CHAPTER 13
It was late by the time Emilia arrived home, but the lights in the kitchen were still blazing. The drive home had been long, but considerably less fraught with tension than the drive to New York had been. While the rejection was still embedded in her heart, it was liberating to know she wouldn’t have to make the journey again due to some misguided responsibility to maintain contact with her mother. Next time she was in New York, it would simply be because she wanted to be there.
Opening the door tentatively, she froze at the sight before her – a huge “Happy Birthday” banner stretched almost the entire length of the room, brightly coloured balloons and streamers hung from the ceiling and David and Seb stood behind the table with goofy grins on their faces.
The exhaustion sh
