After getting to Willowcrest, Lily, Ann, her mom, and Ethan had all gone in different directions.
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Everyone seemed to have their own reason for wanting to wander around. Some wanted to see familiar places again, others wanted quiet time.
The air carried that familiar chill that only Willowcrest seemed to have.
Alex stood beside Mia, his eyes scanning the place for a moment before they found hers. He reached for her hand, holding it gently, his other hand wrapped around their son’s tiny fingers.
“Ready?” he asked softly.
Mia nodded, “Yeah,” she whispered.
Nothing really changed in Willowcrest. That was the first thing she noticed.
The same streets, same huge building….same faces, too
Mia looked around slowly, memories flooding her mind the corners she used to sit in when she was too tired to walk home, the small shops she used to pass on her way to work, the streets she once trekked every single day.
She could almost see her younger self there, rushing through the crowd, head down, trying to meet up with work and save money for college.
Now she was a freaking graduate.
Now she was walking beside Alex Blackwell holding the hand of their little boy.
It felt unreal.
They stayed in a hotel, she didn’t want to stay in the Blackwell mansion.
The thought alone made her stomach twist.
Even Jullian and Esther had chosen not to stay there. They’d both said it before Mia could even mention it. They didn’t want to step foot in that house either, not with all the past ghosts that still lived there.
So they all stayed at the same hotel.
That evening, Alex took her out for a walk.
Aiden had fallen asleep earlier, and Esther watched him in the room while they stepped out.
They strolled hand in hand down the street, the sound of cars and distant chatter filling the night.
“Where are we going?” Mia asked, though she already had a feeling.
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Alex smiled. “Casa next. My friends want to meet me there,” he said, glancing at her. “But I think you want to go too, don’t you?”
Mia smiled faintly. “Maybe I do,” she said.
Casa Lounge.
Just hearing the name brought back a lot of memories.
It was the first place she ever got her high paying job. The place where everything changed. The same place Zoe had seen her, smiled that knowing smile, and betted on her with Alex.
A part of her still remembered that night like it was yesterday.
She wondered how Zoe was now. Not that she cared much, but she hadn’t seen or heard from her since the
engagement.
Life had a funny way of twisting things.
Mia hopes that wherever Zoe was, she had found peace, or at least something close to it.
“Excited to go there?” Alex asked, breaking into her thoughts.
Mia chuckled. “Not really. Maybe?” she said, laughing softly.
Alex grinned, pulling her close to steal a quick kiss on her lips.
Mia shook her head, smiling against his mouth. “You’re ridiculous.”
He just laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked toward the waiting cab.
The drive to Casa wasn’t long, but it felt like forever. Every street they passed pulled her deeper into memories she didn’t know still lived inside her.
When the cab finally stopped, she just sat there for a second, staring at the glowing sign above the building.
Casa Lounge.
Same name, same design. Even the same gold letters that shine under the streetlight.
Mia stepped out, her heels clicking softly on the pavement. She looked around, taking it all in the smell of alcohol and perfume in the air, the faint music drifting from inside.
She wondered if the same people still worked there. If the same wealthy faces still came to drink and pretend the world outside didn’t exist.
She also wondered if the poor still served them with that forced smile – desperate for tips, desperate to survive.
Alex took her hand gently and led her inside.
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Chapter 276
And just like that, time folded over itself.
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The soft music, the chatter, the laughter – it all felt the same.
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Maybe there were a few upgrades here and there, brighter lights, new furniture, a bigger bar counter. But the heart of the place hadn’t changed.
It was still the same world where she had once been a part of.
Her eyes wandered around the room.
And then she saw her.
Emily.
She was standing behind the counter, pouring a drink and laughing at something a customer said. Her hair was shorter now, her smile just as warm.
Mia froze for a second. She hadn’t expected to see her here.
Her chest tightened as memories flooded in her head. Emily had been the closest thing to a friend she had here.
Alex’s friends spotted him before she could say anything.
They jumped from their seats and rushed toward him with excited shouts. “Alex!” one of them called, slapping him on the shoulder.
Mia smiled politely as they greeted her, each one giving her a nod of respect. She nodded back, trying to hide the way her attention kept flicking to the counter.
She wanted to go talk to Emily.
“Catch up,” she whispered to Alex, leaning toward him.
He turned to her immediately, his hand still holding hers. “You okay?” he asked quietly.
“I want to greet my former co–worker,” she said, smiling a little.
Alex studied her face for a moment, then smiled. “Go ahead,” he said softly. Then, in front of everyone, he leaned down and kissed her, right there, without a care in the world.
Mia’s eyes widened.
His friends laughed loudly behind him.
She could feel her face heat up instantly, her cheeks burning red. “Alex!” she whispered, smacking his arm lightly, but he just winked at her before turning back to his friends.
He really wanted to kill her.
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Mia turned away quickly, trying to calm her heartbeat as she made her way toward the counter.
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Emily had stopped what she was doing. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Mia like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“Mia?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Mia smiled, feeling her chest tighten again. “Emily,” she said softly.
“Oh my God,” Emily gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “No fucking way.”
Before Mia could say anything else, Emily came rushing out from behind the counter and threw her arms. around her.
Mia laughed softly, hugging her back. “Oh my God, Emily,” she said, smiling against her shoulder.
Emily pulled back, still holding her arms. “For years I thought you died,” she said in a half–whisper, half- shout, her eyes wide.
Mia chuckled. “Jeez, thanks, Emily.”
“No, I mean-” Emily shook her head quickly, her words tumbling over each other. “At first we thought you and your family left, and then, like two years ago someone said Charles Blackwell killed your entire family.”
Mia’s smile faded a little. “Well, he didn’t,” she said softly.
Mia took a small breath, forcing the memories away. “How are you still working here?” she asked change the topic. “I mean… after all these years?”
Emily gave a small shrug, smiling sadly. “Not all of us can be lucky, Mia,” she said quietly. Then her expression changed, her smile brightening again. “Congratulations on your engagement, by the way.”
Mia frowned a little in surprise. “How do you know?”
er to
Emily chuckled, shaking her head. “Every news site in Willowcrest carried his first game anniversary and your engagement. It was trending every day for days,” she said, laughing. “Your fiancé might not want anything to do with Willowcrest, but trust me, Willowcrest will always claim him as their own. Every one of his achievements is celebrated here too.”
Mia smiled faintly. She could understand that. Alex was a name that carried weight everywhere.
Her gaze drifted around the room again, and she caught sight of a few familiar faces, people she once worked beside. Some waved hesitantly. She nodded back, a soft smile tugging at her lips.
Emily reached out suddenly and pulled her into another hug.
“I’m so happy for you,” she whispered, her voice thick with genuine warmth.
Mia hugged her back, her eyes softening. “Thank you, Emily,” she whispered.
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Chapter 277
Chapter 277
