Chapter 17
Slowly, I turned around and found myself face to face with Gritte.
“What… doing here?” she
tare w
asked, her tone a mixture of surprise and something unspoken, her eyes narrowing slightly.
I met her gaze, keeping my voice steady. “I came to see your mother. She’s been like a mother to me, and I wanted to make sure she was okay.”
Gritte tilted her head, her expression unreadable. “I see.”
There was an awkward pause. The weight of unsaid things lingered between us, but Gritte eventually stepped aside, motioning toward the door.
“Go on,” she said quietly, her voice almost gentle. “She’s waiting for you.”
I hesitated for a moment, unsure if she
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would say anything else.
When she did not, I walked past her and opened the door to the VIP room.
Gale’s mother looked up from her hospital bed, her face lighting up with a radiant smile the moment our eyes met.
“Rachel,” she said warmly, her voice brimming with affection. “You‘ re here.”
I rushed to her side, taking her frail hand in mine. “Of course, I’m here. How are you feeling?”
She squeezed my hand gently, her warmth. and kindness filling the room. “Much better now that you‘ re here, my dear.”
The sight of her, despite her weakened state, brought a sense of relief. She was still the strong, maternal figure I had always
admired.
“I’ve missed you,” I admitted softly.
“I’ve missed you too, Rachel.” Her voice cracked slightly, betraying her emotions.
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We spoke for a while, reminiscing about the past and catching up on what little I could share about my life in Italy.
For that moment, it felt as though no time had passed, and the tension from the past melted away.
As I stood to leave, I glanced around but noticed that Gritte was nowhere to be found.
A small part of me hoped she would not tell Gale about my visit. Yet, I steeled myself for whatever might come.
I had already returned to Providence, and there was no running away again.
**
Louise and Hazel were waiting for me at Kim Manor, along with Louise‘ s parents.
The warm reception I received as I walked through the doors made me feel at home.
“Thank you for letting me stay here temporarily,” I said graciously.
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“Temporarily? Rachel, you‘ re welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” Mrs. Kim said, smiling warmly.
“Absolutely,” Mr. Kim added. “It’s an honor to have you here. We‘ re huge fans. of your work, you know. Your paintings bring so much life to this home.”
Looking around, I noticed several of my pieces hanging on their walls. “It’s so calming to see my art in a place like this,” I said, touched by their admiration.
As we settled down for dinner, Louise interrupted the flow of praise with a playful pout. “See? They are welcoming you so much, so don’t need to worry about it.”
His parents laughed, and so did Hazel and I, the tension of the day dissipating into lightheartedness.
**
The next day, we decided to visit the orphanage where we had all grown up.
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Walking through the familiar gates brought a wave of nostalgia.
The orphanage mother greeted us with open arms. “My children! Look at you, successful, grown, and so accomplished.”
We spent hours reminiscing and catching up. Hazel, Louise, and I even posed for a picture to be displayed on the
orphanage‘ s wall of alumni.
As Louise helped Hazel with their baby, the orphanage mother pulled me aside.
“Rachel,” she began hesitantly. “A few days after you left for Italy, your husband came looking for you. I didn’t tell him where you went, but I worried he might still find you somehow.”
I smiled softly, grateful for her discretion. “He didn’t, Mom. Thankfully, he never chased me down.”
Her face relaxed into a smile. “Good. I was
so worried about you, but it seems like you‘ ve found your peace.”
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We talked about old memories, the hardships we had overcome, and how far we had come.
Later, as Louise, Hazel, and I stood near the playground, I could not resist teasing Hazel.
“Louise, did you know your wife used to cry so much after you left? This swing is practically rusted from her tears!”
Hazel gasped, lightly smacking my arm.
“Rachel, don’t tell him that!”
Louise grinned mischievously. “Why not? I want to know how much you‘ ve loved me all these years, dear.”
Hazel blushed furiously, trying to smack Louise’s chest, but he dodged with a laugh. “Don‘ t be like that, Louise!”
The two of them ended up chasing each other around the playground like kids, their laughter filling the air. Watching them, I couldn’t help but smile.
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‘So, this is what love looks like,‘ I thought wistfully, swinging gently on the old swing set.
As I sat there, lost in thought, a young man sat on the swing next to me. He was the same boy who came to me before I went to Italy.
“Finally back, huh?” he said with a grin. “And you brought friends, too.”
I smiled back. “Yeah, it feels good to be back. Those two are alumni like me.”
He nodded. “You know, we always wondered if we would live happily ever after once we grew up. It’s nice to see that some of us really made it.”
He paused for a moment before adding,
“Oh, by the way, someone came looking for you back then. Treated us all to ice cream. Cool guy. Said he could buy the whole ice cream factory if he wanted.”
The playful smile on my face faltered slightly. “Did he say his name?”
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The young man scratched his head. “Nah,
I forgot to ask. But he was tall, well- dressed, and kind of intense. Sound familiar?”
My heart sank. There was only one person who fit that description. It was Gale.
So, he had been looking for me. But why?
“Did he say anything else?” I asked, my voice steady though my heart raced.
The boy shook his head, kicking at the ground to rock his swing gently. “Nope. Just asked about you and left after buying us all ice cream. Oh, and he looked really tired, like he had not slept in days.”
I swallowed hard, processing the boy‘ s words.
But he had never cared before, so what had changed?
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