17. Jiya
JIYA
The following weekend, Karena came to visit the children and me. She arrived with several shopping bags in her hands, filled with gifts and clothes for them.
Lucas and Emma saw the colourful packages, and their faces lit up. They yelped and ran toward her.
“This is too much,” I said, shaking my head with a small smile as I watched them tear into the bags. “You’re spoiling them.”
“Of course I am,” Karena replied, her eyes shining. “I want to spoil them. They are my grandchildren.”
Her words hung in the air.
“Sorry,” she said quietly, looking at me.
I knew exactly why she had apologized.
I still hadn’t told the children yet who she really was.
Lucas barely remembered her from that brief introduction years ago, and to Emma, she was simply another friendly adult bringing presents and attention.
It was going to take time to build trust, time to form a bond, time to help them understand the truth about who she was and what role she hoped to play in their lives.
“It’s all right,” I said gently, placing my hand over hers. “I know you didn’t mean any harm. It’s just going to take time, that’s all.”
“I understand,” Karena replied, nodding. “And I am willing, if you are.”
“I am, too,” I said, meeting her gaze.
This was going to be the start of a journey—one that wouldn’t be easy, one that would require patience and forgiveness—but a journey worth taking.
Watching Lucas and Emma interact with Karena, I was reminded of how upset Lucas had been that day at the fair.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Mama?”
He had stood in front of me with his arms crossed.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I truly am.”
I should have expected the possibility of seeing Caleb again. I should have prepared Lucas, especially because they had once been so close. Instead, I had been so caught up in my own emotions that I forgot my son had his own history with him.
Kneeling in front of him, I met his eyes.
“I didn’t think it was important, and I didn’t think he would show up there. That was my mistake, and I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Lucas. I would never do that.”
“Are you working with him now?”
“Yes,” I answered honestly. “His company bid on a project that I’ve been working on… Dad’s dream. He will be working with Uncle Liam and me.”
“Are you getting back together with him?”
Shock rippled through me.
“No. Absolutely not,” I said firmly. “He’s getting married in three months, sweetheart. He is moving on with his life, and I intend to do the same… without him. He will no longer be in our lives. I promise you.”
Lucas’s voice softened. “He hurt you, Mama, didn’t he?”
The question pierced straight through me, that he remembered things I wished he could forget.
“We no longer loved each other. That’s all,” I said gently, placing my hands on his shoulders.
“You don’t have to be rude or mean to him because of me.
You need to be kind, helpful, and respectful to everyone.
And remember to know the difference between being nice and someone taking advantage of that. Okay?”
“Okay, Mama.”
“We cool now? You forgive me?”
“Yes, Mama. I’m sorry, too.”
With Caleb and me now working together, I knew one thing for certain—we had to keep our relationship strictly professional.
There could be no room for emotion, history, or mistakes.
I would need a plan, a careful explanation for the questions he might eventually ask about Emma, about Cole, and about the life I had built without him.
I needed to be prepared. Not like the day at the fair, when I had panicked on the Ferris wheel, terrified that Emma might say something that would raise suspicion.
The sight of father and daughter sitting side by side without even knowing it had tugged painfully at my heart.
For a fleeting moment, I had wondered what life would have been like if things had worked out between us.
He would have been an amazing father—I knew that without a doubt.
He and Lucas had once been so close, like a real father and son.
But life had taken a different path.
If things had turned out the way I once imagined, I would never have met Cole—the man who had given me a second chance at love. He lived in my heart, in my home, and in my children, woven into every part of who I had become, and I was still in love with him.
My heart twisted for even allowing my thoughts to wander toward a life with Caleb, even for a second. I shook my head, pushing the thought away as I watched Emma.
I had to hide the truth.
I had to protect Emma.
And I had to make sure the truth stayed buried until I was ready to face the consequences.
Part of me had wanted to capture the moment of the two of them together on the Ferris Wheel, preserve the connection forming between father and daughter, but I forced myself to resist.
One photograph could raise questions I wasn’t prepared to answer.
One day, my daughter would want to know about her father.
What would I tell her then? Would I give her the truth? Or would I create a story to shield her from pain?
Pushing thoughts of the future aside, I focused on the present—on my mother, on building a relationship with her, on the here and now.
One step at a time.
I hadn’t had time to visit Cole’s grave for the past two weeks, so instead, I found myself talking to his photograph in the office and at home. I went to the office regularly now that Caleb’s company was the investor in the project.
Every time I walked through those doors, the reality of it hit me all over again. I still couldn’t fathom that we were now business partners, that the man who had once been the centre of my world was now tied to my future in such an unexpected way.
Looking at Cole’s picture in the office one afternoon while having lunch, I spoke to him softly, the way I often did when my thoughts became too loud to carry on alone.
“You know how I told you about Caleb.” I chewed on a piece of lettuce.
“Well, I sent him the contract. He replied with some amendments. It’s official now.
Meetings are going to take place.” I paused, studying his smiling face in the photograph.
“Please take care of me from above and make sure I survive.”
I had been worried when Caleb had spoken to Lucas at the fair.
I couldn’t stop wondering if he had asked him any questions that might lead to an awkward situation between them, or if he had said something my son might answer innocently without understanding the consequences.
I had bitten my nails while they were talking, my heart racing in my chest, but later, when Lucas told me about their conversation, I had breathed a deep sigh that left me feeling weak and grateful all at once.
A site visit had been planned that week, and the thought of it churned my stomach. I found myself hoping that Liam would take care of it with Caleb instead of me, because the idea of standing beside Caleb in a professional setting while carrying so much history between us felt overwhelming.
“This is your project, Jiya… Cole’s dream. You are completely in charge of it,” Liam had said to me, reminding me of the responsibility I carried and the trust he had placed in me.
This project was something I was deeply proud of.
It had begun as a promise to make sure Cole’s dream came true, but somewhere along the way, it had become my dream too.
The fact that I had lacked a stable family of my own when growing up fueled my purpose to make this project a success—for the family I had built for myself, for my children, and for the families who would one day live in this community and create memories of their own.
I was now leading it.
Nobody and nothing was going to change that.
Not even Caleb.
Working with him, I promised myself that I would ensure the project continued smoothly and professionally. I hoped there would not be any issues, and I reminded myself again and again that I would remain courteous, composed, and focused on the work.
As memories of the first time I had worked with him at the hotel surfaced in my mind, I felt a small smile tug at my lips.
We had clashed so many times over so many decisions, arguing stubbornly about procedures and standards, and then he had tried to fire me, convinced that I was impossible to work with.
Twirling a pen between my fingers and looking out the window, all the memories of him came rushing back—the late-night talks at my apartment, the ‘fake’ couple act we had played out with Harper, the stay at his penthouse after my heart incident, my birthday, Valentine’s Day, and even his birthday.
I found myself smiling without meaning to, lost in the warmth of those moments, until I closed my eyes for just a second, and suddenly Caroline’s face flashed before me.
I immediately opened my eyes and stiffened, the smile fading from my lips.
Why was I thinking about this now, after everything that had happened? My life had changed since then. I had moved on, and he had moved on. Why in God’s name was I allowing my mind to wander back to him at a time when I needed to stay strong and focused?
Shaking my head firmly, I forced myself to return to my work and continued checking my emails. No more thinking of Caleb!
The distant sound of helicopter blades snapped through the air, growing louder with each passing second.
I folded my hands and tapped my feet while waiting on the helipad of the office building.
Twisting my wedding and engagement rings slowly around my finger, I felt the familiar weight of them against my skin.
They were always a beautiful reminder of how Cole had proposed to me, and of the promise we had made to build a life together.
I didn’t think I would ever feel the need to take off those rings, because they were more than just symbols of marriage to me; they were memories of a love that had shaped my life.
The only reason I could imagine removing them would be if I met someone new, someone who could stand beside me and earn a place in my heart again.
That person would have to be truly extraordinary, someone capable of touching my soul the way Cole had, and deep down, I doubted I would ever meet anyone like him in my life again.
Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I whispered a prayer under my breath, asking for strength, for clarity, and for the courage to face whatever lay ahead.
I opened my eyes and lifted my gaze.
The helicopter was now approaching, its powerful blades slicing through the wind as it descended toward the helipad.
My heart began to pound harder in my chest, and I braced myself mentally and emotionally for my meeting with Caleb, knowing that this encounter would test my strength in ways I wasn’t fully prepared for.