Sunday came quietly.
The kind of Sunday that felt like the world had agreed to lower its voice.
Kim had barely slept the night before. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, replaying Aiden's name on her phone screen like it was a bad joke that refused to end. By morning, she had made up her mind. She would meet him. Not because she missed him or because she hoped for anything. She just wanted to hear what excuse could possibly justify the audacity.
But she was not going alone.
She called Mia while brushing her teeth, the phone wedged between her cheek and shoulder.
"I need backup," Kim said. "Like actual physical presence backup."
Mia laughed softly on the other end. "What kind of backup are we talking about?"
"The kind that can punch a man if necessary."
That earned a proper laugh from Mia. She had not worked that Sunday. No early morning rush. No tight schedule. Just rest, silence, and the promise she made to herself to breathe a little,so she had all the time in the world to be Kim's "backup".
"Okay," she said. "I will come. But only if I get to choose where I sit so I do not have to hear nonsense."
"Deal."
By early afternoon, Mia was already dressed. Nothing dramatic. A simple fitted dress, flat sandals, hair pulled back loosely. She stood in her room for a moment, checking herself in the mirror, not because she needed approval, but because she was trying to remember what it felt like to leave the house without feeling like she was escaping something.
Before heading out, she went to find Margaret.
Margaret was in the kitchen, already planning the evening, giving instructions, checking lists, moving with the calm authority of someone who had seen too much chaos to be rattled by small things.
"I am stepping out with Kim," Mia said. "I will be back before evening."
Margaret looked up from her notebook. "Do not stay out too long. I am planning a staff dinner tonight. Everyone together."
Mia nodded quickly. "I promise. Before seven."
Margaret smiled. "Enjoy yourself."
Those words lingered with Mia as she stepped out. Enjoy yourself. It sounded foreign, like advice meant for someone else. She never really felt like she deserved to have fun,she always guilt trips herself each time she had the opportunity to be free.
Kim was already waiting by the gate, sunglasses on, arms folded.
"You ready to witness foolishness?" Kim asked.
"As ready as one can be," Mia replied.
They booked a ride, sliding into the back seat as the car pulled away from the mansion. The city rolled past them, familiar and distant at the same time. Traffic hummed. Vendors shouted. Somewhere, music played too loudly.
In the car, Mia filled the silence with sarcasm.
"If he tries anything funny," Mia said, half joking, half serious, "just give me a look. I will punch him in the face."
Kim burst out laughing. "I love you for that."
They reached the restaurant fifteen minutes later. It was one of those places that tried hard to feel casual while still being expensive. Neutral colors. Soft music. Tables spaced just enough to suggest privacy.
Aiden was already seated.
Kim spotted him immediately. She stopped walking for a second, inhaled, then exhaled slowly.
"Wish me luck," she said.
"You do not need luck," Mia replied. "You need restraint."
Kim smirked and walked over.
Mia chose a table a little distance away. Close enough to see. Far enough to pretend she was not listening. She ordered a drink she barely touched, her eyes drifting around the room, her mind half on Kim and half nowhere.
Aiden looked relieved the moment Kim sat down, like her presence alone validated something he had rehearsed too many times.
"I did not think you would come," he said quickly. "I mean, I hoped you would, but I would have understood if you didn't. You have every right not to."
Kim crossed her legs slowly. She said nothing.
He took that as permission.
"The last six months have been hell," he continued. "Absolute hell. I wake up every day and it feels like something is missing. Like I messed up the one good thing I had and now the universe is punishing me for it."
She watched him closely. Not with anger. With curiosity. Like she was studying a stranger who happened to know her name.
"I think about you all the time," he went on. "Every single day. I replay everything. Our fights. Our laughs. The way you used to talk too much when you were excited." He chuckled softly, as if that was meant to be charming. "I used to complain about it, but now I miss it."
Kim raised an eyebrow. Still silent.
"I was stupid," Aiden said, shaking his head.
"You still are" Kim said silently.
"I was immature, he continued. I did not know what I had. You were always there. Always supportive. You believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. Do you know how rare that is?"
She leaned back slightly. "And so?"
The words landed flat. No emotion. Just a question.
Aiden blinked. "I want you back."
She stared at him for a second. Then she laughed very quietly,Just a short, surprised sound.
"You called me after six months," she said calmly. "After disappearing. After humiliating me. And this is what you came with?"
"I am serious," he said quickly. "I have changed. I am not that guy anymore. I realized how much you meant to me when you were gone."
Kim tilted her head. "Are you in debt?"
The question cut through his speech like a knife.
"What?" he asked.
"Are you broke?" she repeated, her tone steady. "Are you owing people money?"
He scoffed. "No. This is not about money."
She nodded slowly. "Okay. So why now?"
He hesitated. His fingers tapped nervously against the table. "Because I miss you."
"That is not an answer."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. Things have not been easy. I invested in something. A business opportunity. It turned out to be a scam. I lost a lot. But that has nothing to do with us."
Kim smiled then. Not warmly. Not kindly.
"So you are broke."
"I did not say that," he snapped defensively. "I am just not stable right now. But that is temporary. What I feel for you is real."
She leaned forward. "You cheated on me. You told me I forced myself on you. You said you never wanted me."
He looked away. "I was angry."
"You were honest," she corrected.
He swallowed. "I was confused."
"No," Kim said softly. "You were comfortable. Comfortable enough to use me."
Silence stretched between them.
"I loved you," she continued. "I loved you so much that I ignored every warning sign. The money you borrowed and never returned. The excuses. The disrespect. I thought love meant endurance."
Her voice remained calm. That scared him more than shouting would have.
"I am not that girl anymore," she said.
"I can be better," he pleaded. "I swear. Just give me one chance. I will treat you right this time."
She picked up her drink.
"For a moment," she said, "I almost believed you."
His face brightened. "Really?"
Then she threw the drink in his face.
"Never contact me again," she said, standing. "If you do, I will make sure everyone knows exactly who you are."
She turned and walked away, leaving him soaked, stunned, and finally silent.
At that exact moment, Mia heard her name.
"Mia Brooks."
The sound hit her like a cold splash.
At first, she thought it was Kim. But Kim never said her full name. For a brief second, another thought crossed her mind. Grayson? But no. This voice was wrong.
She looked up.
The man standing there was unfamiliar. Mid thirties, maybe. Well dressed in a way that suggested comfort, . He looked at her with polite curiosity, like someone trying to place a memory.
"Umm?" she asked carefully. "Who are you?"
He smiled apologetically. "Sorry. You just look like someone I know. From Yonkers."
Her chest tightened.
Yonkers.
That name carried weight. It carried nights she did not want to remember. A version of herself she had tried to leave behind. A place where everyone knew her story before she could tell it herself.
She straightened. "You have the wrong person."
He frowned slightly. "Are you sure? Mia, right?"
Her fingers curled into her lap. "You are mistaken."
"Oh. I am sorry," he said quickly. "My mistake."
He stepped away, but not before glancing back once. Then again.
Mia stayed frozen for several seconds, her heart pounding loud enough to drown out the music.
She felt exposed,she felt seen. Like a label had almost been placed back on her forehead.
Kim reached her moments later, still breathing hard.
"Let us go," Kim said.
Mia nodded, standing too quickly.
As they walked out, Kim noticed it. The way Mia's shoulders were stiff. The way her eyes darted around.
"Are you okay?" Kim asked.
"Yes," Mia replied.
Kim stopped. "You are not okay."
"I am," Mia insisted. "Really."
Kim studied her, unconvinced, but said nothing more.
The ride back was quiet.
At the mansion, Mia went straight to the kitchen dining room where the staff dinner was already underway. Laughter filled the space. Plates clinked. For a moment, she let herself sink into the normalcy.
Clara was talking animatedly. "Nicole is going to Dubai."
"How do you know?" someone asked.
"Instagram," Clara replied. "She is already posting preparations. Private jet. Luxury suite. Everything is expensive."
Someone whistled softly. "Must be nice."
Clara sighed dreamily. "She has it all. Rich family. Luxury lifestyle. And her man? Every woman's dream."
The others laughed, teasing her gently.
Mia smiled, but her mind was elsewhere.
Yonkers.
The man's voice,who could he be,how much does he know?
He spoke her name like it belonged to a version of her she was not ready to meet again.
She laughed with the others. Ate. Listened. Let the night wrap around her.
But long after the dishes were cleared and the laughter faded, that moment stayed.
Someone almost remembered her.
And she was not sure what frightened her more.
That he did.
Or that a part of her still believed she could never fully disappear.