Chapter 27

Lena read my thoughts. “Where do you want to go? I’ll come with you, or—”

“Help me pack up my place,” I cut her off.

She looked surprised. “You’ve been planning this?”

“Not really. It just sort of happened a couple of days ago,” I said, gesturing toward the bed linens in the backseat. “Yesterday, I was at the mall picking these up when I ran into Tanya.” I observed Lena’s expression shift from surprise to curiosity.

On the way to my place, I told Lena everything. She nodded emphatically, her frustration evident. “Skipping out on that marriage certificate was the right call. Jace Johnston is just another jerk of this century who thinks he can have it all.”

“Jerk is a jerk, no matter the century,” I quipped.

Lena looked at me closely. “Rea, you don’t have to pretend you’re okay.”

“I’m really not that upset,” I replied, keeping my eyes on the road. “Maybe my feelings for him were just as worn out as his for me—like we knew each other too well to spark any emotions.”

I genuinely believed it at the time, but little did I know, those quiet emotions were aging like fine wine, ready to hit me harder later. Jace was in the same boat.

Lena had no idea about my late parents’ place in Emberholm. We’d become friends back in school, right after I moved into the Johnston residence.

“This apartment’s not bad, just a bit far and kind of old,” Lena remarked, always one to speak her mind.

“Yeah, this is where I grew up with my folks. I don’t want to change everything here,” I said, tossing the bed linens onto the couch and grabbing the new kettle to rinse and fill with water.

Lena wandered around, checking out the place before leaning against the kitchen doorframe. “It’s nice, despite its age. Cozy. I can see you had a happy family here.”

Yeah, if it weren’t for that car accident.

Even now, it felt like a terrible nightmare. My parents dropped me off at school that morning, saying they had to discuss some contract. Dad even promised that if the deal went through, he’d build me an amusement park. But they never came back.

“Rea, Rea,” Lena called, snapping me back. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

I looked up at her. “Say what?”

Lena noticed my distress. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just… missing my parents,” I said, my throat tight. A wave of indescribable sadness rose in my chest.

Though I’d known since moving into the Johnston house that Jace would be my boyfriend someday, we only made it official three years ago. It was on the anniversary of my parents’ death. I was crying at their graves, and Jace hugged me, saying that I still had him. He promised at their tombstone that he’d love me just like they did. I naively believed I had found someone to rely on again.

“Don’t dwell on them now. Focus on your future,” Lena said, purposefully changing the subject when she saw how sad I was.

“So, what will you do now that you’ve broken up with Jace?” Lena asked.

The water had just boiled. I poured us two cups of instant coffee. “I’ve sent all my work handovers to the right people and written my resignation letter. I’ll leave after the amusement park project is done.”

“Quitting is the right move. Staying friends after a breakup is bullshit. Distance is the only way to move on,” Lena said, totally supporting me.

I nodded. Lena, seeing my mood, didn’t press further and looked around the apartment. “You might want to get some appliances, like an automatic washing machine, a coffee maker, and a vacuum cleaner.”

“Let’s do that when I get back,” I said.

Lena looked up from her coffee. “Where are you going?”