In my third year in France, I successfully completed my apprenticeship.
My senior colleague told me she’d just met with a particularly difficult client, someone from back home.
Intrigued, I glanced at the client’s message on her phone.
It was a photo of a wedding dress I knew all too well.
There was a large wine stain on the bodice and dark, brownish flecks of blood on the hem.
“Aurora, do you know how much he offered? Enough to make a hundred new dresses!”
“But he doesn’t want a new one, he insists that this specific one must be restored. I heard he’s already asked every top designer in the country, and no one will
take the job.”
“My colleague met with him in person a month ago. She said it was very strange. Both of the men there seemed to have some kind of disability.”
“One of them couldn’t speak, and his right hand trembled constantly. The other was bundled up from head to toe, even though it was a hot day, with only his eyes showing. My colleague said she thought she saw faint burn scars under his eyes.”
“With that kind of money, they must be famous, right? Aurora, do you know them?”
I shook my head gently, a small smile playing on my lips as I looked away.
The wounds of the past once consumed my soul.
They left me in agony, crippled by insecurity.
I hated that life, and even more, I hated the people who had forced it upon me.
But I was learning to piece my broken soul back together.
Now, I had a career I loved, and I had a family who loved me.
All the oppression, humiliation, neglect, and betrayal from my past.
They no longer mattered in my life.
I would not look back, and I would not hold on to resentment.
As for when anyone else would be able to let go.
I didn’t know. And it no longer had anything to do with me.
‘Aurora, your grandma’s here with treats again! Ooh, are those cupcakes?”
I turned my head and saw Grandma, leaning on her cane.
she stood there smiling, picking up the prettiest cupcake and holding it out just for me.
thought, finally, I was the one who was cherished.
And it’s wonderful. Just wonderful.
23:02 O
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.