Chapter 11
After hanging up the call, I put down my book and stood up to trim a pot of roses in full bloom.
Jaxon Flynn walked over. He was the new barista I’d hired-a young man in a clean white shirt, with gentle features, and known for his elegant handwriting.
He handed me a cup of freshly brewed cappuccino.
“Ms. Davis, try this.”
I took the cup. The rich aroma rose up softly, and the taste was smooth and mellow.
He looked at the old oak tree in the yard and said softly, “This tree… only after enduring years of harsh weather can its leaves become so beautiful.”
His gaze shifted to me, carrying a gentle smile.
I froze for a moment, then returned his smile.
Jaxon was right-struggles paint the truest beauty.
Business at Caelum Cafe grew quiet as winter set in, but I liked this peace.
Until a black limo stopped at the end of the cobblestone street.
The door opened, and out stepped a woman in a Chanel suit, heels clicking as she walked with poise.
She wore sunglasses, but I recognized her face instantly.
Or rather, I recognized the face that had been sculpted and altered, yet still showed a trace of the past.
Emily.
She sat across from me, removed her sunglasses, and revealed eyes almost devoid of emotion.
Her voice was hoarse.
“Catherine, long time no see.”
I poured her a cup of plain black coffee.
“What’s up?”
She lifted the cup but didn’t drink. Her fingertips just caressed the rim.
“I’m getting married next week. I’m moving to Spain. The man is wealthy, and he treats me well.”
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I lowered my eyes, tidying the cups.
“Congratulations.”
She suddenly smiled, and there was an indescribable weirdness in her smile.
“Aren’t you curious why I came to see you?”
I stayed silent, waiting for her next words.
She leaned forward, her voice dropping low.
“I came to tell you a secret.
“I never got rid of the child.”
My hand paused on the cup.
Her smile widened, filled with a sick sort of pleasure.
“I fooled everyone.
“I gave birth to the child, it was a boy.
“I sold him to a rich couple who had always wanted kids. Got a fortune for it.
“I used that money to buy this face, this new identity, this life I have now.”
I lifted my head, staring at her quietly.
She seemed very pleased with my reaction and went on.
“Everyone thought I was a victim, a pitiful woman.
“But I wasn’t.
“I knew from the start Gregory couldn’t have kids.”
The cafe fell into a deathly silence.
I finally understood why she had come today.
Not to brag, not to repent.
But to taint me.
She wanted to tell me that she not only did not escape from the mud that I tried my best to escape from, but also rolled around in it and lived very well.
She used her downfall to show that everything I held onto-my strength and my innocence-was nothing but a joke.
Her smile vanished, replaced by venom in her eyes.
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Chapter 11
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“You think you won?
“Catherine, you and I-we’re the same.
“We both used that unborn child. You used him for revenge. I used him for money.
“Don’t pretend you’re nobler than me.”
Jaxon had come over at some point, standing silently beside me.
I glanced at Emily’s twisted face and suddenly smiled.
“No, we’re not the same,” I said.
“You sold your own child-your womb, your future.
“I only reclaimed what was always mine.
“Emily, you never saw yourself as human. That’s why you think everyone else lives like animals.”
Her face drained of color.
I rose and turned to Jaxon.
“The coffee’s getting cold. See her out.”
Jaxon stepped forward, making a polite gesture, his expression calm, detached.
Emily glared at me.
Then after a long moment, she grabbed her bag and left in humiliation.
I watched her figure vanish around the corner of the street, exhaling slowly.
Jaxon quietly brewed a pot of chamomile tea, one meant to calm the nerves.
He didn’t ask anything. He simply pushed the warm cup toward me.
Watching the oak leaves fall outside, he said softly, “Ms. Davis, it’s getting cold. Time to add fresh coal to the bra- zier.”
I held the warm cup, looked at his gentle, clean profile, and nodded.
“Alright.”
Outside was Miami’s twilight.
Inside, the warmth of the fire and the fragrance of coffee and tea.
Those people, those stories-they were finally all in the past.
It’s time to add some new charcoal to my life too.
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