Second Chances

1. Adrianna

"Oh my God! It is so good to see you, honey!" Patricia engulfed Adrianna in a tight hug the moment the latter stepped into the foyer.

"It's good to see you too, Ma."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and immediately made their way to Patricia's room. Once they were finally alone, Patricia took a good look at her only daughter. She seemed to have lost a bit of weight, her eyes didn't twinkle much, her smile wasn't as bright. Even though she and her husband portrayed an amiable picture in front of them, it was evident that Adrianna was not happy in her marriage, given the scandals involving Elton that were splashed across publications, and how Jeffery had shared his observations so many times, about things not being that great between the couple.

"Ma, don't look at me like that... with such pitiful eyes," Adrianna's soft voice was enough to break her out of her thoughts.

"I... I am sorry. I didn't mean to. Is... Is he treating you better?" She had to ask. Her heart was breaking into a million pieces upon seeing her daughter sad.

"Elton has never misbehaved with me, if that's what you are asking. It's just that, he hasn't yet... How do I say it... ummm... he hasn't completely accepted the fact that he had to marry at a young age. It's more like a cold war between him and uncle Marvin."

"Are you being honest, honey? His behaviour... the tabloids..." Patricia trailed off.

"You know how the media can be," and she ruefully smiled. She couldn't tell her parents the truth behind Elton's behaviour, that would simply make them feel unnecessarily guilty.

Unable to bear her daughter's fallen face anymore, Patricia thought of changing the topic. "Anyway, let him be. It is our time, why talk about men? So, do you have any plans for the weekend? Maybe a nice vacation alone? Or you could call Tess," and she smiled knowingly. Tess and Adrianna had been childhood friends, inseparable since the latter had stood up for her when Tess was being bullied. Adrianna didn't have many friends, and Tess was the only close friend she felt comfortable with, the only one who could bring a smile to her face.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. After all, I just have a couple of years left before I step into my wise 30s. Let me be brash till my age permits," she joked. She was going to turn 28 that weekend and given the situation with her husband, she knew he wouldn't even remember her birthday, let alone celebrate it. Her birthday also meant that a week after that, they would be completing a year of being married. Almost a year of pretending that everything was fine, that Elton was cordial with her, he just hadn't yet come to terms with their sudden marriage.

Maybe a long vacation away from everything would be better. Maybe that would help her take her mind away from the way that her husband pretended that she didn't exist, talked about her as if she was a human with no feelings, and the fact that he actually loved someone else. Had that not been the case, Adrianna would have assumed that being grumpy and in a foul mood was his nature, but she had heard him talk to the other woman, and she knew that he didn't have a heart of stone. And yet, he was rude when it came to her. Before tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, she tried to think of something else as she absentmindedly heard her mom excuse herself for something in the kitchen.

Maybe a trip with her best friend would just be what she needed right now. She wanted to break free from whatever it was that was holding her back, but she didn't know how to go about it. That's where Tess would help her.

***

"Addy! It's been so long! Where were you all these months?" Tess squealed the moment she entered the café where Adrianna was already waiting for her.

Adrianna immediately got up from her seat and hugged her. "You know how things are, I have been staying at home for my husb..."

"Please, no mention of that jackass. I don't want us to ruin our moods." Irritation was evident in her tone as she took a seat opposite Adrianna.

The latter let out a sigh. Yes, she may downplay or even lie about how things are to avoid making her parents worry, but she shared everything with Tess. When Elton had shouted at her on their wedding night and had asked her to avoid showing her face the next morning, a phone call to Tess had what calmed her down, normalised her. Till date, she was clueless as to what she had done to warrant such hatred.

"You are thinking about him again, aren't you? Seriously, Addy, didn't you find anyone else to develop a crush on? To fall in love with? That spineless man is an absolute piece of s**t! I don't know how you tolerated him before and what even made you agree to marry him," Tess started her rant. "And the surprising part? Despite not liking staying with you under the same roof, actually hating you, that asshole refuses to divorce you. I mean, what the hell is wrong with him? You love someone else, just free your wife and chase anything that wears a skirt!" She rambled on, before realising that she wasn't really helping her friend.

"Addy, I am sorry. Just... I care for you, okay? I don't know what happens to me whenever I hear his name or see you thinking about him. You haven't been yourself since that call you made months ago. I miss my lively, goofy Addy." Tess' eyes brimmed with tears. She felt bad for her friend. Her once lively and talkative friend had been reduced to a shell of her former self. All because of that insensitive jerk!

"Come with me on a trip, Tess. I want to go somewhere far off, away from this messed up life that I signed myself up for, away from all the heart ache, and away from doing things that are expected of me. I want to break free from such shackles and live my life on my own terms, even if it is for a few days," Adrianna said, with a far-off look in her eyes. Elton had been on one too many trips after their marriage. She could go on at least one trip to forget the miseries that were plaguing her, be the carefree girl she once was, to live life without a care in the world.