Chapter 6
Calliope’s POV
The plane jolted on landing, and I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding since setting foot in the airport. As I stepped out, the scenery around me shifted dramatically, and a nervous flutter stirred in my stomach.
I was anxious. It had been three years since I defied my parents and my late grandmother’s wishes, running off to Crestfield to marry Thaddeus, whom I had believed to be the love of my life.
When my family tried to persuade me otherwise, I shut them out, cutting off communication entirely. But at the hospital, I reached out to my brother, and he arranged my return, knowing full well the remorse that
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now weighed heavily on me.
Making my way to the arrival hall, my phone buzzed incessantly in my bag. Reluctantly,
I pulled it out, finding a slew of messages from Thaddeus demanding to know my whereabouts and why my number wasn’t connecting.
I scoffed at the cruel irony. Three weeks ago, I had waited patiently for even a single text from him, but he remained silent. Now, I couldn’t care less.
As my finger hovered over the block button, his call came through. I intended to ignore it, but my thumb slipped, and I accidentally answered.
“What do you want?” I asked coolly.
A brief pause ensued before Thaddeus
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spoke, “Calliope? It’s me, Thaddeus.”
I laughed derisively, “I know who you are. I just don’t understand why you’re calling.”
Taken aback by my tone, he pressed on. “Calliope, why are you being so cold? Why did you send divorce papers demanding I sign them? And what’s with the dried blood in the guestroom? Where the hell are you?”
“Sign the papers, Thaddeus, and don’t ever contact me again,” I snapped.
“Is this about Zephyrine? You know you upset her, but I’m willing to forgive if you’ll just tell me where you are. You can come back; I even found a place for Zephyrine so there won’t be any trouble,” Thaddeus rambled.
Once, I couldn’t imagine living without
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him. Words like these would have once swelled my heart with love, but that Calliope vanished in that hospital.
Now, I wasn’t Calliope Frost; I was Calliope Ashford, and I had no patience for Thaddeus’s nonsense. “Calliope, are you still there?” he asked.
“Thaddeus,” I replied sweetly, “if you call my number again, you will regret ever knowing me.”
With that, I smiled and hung up, blocking his number. I grabbed my bag and smiled, heading out to meet my waiting family.
“Calliope Ashford, welcome to Solterra,” I whispered to myself, grinning.
Casting off Thaddeus felt liberating, like shedding a cumbersome weight. Returning
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home felt right.
“Sister!” a voice rang out behind me.
I turned to see my younger brother, now twenty, sprinting toward me. He engulfed me in a tight hug, and I groaned playfully before he let go.
“Damn, Leander! You’ve grown up,” I laughed.
He shrugged, “I could say the same to you.”
I frowned as I eyed his hair, or lack thereof. “What happened to your hair?”
Leander shrugged nonchalantly, “Cancer.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Oh my gosh, Leander, since when?”
“It’s no big deal,” he said with a dismissive
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shrug, “you’ve been gone awhile.”
“No big deal?” I sputtered, “Leander, you have cancer.”
“Stop tormenting your sister, Leander,” came my mom’s scolding voice.
I turned to see her and my father approaching, smiles on their faces. They still looked as youthful and beautiful as ever.
“Way to ruin my fun, mother!” Leander groaned, feigning annoyance.
“So you don’t have cancer?” I asked, glaring at him.
My father chuckled, “Goodness, no! He tried to cut his own hair, and that was the result.”
I burst into laughter, giving Leander a light
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punch on the arm. “You’re such a jerk, Leander.”
Leander chuckled, “Welcome back, sis.”
My parents enveloped me in a tight embrace, and though it squeezed my surgery scars painfully, I let them hold me as I broke into
tears.
“I’m so sorry,” I sobbed.
“Oh baby, it’s alright, you’re home now,” my mom whispered gently.
My brother joined the hug, and there on the airport sidewalk, we stood, cuddled together as I let the tears flow. The familiar scent and warmth of my parents, combined with my brother’s teasing expression, reminded me of everything I’d missed.
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I had endured so much for Thaddeus, but now, back home, everything felt heavenly. When I finally pulled away and wiped my tears, I noticed a serious expression on my father’s face.
“Just say the word, baby girl, and I’ll take care of that bastard,” he said.
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