Chapter 415 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“Bryan, it’s time you change the napkin. I’m sure it’s hot and dry already,” Evelyn scolded, and Sonia looked in Evelyn’s direction. She smiled weakly at Evelyn when she met her worried eyes while Bryan quickly sat up and repeated the process of dipping the napkin into the bowl and squeezing it dry before placing it on Sonia’s forehead again.

“Have you been nursed by a boyfriend before?” Bryan asked, and she shook her head.

“I barely fall ill, and whenever I feel ill for any reason, I try to overcome it myself,” Sonia said, and Bryan reached out to pat her hair.

“You don’t have to overcome it yourself anymore. I will always take care of you,” Bryan promised, and Sonia smiled at him weakly as she gave him a nod.

“Bryan has become quite responsible,” Desmond said casually as he followed his wife’s line of vision to see Bryan squeezing the towel once again.

Evelyn sighed, “As much as I like to see him fuss over somebody else in this manner, I don’t like to see Sonia looking that way either way. She looks too fragile,” Evelyn complained with a frown, and Desmond patted her hand in reassurance.

“Even the strongest of persons have their moments of break down too. The way I see it, I think she has been trying to stay strong for too long, and now it is taking its toll on her,” Desmond observed.

He had noticed how even though she was part of the room, she never really behaved as if she belonged there. At first, he had thought it was because she was shy around Andrew, but then he had realized that wasn’t it. She just seemed to feel awkward around parents and was always in a rush to exit a room if she had to be there alone with them without either Bryan or Celsie.

He had particularly noticed how she had sat stiffly in her seat, looking so lost and unsure when Celsie and her parents had stood to leave for their private discussion the previous evening.

Her bold exterior was just a facade. Underneath that beautiful and seemingly bold young lady was actually a frightened and lonely young girl.

He wondered how things had been with her following her half-brother’s death, her estrangement with her parents, and their subsequent death.

He could bet that she had locked all of that emotion somewhere inside her while trying to be there for Celsie. And nobody else had bothered to really find out how she was doing.

Knowing Sonia, he was certain that even if Celsie had asked, Sonia would probably never really tell her how she felt because she wouldn’t want to put such a burden on her.

It was clear that what happened to Celsie had also broken Sonia in other ways. He was going to have to find the time to converse with her before leaving.

Candace sat with her eyes closed as she thought about Jamal, who she had left behind. Even though it wasn’t even up to twenty-four hours, and they were yet to arrive at their destination, she missed him sorely already.

She didn’t know why, but she had a very strange feeling about all of this. Something told her that everything was going to change. What she didn’t know yet was if it was going to be a good change or a bad change.

She opened her eyes when she felt Jade’s hand cover hers and turned to look at Jade, who gave her a reassuring smile, “Your hands are trembling,” Jade said calmly.

Candace glanced at their now joined hands without saying a word, and Jade squeezed softly, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

“You don’t know that,” Candace said as she returned her eyes to meet Jade’s.

“Why? You think something might go wrong?” Jade asked, and Candace smiled.

“How well do you know Jero? Do you think you know him better than I do?” Candace asked, and Jade frowned slightly.

“I don’t know. You tell me,” Jade said, and Candace sighed.

“Jero is erratic. I advise you to prepare yourself for worst-case scenarios,” Candace said, and Jade nodded.

“Why did you agree to meet with him? I know you could have refused,” Jade said, and Candace smiled.

“I want to put an end to this ill-fated relationship with him. If I don’t meet with him, I will have to keep running with Jamal, scared that some how he might show up someday. That is not the way I want my son to live. That is not the way I want to live either,” she said, thinking about Matt, who had not bothered to call her or show up since the last time they spoke.

She did not doubt that she lost his friendship along with whatever else he had felt for her. She deserved it. It was one of the prices she had to pay for making the bad decision of getting involved with a person like Jero and not doing everything she could to leave while she could.

“Just how do you intend to put an end to your ill-fated relationship with him?” Jade asked thoughtfully, and Candace looked at her square in the eyes.

“If he tries to do anything stupid with me, I’m going to kill him if I have to.”

Amy sat in front of her laptop, browsing through every article she could find on glioblastoma. The more she searched, the more hopeless she felt as she knew Miley must have also done this. Miley wasn’t one to easily give up without giving something a lot of thought.

She broke into a sob as flashes of Miley at different stages of their life ran through her mind. Images of them as children, playing with Miley’s dolls, feeding birds at the parks. Miley running into her little bedroom in the servant’s quarter’s to announce she had started seeing her menstruation.

Miley prancing around her bedroom in her first bra with a proud smile on her face.

Miley crying and begging Amy’s mother to allow Amy to attend the same high school with her, but her mother had refused, insisting that even though the girls were friends, she couldn’t accept charity. It was her duty to raise her children herself, and she couldn’t afford to send Amy to such an expensive school.

Miley handing a shopping bag to her after every shopping trip with her parents.

Miley holding her and crying with her when the news of her elder sister’s suicide came to them.

Miley dolling her up for her first date and dressing up too, claiming they were both attending a school party so that Amy’s mother would let them. Miley watching from a discreet distance to be sure that she was okay, and Miley breaking the nose of her so-called boyfriend when he tried to grope her without her consent and had insulted her by calling her a mere servant’s daughter.

Miley, her best friend and sister who after the cruelty she had faced at the hands of Rachel, had insisted that her parents create a foundation for bullied children to help them fight against oppression from oppressors like Rachel who because of their parent’s status in the society might get away with their crimes.

It was Miley who had sent her a ticket and everything she needed to go to school with her in the same college abroad and had funded it all from the pocket money she had been saving, making it seem like it was a scholarship to Amy’s unsuspecting mother.

Miley polished, beautiful, and confident, who she had talked to almost every day of her life since she was a kid. Even the distance between them when Miley left the country had not stopped their communication or friendship.

Miley, who had sent down a half bottle of wine wrapped in a white towel to celebrate her job at OmniGlobal, laughing as she told her over the phone that they needed to drink from the same bottle for it to be a celebration.

Miley teaching her how to apply makeup and play tennis, saying it was a classy game. Miley who was always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. Miley who always tried to find the best in people and found humor in every situation.

Amy sobbed as she thought of the Miley who was dying. Why? Why Miley? This was not fair. Miley didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve to lose her best friend in this manner.

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