The Billionaire's Ex-Wife

Chapter 9

Three years later

"Elle! Get your cute butt down here!" Jackie shouted over Death by A Thousand Cuts blaring from the stereo.

I wiped the sweat from my face and looked at the heaps of boxes lying everywhere, thinking about what other important things I could be forgetting.

"Elle! Come here!"

"Coming!" I shouted back.

I moved some of the boxes scattered on the floor and made my way to where Jackie was sitting comfortably on top of a mahogany table.

"Yes, princess? What's the fuss all about?" I teased.

"Look at this!" She handed me a stack of pictures.

The one on top was a picture of her, me, and Nyx on top of a mountain. Jackie was kissing me on the cheek and Nyx was playfully messing up my hair while I was smiling widely at the camera.

"This was, like, a year ago, right?" I asked, smiling at the happy memory. A few months after we settled in Switzerland, Nyx came over. He was attending the same conference as Jackie's parents. They invited him over to dinner and, since then, he'd come to visit a few times whenever he's on a break.

"Yeah. Look at the guy behind us." Jackie pointed to a man holding a kid's hand.

I nodded. "Yes. And?"

"That's the guy I was talking to you about! The one I met in the elevator at the hotel we stayed at. We ran into each other a few times and we even exchanged a few words. I really really really liked him, you know."

"Ah, this is Mr. TNS?" Jackie used to talk about him a lot. We called him tall and sexy, TNS for short.

"Yes! God, how I wish I at least got his number. If fate wills us to meet again, I swear I'll muster up enough courage to ask him out." Her face looked so adorably serious, I started to laugh. She looked angrily at me.

"Sorry, I just find it cute seeing this side of you. I can't wait for you to finally meet him again."

"I hope you're right. That we'll meet again, I mean. I just hope he's not married, seeing as he was with a kid. But enough of that. Are you done packing?"

"Yeah, I just have to go over my list again to make sure I'm not forgetting anything."

"Good. I'll be done in a bit as well. How's Kevin and Dani, by the way?"

Kevin now works for Jackie and oversees her household needs. Jackie treats him more like a brother than her employee, but as dedicated as he is, he takes his job seriously. Too seriously sometimes. He insisted on going home ahead of us to check on what might need to be sorted out before Jackie's arrival.

"He and Dani are doing okay. Kev even found Dani a doctor already."

With Jackie's help, we were able to send Dani to the best hospital in Switzerland and the doctors announced a year and a half ago that Dani was in complete remission. But we were advised to monitor her condition for a couple of years more, so we still have her checked up regularly.

"That's good. Come on, let's eat first. I'm starving."

"Great. Me too."

Our plane just landed. The moment I walked out of the airport, I was bombarded with feelings of nostalgia and foreboding. I'm back. Back to where I had some of the happiest moments of my life. But also where all my nightmares began. My hands turned cold and clammy. My lips started trembling. I told myself I wouldn't break down. Not ever again. But look at me now.

Jackie stood directly in front of me. But I couldn't look her in the eyes for fear she'd see how rattled I was.

She grabbed both my hands and squeezed. "Hey, Elle. You got this. I'm here, remember? You're not alone. Don't let the past drag you back down again."

I looked at her then. "What if I'm not strong enough to not let it affect me anymore?"

"You are. Believe it. I saw you grieve for the love and friendship you lost, saw you struggle day after day after the betrayal you endured. But I also saw you make the effort to shove food down your throat, no matter how taxing it felt for you. I saw you drag yourself to work even though your heart was no longer in it. I saw you care for Dani even though you needed it more. And because you tried, because you were so strong, I saw you eventually start to move on. You started to smile genuinely again, go out for a walk, write stories. You found happiness again. So don't let the past destroy what you worked hard for. You may not be able to forget what happened, but you need not let it shape your life. Okay?"

I just stared at her and nodded after that long speech, unable to utter any words. But a sudden burst of appreciation and love for my dear friend poured out of me.

Jackie smiled and gestured for me to continue walking towards the car waiting for us down the street. Before she could climb inside, I stopped her. She turned back to look at me.

"Thanks, Jackie. For everything. For helping me get myself back up. For taking care of me all this time. Not just me, but Kev and Dani as well. You've been more like family to us than just a friend. You know that, right?"

"Of course, Elle. You, Kev and Dani are my family too. This sounds cheesy, but your fight is my fight."

I laughed at her. "Yeah, that is cheesy. But I love you for it."

And then we both climbed inside the car.