CHAPTER 22
Elena
We had just arrived at William and Astrid’s house. It had been a long time since the last time I was here. I glanced around as I stepped out of the car. Not much had changed. Their house was spacious, but in a grounded, unpretentious way—the kind of place built for noise, mess, and growing kids.
Astrid was already there to greet us, waiting by the door, smiling wide. Her eyes immediately dropped to what I was holding.
“Oh wow,” she said, inhaling dramatically as she reached for the dish in my hands. “That smells incredible. Cinnamon?”
“Banana bread pudding,” I said, handing it over carefully. “I hope it survived the drive.”
She laughed. “Are you kidding? Perfect. We’ll have this after lunch.”
Behind me, Adrian followed, lifting Haille from the car and settling her easily against his chest. Haille wrapped an arm around his neck, already half-distracted by the unfamiliar place, her curls bouncing as she looked around.
William stepped out next, grinning. “You guys made it.”
He glanced at the dish in Astrid’s hands and nodded approvingly. “Nice. Also—just a heads up—Jeremy’s already here, with his new girlfriend.”
I blinked. “New girlfriend?”
William grinned. “Yeah.”
“Beatrice,” he added.
Adrian let out a small laugh. “Last time I saw him, I’m pretty sure her name was Stacy.”
William smirked. “That was weeks ago.”
The corner of my mouth lifted in quiet amusement. “Guess some things never change. I haven’t seen Jeremy in ages.”
William huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, you are.”
Astrid waved us in. “Come on, come on. The boys are inside.”
Inside, chaos was already brewing. Two small boys hovered near the living room rug, clearly eyeing Haille like she was an unexpected guest they hadn’t ordered.
“Ollie,” Astrid said pointedly, “Lucas. Come say hi.”
Oliver—the older one, about six—gave a polite nod, clearly doing what he was told. Lucas, on the other hand, stared openly, suspicious.
“This is Haille,” Astrid continued. “She’s going to play with you.”
Lucas frowned. “I don’t wanna.”
Oliver shrugged. “She’s little.”
Haille peeked at them from Adrian’s shoulder, eyes curious, unbothered.
Astrid sighed. “Just—go show her the toys.”
There was a pause. Then Lucas shuffled closer, clearly reluctant.
“You like cars?” he asked.
Haille’s face lit up instantly. “Cars!”
That was all it took. Within seconds, the three of them were on the floor, tension forgotten, toys scattered everywhere like it had never been an issue to begin with. Typical kids.
I let out a quiet breath.
“I’ll just put this in the kitchen,” Astrid said, already heading off.
And then I heard it.
“Elena?”
I turned.
Jeremy—William’s brother—was coming down the stairs, taller than I remembered, his grin easy and familiar.
“Hey,” he said, stepping forward. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah,” I smiled. “It has.”
He pulled me into a brief hug, casual and warm. “You look good.”
“Thanks,” I replied lightly. “You too.”
“This is Beatrice,” he added, nodding toward the woman beside him.
She was already watching Adrian.
Beatrice smiled brightly when she noticed me looking. “Hi, I’m Beatrice.”
“Elena,” I replied.
Her gaze flicked back to Adrian almost immediately, lingering just a second too long.
“You must be Adrian,” she said, smiling lightly.
Adrian gave a polite nod, “Nice to meet you.”
Beatrice tilted her head slightly. “That accent...” she said, almost teasing. “It’s dangerous.”
I stiffened, just barely.
I’d been used to women noticing Adrian. It had never bothered me before. But now, the comfort of that certainty was gone, and the absence of it lingered quietly in my chest.
Adrian didn’t respond beyond a neutral smile, already shifting his attention back to Haille as she toddled over and tugged at his pant leg.
“Daddy,” she called.
Adrian bent down toward her. “Yeah, bug?”
Haille held up a small car toy, proudly presenting it to him.
And as Adrian’s attention shifted fully to Haille, Beatrice drifted toward the kitchen island, reaching for a glass as if nothing had happened.
Jeremy watched her for a second, then gave a small shrug, completely unbothered. “She flirts with everyone,” he said, glancing back at me like it was nothing. “Don’t read into it.”
Astrid appeared beside him almost immediately. Her hand brushed lightly against Jeremy’s arm—subtle, but not entirely gentle.
“Come on, Elena, she said. “Make yourselves comfortable.”
— ? —
Lunch was loud.
The kids were the loudest—Haille and Lucas especially, laughing, dropping food, talking over each other like volume was a competition. Oliver ate properly, sitting still, already resigned to being the mature one.
At some point, Beatrice leaned toward Adrian again.
“So, what do you do exactly?” she asked, twirling her fork absently.
“He works in construction,” Astrid answered before Adrian could. “Projects. Sites. Long hours.”
Adrian nodded. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
Beatrice tilted her head. “Sounds intense.”
“It is,” he said simply, already reaching for Haille’s napkin as she smeared sauce on her cheek.
I watched him clean her face and hands with practiced ease, his attention entirely on our daughter.
And I noticed it—how Beatrice noticed too.
After lunch, Jeremy leaned back in his chair. “Hey, man. I’ve been working on a new game. You should try it.”
Adrian laughed quietly. “Man, I barely have time to sleep.”
William snorted from across the table. “He’s not kidding. The game’s actually insane. I lost an entire day to it.”
Jeremy grinned. “See? We’ll set it up here later. Five minutes. You’ll survive.”
“Maybe,” Adrian said. “We’ll see.”
I looked around the table—children laughing, Astrid already talking about bringing out the banana bread pudding later, William refilling drinks, Jeremy relaxed, Beatrice watching a little too closely, which I tried to ignore.
But what surprised me was something else entirely.
I had missed this.
It felt good to sit there, surrounded by noise and easy conversation. For a moment, I let myself enjoy it—the familiarity, the laughter, the simple comfort of being here again.
— ? —
Adrian
William’s family room had transformed into a full-blown gaming arena.
Jeremy sat on the floor, leaning back against the couch with a console in his hands, his face glowing with an almost excessive sense of pride—like someone who’d just had a baby and couldn’t wait to show it off to the world.
The large TV in front of us displayed the game’s menu, gunfire and fast-paced music blasting in the background, as if celebrating the birth of his newest project.
“The opening’s sick, right?” Jeremy said with a grin. “This is the 2.0 beta tester version of the one that’s already been released.”
William sat beside me, a beer bottle in one hand. “Yeah, yeah. You are allowed to be proud. The first version was already a huge hit.”
“Because it deserved to be,” Jeremy shot back. “Come on, Adrian. Try it.”
I sat down, took the controller, and gave a brief nod.
The moment the game started, old instincts kicked in.
The movements felt familiar—aim, shoot, dodge, repeat.
My focus locked onto the screen as adrenaline slowly built.
But for some reason, every few minutes, my eyes still drifted to the other side of the room.
Elena was sitting on the carpet, keeping Haille company as she played with her colorful building blocks.
Astrid sat nearby, occasionally laughing softly and commenting on whatever Haille was doing.
Elena looked calm. Relaxed. Her hair was loosely tied back, her expression gentle as she spoke to our daughter.
That sight should have been enough to calm me.
It wasn’t. Not completely.
“Nice shot,” Jeremy exclaimed when his character went down from my fire. “Alright, alright. I admit it. You’ve still got it.”
I let out a small snort. “Old reflexes.”
Before I could continue, someone suddenly sat far too close beside me.
Beatrice.
I caught her perfume even before I turned my head. She leaned slightly toward me, her knee almost brushing my thigh, a small smile on her lips as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
“Looks fun,” she said, glancing at the screen. “I don’t think I’d ever be good at games like that.”
I stiffened—not abruptly, but noticeably. I shifted my body just enough to put distance between us, keeping my space without saying a word.
Jeremy caught it instantly.
“Hey, Bea,” he said quickly as he stood up. “Don’t bother him. I want to hear his review. Come on, stick with me.”
Beatrice blinked, clearly disappointed, but eventually got up. “Huh... fine.”
Jeremy handed the console to William. “Here, bro. You take over.”
William grabbed it without missing a beat.
As they walked away, I released a slow breath.
William glanced at me, a crooked smile forming. “Sorry about that. Honestly, I don’t get what my brother sees in her. Astrid gets annoyed too sometimes. But—” he added with a small shrug, “—we all know it probably won’t last.”
“Right,” I replied shortly.
From across the room, Jeremy shouted, “Will! Try the map you played yesterday!”
William groaned. “Yeah, yeah.”
While William was fiddling with the game settings, my gaze drifted back to Elena.
She laughed softly as Haille knocked over her own stack of blocks, then clapped her hands as if it were a huge accomplishment. My chest tightened for no clear reason.
Still scrolling through the maps, William struck up a casual conversation. “How’s work?” he asked. “Your project’s all good?”
“Yeah,” I said. “So far, so good. You?”
“Can’t complain. I’m handling a new road construction project,” he said—government work, as usual.
Then he added, “What about life?”
I let out a small scoff. “Are you asking for real, or just making conversation?”
William smiled faintly. “Both.”
I stayed quiet for a moment before answering. “Still working on it.”
He nodded, then took a sip of his drink. “Oh—about Phoebe.”
My jaw tightened without me meaning to.
“You said her debt was fully paid off, right?” he continued.
I sighed, already tired. “Yeah.”
“Did you check who it came from?” he pressed.
“No,” I said. “She transferred it to Elena. I never asked her about it. I just know the debt was settled because Elena told me she donated all the money.”
“Damn,” he muttered. “I don’t even know what to say.”
He rubbed his temple. “Honestly I think she’s already found someone else to latch onto.”
“What do you mean?” I frowned.
“At the reunion fundraiser,” he said, lowering his voice, “Phoebe showed up with a new guy. Loud. Flashy. I’m pretty sure he was the one paying for everything.”
He let out a quiet breath. “She was showing him off all night. Big-shot lawyer from some firm—you know the type.”
I scoffed. “Whatever she’s doing, I don’t care anymore.”
He hesitated for a beat. “She was asking about you, though. Whether you were going to be there.”
I frowned. “Why the hell would she ask about me?”
William shrugged. “No idea. Astrid thinks she was putting on a show. Probably wanted an audience.”
He let out a breath, his tone tightening slightly. “Astrid kinda lost it when Phoebe asked her about you. Things got a little messy, but I shut it down. Didn’t want it turning into something bigger. You know how much she hates her.”
He glanced at me. “She hasn’t tried to contact you, right?”
“No.” I kept my answer short.
I let out a slow breath, then my gaze drifted back to Elena. She was still there with Haille, the two of them in their own small world. Calm. Whole. Far removed from the drama that should no longer have any place in our lives.
And in that moment, I realized one thing with absolute clarity. I didn’t want even the faintest shadow of the past reaching into the life I was fighting so hard to protect.