hear." Maria patted my hand. "If anything's troubling you, come tell me, alright?"
"Okay."
*****
When Maria was leaving, she gave me a tight hug at the door.
"Anna, remember what I told you. No matter what happens, you deserve to be treated well," she said softly.
After the door closed, Jayden stepped back in from the balcony. "What did my mom say to you?"
"Nothing," I said.
He shot me a look. "Sophie will be here in three days. Don't let it bother you."
I went back to the storage room and closed the door behind me.
I replied to Linda's email: [I'll be at the Miranland launch event.]
After that, I checked my flight info: my flight was in three days.
The window in the storage room faced north, so it never got any sunlight.
But now, I felt like something inside me was slowly starting to loosen up.
*****
I wasn't home the day Sophie arrived.
I was on a plane to Miranland.
I didn't tell Jayden about it.
I simply stuck a note on the fridge: [Out on a business trip for a few days. Food's in the fridge.]
Before I turned off my phone, I got a message from him: [Come home early tonight. We have a guest.]
I didn't reply.
After a twelve-hour flight, I landed in Miranland.
The moment I stepped off the plane, the warm sea breeze of early September hit me full on.
I stood in the arrivals hall, dragging my suitcase behind me, scanning the crowd.
Gavin was supposed to pick me up, but I had no idea what he looked like.
I was standing there lost when my phone regained signal, and a message popped up.
It read: [I'm by the café entrance on the left side of the exit. I'm wearing a dark gray coat.]
I looked in that direction.
There was a guy leaning against the café's glass wall.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a light dark gray wool jacket with a black turtleneck underneath.
He was focused on his phone, head down.
I walked over slowly.
He looked up.
His face was incredibly clear and flawless: high cheekbones, a straight nose, and eyes like autumn amber.
He didn't look like he'd ever been sick.
He was handsome, utterly breathtaking.
He looked at me, tilting his head a little. "Anna Sinclair?"
It was that voice, deep and steady, the one that lulled me to sleep every night.
Finally, the owner of that voice had stepped out from my phone screen.
"Gavin," I managed, my voice shaking.
He put his phone away and took a step closer.
He didn't hug me or make any overly affectionate gestures.
He just reached out and took the suitcase handle from me.
His fingers brushed mine, warm to the touch.
"Let's go," he said. "You must be tired. Let's get you to the hotel first."
I walked next to him as we left the terminal.
The sunlight spilled across the ground.
He slowed down a bit so we were walking in sync.
He didn't play any music in the car.
After a stretch of silence, he glanced over at me. "You're skinnier than I imagined."
"You pictured what I'd look like?" I asked.
"Plenty of times," he said, eyes back on the road. "But none of those pictures came close to the real thing."
My cheeks flushed hot.
I looked down before gazing out the window.
The sycamore leaves on Miranland's streets were starting to turn yellow in September.
It suddenly hit me: this was my first time going abroad in three years.
And for the first time, I wasn't with Jayden.
I felt like I could finally breathe.