ELARA
The invitation to my mother’s birthday party came out of nowhere, catching me completely off guard. I considered declining, but deep down, I knew I couldn’t. A part of me desperately hoped that Emmeline would attend. If she did, it would finally give me the chance to see her, to talk to her—something I hadn’t been able to do since she left.
It has been a month since she became Cedric’s wife, a month and two weeks since she walked out of my home, and in all that time, I haven’t seen her, not even once. Not a single phone call, not a single message. Just silence. And that silence has been heavier than I ever imagined.
As for Dave, things between us have been anything but smooth. He’s been making an effort, I’ll give him that—trying to make up for keeping the truth about Romilly from
