Chapter Eighty-six

Chapter Eighty-six
She thought of Beverly, her loud, dramatic, but kind-hearted friend who’d been with her through everything.
She thought of Owen and Dorothy, the couple who’d treated her like family.
She was going to miss old Joe.
She thought of Rena, her daughter, who’d finally made friends here, who laughed every morning before school, who called Maplewood “home.”

Tears stung her eyes. “Would she be ok with a new home?” she whispered to herself.

She sat back on the bed, hugging her pillow tight. The room suddenly looked unfamiliar, like it already belonged to someone else.

Hunter came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, towel around his waist. He noticed her quietness immediately.

“Babe…” he said softly.

She didn’t answer.

He knelt in front of her and lifted her chin. “Talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say?” she asked in a low voice. “That I am okay with this? That I’ll just pretend that it means nothing?”

“No,” he said. “I want you to tell me you trust me.”

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. After a long silence, she nodded. “I do trust you,” she whispered. “But it still hurts.”

“I know,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “It hurts me too.”

She rested her head on his shoulder, her tears dampening his skin. “You promise we can come visiting someday?”

“I promise,” he said without hesitation.

“Don’t say that unless you mean it.”

He smiled faintly, pressing his lips to her hair. “I mean every word, Bella. You’ll see.”

They stayed like that for a while, no words between them, only their quiet breathing.

Later that morning, she got up and started packing slowly. Every fold of fabric, every item she tucked into the bag felt like a goodbye.

Rena’s laughter echoed faintly from the next room. The little girl was probably watching cartoons, not knowing that her world was about to change.

Mirabella swallowed the lump in her throat.

By noon, she went to the store to meet Beverly.

Beverly was at the counter, balancing receipts and humming to herself. When she saw Mirabella, she smiled. But the smile quickly faded when she noticed her expression.

“Okay, spill it. What’s wrong?”

Mirabella sighed. “Hunter says we’re leaving. Tomorrow.”

Beverly froze. “Tomorrow? What the hell do you mean leaving tomorrow?”

“That’s exactly what I said.”

“What? Wait… why so sudden?”

“He says it’s not safe here anymore. Something about trouble back home.”

Beverly frowned, dropping her pen. “And you’re just… going?”

“It was meant to happen someday?” Mirabella said softly. “It just came so suddenly like a shock.”

Beverly walked around the counter and hugged her tight. “I’m going to miss you so much, girl.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Mirabella whispered. “You’ve been my sanity through everything.”

Beverly sniffled, then tried to lighten the mood. “You better text me every single day or I’ll hunt you down.”

Mirabella smiled through her tears. “I will.”



When she returned home that afternoon, Rena was sitting cross-legged on the floor, coloring. Hunter was helping her pack a few toys into a small suitcase.

“Mommy, Daddy says we’re going to a new house!” Rena said excitedly.

Mirabella forced a smile. “Yes, baby. We are.”

“Will there be many trees like here?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “And maybe even more.”

“Can I bring my best friend?”

Mirabella’s heart broke a little. “You can still talk to him every day, sweetheart. We’ll call him.”

“Okay!” Rena said cheerfully, returning to her coloring

By evening, everything was almost ready. She had finished packing their essentials… clothes, documents, a few of hers and Reba's books. She sat on the bed for a while, her elbows on her knees, hands covering her face.

The thought of leaving Maplewood made her chest ache. The small store she managed. The people she had come to love. And even the random faces who smiled at her when they came to purchase jewelry. This place had healed her, even if just a little.

When Aria came into her room, she found Mirabella still sitting on the same spot, lost in thought.

“Hey…” Aria said softly, sitting beside her. “You okay?”

Mirabella turned to her with tired eyes and gave a weak smile. “Not really.”

Aria sighed. “I know, sweetheart. But maybe… maybe this is what you need. Maybe Atlanta won’t be as bad as it was before.”

Mirabella chuckled sadly. “You really believe that?”

“No,” Aria admitted with a small laugh. “But I’m trying to make you believe it.”

That made Mirabella laugh a little too. But it didn’t take long before her chest felt heavy again.

“Come, let's take a walk,” Aria suggested


Mirabella and Aria walked down to Beverly’s house together. They didn’t speak much during the walk. Rena kept chanting some children's poems from school.

When they got to Beverly’s house, Beverly was already waiting for them. She opened the door before they even knocked and smiled, though her eyes were a bit dull. She must have been sad as well.

Now all three women were sitting silently in the living room. The air was thick with sadness. No one spoke for a long time.

It was Aria who finally broke the silence.

“You both know that no one is dying, right?" she said, forcing a smile, trying to lighten up the mood.

Beverly sighed deeply. “Who knows if I’ll ever see you again… or my goddaughter,” she said quietly, her voice cracking at the end.

Aria looked away, sniffing rapidly. “I’ll miss you both too,” she said. “I’ve built my career in New York. I can only come during long vacations. But even that…” she paused, her voice trembling a little, “...it will still feel very different.”

Mirabella and Rena were not the only people she was going to miss. She was also going to miss Tobias aka, her bulky guy. They hadn't got to do anything other than kisses here and there and light touches.
She has come to feel a rare kind of connection to him and she was sad she would be losing this connection with him soonest. It really broke her heart. She wished they had a little bit more time, and maybe… just maybe things between them would have had a name.

The room went totally silent. The ticking clock on Beverly’s wall was the only sound that could be heard.

Then Beverly spoke up softly. “How did Owen take the news?”

“Well, he was devastated,” Mirabella replied, rubbing her palms together. “He said he was going to miss his goddaughter. He promised to visit, but we both know he won’t. He'd rather be in the forest venturing with his wife than be where people are,” she concluded with a small smile, shaking her head.

“I can imagine." Beverly sighed, and her eyes began to tear up. “For me, you, Aria, and Rena have been like family to me. It really breaks my heart that you’re leaving so soon. After everything we’ve all been through together… now we have to travel miles just to see each other.”

Her voice cracked, and tears began to fall down her cheeks. “I’ve never had many people to love in my life. First my dad, who left when I was a baby. Then my mom, who abandoned me at thirteen. I didn’t even cry for her because she was never really there for me and I didn't feel any connection with her. But this… this is so different…” she wiped at her eyes helplessly, “...this hurts more.”