Chapter Seventy-nine

Chapter Seventy-nine
Breakfast on Saturday morning felt like a small family gathering. The smell of eggs, toasted bread, and freshly brewed coffee filled the warm air. The table was filled with food — scrambled eggs, sausages, fruit bowls, and pancakes stacked high and glistening with syrup. Everyone had a plate in front of them and they devoured their food while engaging in small talks.

Rena sat on Hunter’s lap, her little head moving from side to side as she giggled and played with her blue teddy bear. Hunter held her carefully with one arm while feeding her with the other. He looked so calm — a sight Mirabella had come to love watching.

Across the table, Tobias and Aria sat side by side, whispering and mouthing inaudible words and stealing glances at each other like two teenagers trying not to fight in front of their parents. It was weirdly sweet, but also obvious enough that Beverly kept darting her gaze between them. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes screamed with curiosity. She kept observing their movement, maybe trying to find something to talk about later… very typical of her.

Hunter’s eyes, however, weren’t wandering. His gaze was fixed on Mirabella the entire time, even though he was somehow concentrating on feeding Rena. Every time Mirabella raised her eyes, she met his steady gaze on her… one that was both possessive and unreadable. She tried to ignore it, and focus instead on her toast.

When breakfast ended, everyone helped clear the table. Plates clinked, chairs scraped, and the house slowly returned to its calm rhythm. Tobias and Hunter volunteered to trim the flowers outside. The garden had grown wild during the week, and Beverly had joked that it was starting to look like a forest.

It was still strange and surprising seeing Hunter doing house chores. He wasn’t the kind of man associated with dirt or domestic work. His aura was usually too commanding and too… polished. Tobias had tried to argue that he could handle it alone, but Hunter had insisted, saying he needed “something to keep his hands in action.”

Tobias eventually gave in, but it was obvious though, that he was very uncomfortable having his boss do dirty chores, but he couldn't stop him. Hunter, on the other hand, seemed calm, and cool with everything.

The day went on quietly. Lunch came and went with small baby-ish talks from Rena and the occasional teasing from Beverly the trouble maker, who finally found a chance to talk about Aria and Tobias's not-so-secret glances. Aria rolled her eyes at her and called her a monitoring spirit, but her blush could not be hidden.

Later in the afternoon, Tobias asked Aria to follow him to his home, saying that he needed her to help him with something. She agreed, though the look in her eyes said she knew he was up to no good. Beverly had given her a sly smirk as they left, whispering something that made Aria elbow her softly.

Hunter had stepped outside to take a phone call. He was gone only for a while.

When he entered the kitchen again, his entire countenance had changed. His jaw was tense, his brows slightly drawn, and his eyes… usually calm, were now darker than before. It was very obvious something or someone made him angry.

Mirabella was sitting on the kitchen counter, legs dangling as she sipped from her mug of coffee. The sound of her spoon against the cup stopped when she saw his face.

“What’s the problem?” she asked, setting the mug aside. “Who did you call?”

He didn’t answer immediately. He pulled out his phone from his pocket, his eyes not leaving her face. “Ashley would like to speak to you,” he blurted out and held up the phone in front of her.

Mirabella blinked, and her own countenance changed immediately as she stared down at the phone in his hand. “Ashley?” she repeated softly, staring at the phone like it was something dangerous. Her chest tightened. “You… spoke to Ashley?”

He nodded once, his face unreadable.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she continued to look down at the phone. Ashley. She hadn't kept in touch with Ashley for the past years. And now, from nowhere, guilt hit her hard in the chest. She has kept in touch with every other friend of hers, but not with Ashley. She feared Ashley would sell her location to Hunter..

Now, Hunter has found her without help. And Ashley is the first to reach out to her. More guilt hit her.

She looked into Hunter's face. He still has a scowl on his face. She was sure his bad mode wasn't caused by Ashley so she made a mental note to ask him later. “Can I not speak to her?” She asked pleadingly.

Hunter’s eyes narrowed a little. “No, baby,” he said, voice low. “You have to speak with her. She wouldn’t let me rest unless she heard your voice. She’s… worried.”

“I’m sure you told her I was fine?” Mirabella asked, hoping that she could still avoid the inevitable.

“I did,” he said, “but she still wants to hear from you. She’s also worried about Rena.”

Ok, triple guilt…

Mirabella closed her eyes and took a shaky breath.

“Okay,” she said quietly. She held out her hand. “I’ll speak to her.”

Hunter noticed her discomfort and hesitation as he handed her the phone, and decided to help her feel lighter. “She isn’t angry at you, Bella,” he spoke softly. “Neither does she blame you for leaving without telling her. In fact, she blames me for everything.”

Mirabella looked up at him, doubtfully.

“She thinks you did what you did because if you had told her, I would have found out… that I’d have manipulated her into revealing where you were. And then you’d hate her for it.”

He reached forward and gently brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. His fingers lingered there for a while. “Does that help?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head. “No. It doesn’t help or ease the guilt at all,” she murmured.

He sighed and nodded once. “You’ll be fine,” he said simply. “Make the call.”

She did.

The phone rang twice, then a familiar voice came… soft, warm, and full of life.

“Mira?”

Mirabella held her breath when she heard her name from the other end of the phone for a second. Then, finally, she smiled. “Hey… Ashley.”

Her voice cracked a little.

“Oh my God,” Ashley breathed. “It’s really you. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”

Mirabella laughed weakly. “Yeah… it’s been really… long.”

The two women talked for nearly twenty minutes. The call didn't go as she expected. She had expected some degree of scolding or lecture from Ashley, but she was cool. As cool as ever.

It helped lift Mirabella's mood a little and they talked about everything and nothing all together. They talked as if they hadn't been apart for so long. No awkwardness at all and Mirabella couldn't be more grateful.

At first, there was hesitation… But it didn’t take long before laughter slipped through. They joked, and Ashley asked questions about Rena.

Mirabella told her about everyone, especially her friends and even how Beverly found ways to meddle in everyone’s businesses, how Aria was the life of every party… They talked about so many things. It felt… normal again.