Chapter 2
The departure lounge was pretty empty.
Layla picked the most secluded seat in the corner, gripping her boarding pass tightly in her palm. Her flight wouldn't leave for another two hours.
She held her phone, scrolling through her unread messages.
The last message from Alfie was sent two days ago, at 11:27 PM.
Layla read Alfie's text. [Camryn cried all night, saying she wanted Mommy. It took me forever to get her to sleep.]
Layla set her phone face down on her lap.
Moises came over with two cups of coffee, sat down next to her, and slid one her way.
"Here, have some. It'll steady your nerves," he said.
She didn't move.
Moises took the coffee back, his fingers idly tracing the rim of the cup.
He said, lowering his voice, "Layla, let me be honest with you. Your husband's been way too controlling these past few years. Remember last time we just went out for dinner? He called you four times."
Layla kept her head down, not saying a word.
"This time, Camryn getting sick was just a slip-up. Who could've seen it coming? You turned off your phone The signal out there is always spotty, and it's not like you did it on purpose, "
"Moises," Layla said.
"Yeah?" Moises replied.
"We were in Kultaarin," Layla said, looking up. "Not in Deshar."
Moises shut his mouth.
"I turned off my phone myself," she went on, her voice steady but heavy, like she was holding something down inside.
"Before I left, I told Alfie he could reach me anytime if it was urgent. Then I turned it off, and the reason was"
She paused, her gaze drifting to the glass wall outside the lounge.
Out on the tarmac, a plane was slowly taxiing.
"I just didn't want to be disturbed," she said.
Moises didn't say anything.
Layla flipped her phone over and opened her photo album.
There were over two hundred photos from the past five days.
The sunset over the Arnorhen Lake set the whole surface ablaze with gold and crimson.
On the cable car up Mount Dragon, she was flashing a peace sign and a big smile at the camera, endless white snow stretching out behind her.
In every single photo, her eyes curved into happy crescents with every smile.
Moises had taken every one of them.
She swiped back, and the screen jumped to even earlier memories.
There was a video of Camryn when he was just three months old, lying on his tummy on the play mat, his tiny legs kicking and squirming.
On his first birthday, his face was covered in cake frosting, with only his eyes showing through the mess, shining like little lightbulbs.
The night before Layla left, Camryn was snuggled up in her arms, his chubby little finger poking at the elephant in his picture book.
"Mommy, the elephant's nose is so long," Camryn said.
His voice was so soft and sweet, it felt like he was still right there, whispering in Layla's ear.
Layla's finger hovered over that photo, unable to swipe away, just staring at it for ages.
"Camryn, are you wondering where Mommy is while you're stuck in the ICU?" Layla asked.
Her throat tightened.
The announcement came over the speakers, saying her flight was now open for check-in.
Moises stood up and picked up his suitcase.
"Layla, I'll walk you to the gate," he said.
Layla stood up too, tossing the untouched coffee into the trash.
Her phone screen lit up again. It was a message from her mom.
[Your husband's at the hospital. Your dad says he hasn't shaved in days and hasn't slept for three nights. Get here as soon as you can.]
Another message followed right after.
[If you still don't answer, I'll have your dad call Moises.]
Layla slipped her phone into her coat pocket and followed Moises.
She still hadn't figured out what she was going to say to Alfie when she saw him.
'Should I say sorry?' Layla wondered.
She knew she'd end up saying it, but when, and whether it would mean anything at all, she still had no clue.
The glass doors at the boarding gate slid open automatically.
The wind blew in, carrying that mix of jet fuel and rain from the runway.
Moises called from behind, "Layla, if you end up getting divorced, make sure you talk to a lawyer first. Don't let him take advantage of you."
Layla didn't look back.
She stepped onto the jet bridge, every step steady and sure.