Message in the inbox 📥

Chapter 6

Ainsley opened her mouth to respond, but the words didn't come. She felt the tightness in her throat, the prickling of unshed tears behind her eyes. She was on the verge of breaking down, but she refused to let it happen. Not here, not in the middle of the street.

She swallowed hard, looking away from Lina's probing gaze. She wasn't used to sharing her feelings not even with Lina, her closest friend. Ainsley had always been the strong one, the responsible one, the one who had to keep everything together. For her sister. For her mother. She wasn't sure she knew how to let herself be vulnerable, even when she desperately needed to.

"I... I don't know," Ainsley whispered, her voice barely audible. She shook her head, trying to dismiss the swirling emotions threatening to overwhelm her. But when she looked back at Lina, the concern in her friend's eyes made her throat tighten even more.

Lina took a step closer, her voice gentle but insistent. "Ainsley, please... tell me what's going on. You don't have to handle everything by yourself."

Ainsley bit her lip, her hands balling into fists at her sides as she fought to keep the tears at bay. She didn't know where to start, or how to explain the chaos she felt inside. How could she even begin to talk about her dad, or Theo, or the pressure of holding everything together? How could she admit that she wasn't okay? That maybe, for once, she needed someone to help carry the weight?

But she couldn't bring herself to say it. Instead, she offered Lina a weak smile, shaking her head again. "It's... it's nothing. I'll be fine," she said, though her voice lacked any real conviction.

Lina wasn't convinced either, but she didn't press further. Instead, she gave Ainsley a soft, understanding look and placed a hand on her arm. "I'm here when you're ready," she said quietly.

Ainsley nodded, grateful for Lina's patience. But as they continued walking, the heaviness in her chest remained, and she couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to come crashing down.

Ainsley had barely made it through the workday. Her mind had been a whirlwind of emotions, the weight of what was about to happen pressing down on her with every passing minute. When the clock struck five, she told Lina to head home without her. She lied, saying she needed to pick something up for her mom, but in reality, she was heading to meet someone she hadn't seen in years someone she had tried to forget but never could.

Her father.

The last time she saw him, she was just six years old, too young to fully understand why he had left, but old enough to carry the pain of his absence for the rest of her life. As she walked by the river, the cold autumn air stung her cheeks, but it did little to numb the rising tide of emotions inside her. She dragged her feet, every step feeling heavier than the last, her heart racing with the uncertainty of what she was about to face.

She could feel the tears forming in her throat, threatening to choke her, and for a moment, she considered turning around, running home, and forgetting the whole thing. But a voice inside her head kept pushing her forward. She needed answers. Maybe this meeting, this confrontation, would somehow fix the scars left by his abandonment. Maybe it would heal the wounds that had festered over the years. Or maybe, it would only make everything worse.

Before she knew it, she had reached the café. Her breath hitched as she looked through the window, scanning the tables. And then, she saw him.

Her father.

He was still handsome, but not quite the same. The years had etched lines into his face, and the gray hair that now streaked through his once-dark locks had taken over both his head and beard. He sat calmly, wearing the same reading glasses she remembered from her childhood, the ones he had worn while reading her bedtime stories. The sight of them tugged at something deep inside her, bringing back memories she had buried long ago.